Hollow world

Big city, shallow people... right? Wrong.

New York means none of that to me. What it means is busy people, people trying to look busy, busy people trying to look laid back - in short, it means life as it is everywhere. We're all the same, basically. Everything else you hear is just stereotype, good for a laugh.

Take Trump, for instance - the name (and the man) stands for big buildings, big money... right? Wrong, if you ask me. If you ask me, it stands for thinking big. And it also brings something else to my mind: that big shiny hollow globe at the entrance of the Trump International Hotel near Columbus Circle in Manhattan.

Trust me, it's quite a sight!

From any angle... :)

Damn, I miss that city... the atmosphere, the hustle and bustle of the streets, the sometimes eerie peace and quiet of Central Park, the unexpected patches of green of the many small parks scattered throughout the city... and, of course, the squirrels.

 This big city? I guess it means home to me :)

First steps in B&W

I've gone and now I'm back. I mean, I got back some three weeks ago - more like 25 days, 5 hours and a few minutes... but who's counting, right? ;)

It would be expected that I would have a lot to tell, although I'm not one to talk much (as most of those closest to me are painfully aware of ;). I like to write - I guess you can tell that by now. But this time it's like I'm stuck. Almost as if I feel like by putting pen to paper (in this case, finger to keyboard... ;) and pouring out all my thoughts and feelings, they will all get inexorably stuck in the past. It's as if as long as I can relive everything inside of me, the whole experience, the whole trip and everything I've done and seen, will always be a part of the here and now... every day. Well, maybe this doesn't make sense for anyone else but me... anyway, what else is new? :)

That's why I'm starting slowly - under the pretext of showing here my first venture into the world of black and white photography. I tend to prefer colour because I know that nothing in this world is just either black or white - and grey really isn't a colour I favour.

All things considered, I believe this photo turned out OK... On the other hand, how the hell can anyone go wrong with a photo of New York?! ;)

Tags: New York, Brooklyn Bridge, Manhattan

What a difference a focal point makes...

This one's my favourite of the two:

I guess it reminds me of the importance of keeping an eye on the big picture without ever losing sight of the "here and now"...


And this one...

... this one I like because it shows me that one can always focus on what's ahead for a while, comforted by the fact that what's close to us right now is also there to be enjoyed and cherished...

So, if you had to vote (as in really having to vote, or else... ;) - which of these two perspectives would you vote for?

Tags: perspective, focal point, sea, blue, lighthouse, boat

Back with a splash!

At first, I thought I was losing interest.
And I thought it was a temporary thing.
Then, as time went by, I started thinking that I was losing my mind.
My identity. All of a sudden, I couldn't think of myself as the enthusiast photographer I thought I was. I couldn't see myself as an enthusiast. Period. My vision seemed to be blurred beyond repair and that scared the hell out of me.

Then I thought: "I'll be damned if I can't shake this and go back to feeling the urge to have the shutter button under my index finger every time something worth shooting catches my eye..." - which used to happen a few hundred times a day!

And as I tried to fight my way through this mess inside my head (even reading this and other similar articles didn't help much)... it happened. The weather turned. The sea rose in an uproar of fury and I was free again. Free to be myself, to feel in touch with my most inner self and want to go out and shoot.

My beacon through the darkness (of my soul?)...
Always there, under the Sun and the Moon, braving the elements and daring me to go that extra mile... even if just inside my mind.




I always say one day I'll win the lottery or something, buy myself this beauty and just move there :)




Just before taking this, I closed my eyes facing the strong wind, took a deep breath and just listened to the roaring ocean... I could swear I felt it coming over me :)




And when the light is this amazing, all I can do is shoot and shut up.
And that's what I did because I felt that, at long last, I was back with a splash! :)

Tags: photographer's block, weather, ocean, sea, waves