Refreshing fly-by

This seagull was clearly having fun around the fountain - it kept circling the jets of water as they went up and down...

Looking at it against the sun, my eyes were locked in the flight pattern, admiring how it managed to fly through the mist and not get caught by those powerful "geysers". I truly envied that bird's eye view (in the most literal sense ever!) - it was a hot day, way too hot for me and it looked exquisitely refreshing... I bet no seagull ever envied our way of life :)

Waves on the ground

Very colourful, isn't it?

Well, looking at this photo, one things catches my eye more than anything else: the shadows the wall casts on the sidewalk. Call me weird, but I think they fit the scene very well, since this is a viewpoint above a beach... with waves... :)
If you lean a little over the wall, you can see the "Whale Beach" (Praia da Baleia). It got its name in 1872, when a huge whale got stranded there and it's only one of the many beautiful beaches you can find in Ericeira, which shores are very well know among surfers.

Deep in the valley

I sometimes wonder if I could live far away from the ocean and deep in a valley...
I'd still have the sky and maybe a river to quench my thirst of living by the water, but I can't help thinking I'd wither away and lose myself on those slopes...

To focus or not to focus

It was a cold day in the mountains. There was a pine tree in my field of vision when I was aiming my lens at the peak - I mean aiming for shooting, not for throwing ;P

I tend to take a lot of shots like these (as you can see here) and then I always end up not knowing which one I prefer - I guess they tell me different stories and I'm not big on preferring one emotion to another... For instance, I can't choose between fear and pure bliss. One is good for some moments, the other is good for... others.
So, this time I made a collage to get a real feel for the actual difference and maybe that would help me choose... but no. And then I finally made the choice to embrace both images - there's a choice I can live with :)

What do you mean "Canon"?!

At first he was quite excited about my lens cap... tried to take it from my hands, played around with it between his paws for a while and then, because it simply refused to fight back, he got bored and just "stared it to death" :)

Exploding sky

Dawn of a new year

May 2010 be filled with health and joy...
and all that good stuff we keep hoping for!!! ;)

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

Bragging rights! lol

Not to tout my own horn... but I'm soooooo proud! :)))

Tags: Newsweek, picture of the week

A different perspective

Sometimes, all it takes is looking at everyday things in a different perspective.

There's a place in Lisbon that fills up with people during the weekend - if the sun is out, you can bet that Belém, home of the famous "Pastéis de Belém" (Portuguese Custards), is buzzing with people of all ages and walks of life. It's an amazing place by the river Tagus where people go to relax, play, romance... I've been there hundreds of times and it wasn't until recently that I found out that I had stopped noticing all the great things about it... When I looked around through my 40D's viewfinder, this is how I saw the Discoveries Monument...

... and this is how I remember the iconic Tower of Belém...

So, ask yourself this: "Which of the things I take for granted in my life haven't I been noticing properly lately?"... Then go shoot it from an unusual perspective and see how that makes you feel :)

Tags: tower, monument, Portugal, Discoveries, Lisbon, custard, travel, tourism, perspective, Canon, EOS, 40D, CarlaFrancisco

Mystic and Mysterious

It's a place that makes you feel like you've entered the Twilight Zone. Fabulous architecture, intense atmosphere - from the buildings to the gardens... and please don't get me started on the tunnels!

Earlier this year I got myself an ultra-wide angle lens for my beloved 40D and went to try it out in Sintra, at Quinta da Regaleira. I live only a few miles away, but I had never been there and I was blown away by the place... Lord Byron knew what he was talking about when he described Sintra as a "Glorious Eden"!

I took this one crouching on one of the steps :)
It's The Palace:

Then, I entered the palace and came out on a balcony. Surprise, surprise - a welcome breath of fresh air (contrasting with the heavy atmosphere on the inside). When I first looked around I wondered if I really had entered the Twilight Zone and got teleported to Disneyland :)

Walking around the gardens, I came across the Initiation Well, inspired by the initiation rites of the Knights Templar. Going down these stairs is a truly mystic experience... if you can block out all the other people around you.
I could focus for a moment and it was a powerful emotion... I was dizzy even before I began the descent... but taking this next photo (I know I already posted it here, but now you know the rest of the story) may have had something to do with that :)

Tags: Sintra, Regaleira, palace, well, initiation, Byron, garden, mystery, mysticism, knights, templar, Canon, EOS, 40D, CarlaFrancisco

Eye on the detail

The other day I crossed the river Sado on a ferryboat. I was pleasantly surprised by the brand new and colourful ferries that go back and forth between Tróia and Setúbal. I was kind of overwhelmed by the details and very eager to see what I could do using only the 70-300mm range and these are some of what I came up with :)

I had forgotten how much fun I can have while focusing on the details...

Tags: ferryboat, detail, green, white, blue, orange, Canon, EOS, 40D, CarlaFrancisco

Raising awareness - all as one

Tags: bloggers, refugees, unite, united

Yes YOU did!

Here's to the celebration of a historic victory and to the long road ahead... May the world find a tranquil path to evolve into something better - step by step.

Tags: US, election, victory, hope, change, path, Canon, EOS, 40D, CarlaFrancisco

Here's to the possible dawn of a new era...

As the sun was rising over the beautiful dam of Vale do Gaio (Torrão, Alcácer do Sal - Portugal), I endured the chilly morning air to get this (and a tonne other :) photos.
It seems appropriate for a day like today - a day which I'm hoping will bring the world a new sense of hope...

Tags: US, election, sunrise, hope, change, Canon, EOS, 40D, CarlaFrancisco

The place I dream of...

Meet the lighthouse of my dreams - Bugio Tower, we call it (apparently, the name Bugio originates from the similarity of the structure to that of a candle in a candle-holder - bougie is French for candle and many Portuguese words have French origin).
I can see it from my window (and now that I bought a longer telezoom, I can see it even better :). This photo wasn't taken from my window, though. Took it from a yachting harbour near where I live. The day was beautifully wintry and the sea was choppy... perfect!

I guess I'll just have to go there some time and become a squatter ;)
Preferably when the weather gets a bit better... or worse, as most of you would call it :)

Tags: lighthouse, sea, ocean, waves, winter, Canon, EOS, 40D, CarlaFrancisco

Wrath of the gods

My passion for severe weather was satisfied the other day during what I can only call a true orgy of clouds just before a magnificent thunderstorm.

The colours, the shapes, the way the wind moulded them before my eyes... a real feast - and I thank the gods for it.

By gods I mean Mother Earth and her weather leprechauns, elves and pixies... of course ;)

These photos don't do justice to the event itself... but I had lots of fun taking them. I was especially glad to be able to capture the faint flicker of a lighthouse caught in the middle of that raging storm.

A green flicker of hope for those who feel lost and scared when witnessing these "arguments" from up above. Very faint and distant from where I stood... but there, without a doubt. There's always one of those, no matter how dire the straits we may find ourselves in... you just have to really look for it.

Tags: storm, weather, clouds, sky, Canon, EOS, 40D, CarlaFrancisco