2012 was filled with memories. Where to begin, there are so many. 52 weeks of shooting and it all it comes down to an accumulation of memories that unraveled themselves in this humble blog. I want to apologize and at the same time thank my readers. I know that over the years I’ve changed blogs like a kid in a candy store but 2012 prooved to be the year that I settled down into my cyber home. I’m not one to care of stats and nervously check them throughout the days but I know this humble blog has gotten over 75K page views combined and for that I thank everyone who contributed in one way or another via commenting and viewing. Ok then, well if I had to encapsulate this year’s long journey I must say that “learning” was my true north. I learned more about my photography and the technical aspects of photography in general and light than any other year. 2012 will most definitely mark a turning point in my journey in this …

I often hear the phrase “you must do what feels good,” and this week that resonates deep within and makes me highlight what my blog is all about.     Miss You My about description reads: A blog about storytelling, photography, discoveries, and the things we learn along the way.

I feel depressed. I’m bored. I feel like I’m stuck on top of a pencil eraser in the middle of the ocean. With that said, these images reflect exactly my feelings hence the muted tones and the imagery.            

Lots going on but this week marks the beginning of my strobist. Its incredibly amazing what a prolong amount of time shooting does to your body of work, techniques, new methods learned, and a continued vision.     All images shot with a Nikon D90 and a Sigma 24-60mm 2.8 EX DG. One tidbit I want to share about Zack Arias’s dvd is the whole notion of shooting with strobes in manual settings in order to have consistent exposures. Notice how all these shots don’t have any clipped highlights and the tones are the same. Thanks Zack.

Not a lot of words this week but its worth mentioning that I’ve begun a new genre ― Strobist. I recently decided to go full throttle with the Nikon Creative Light System inspired by Joe McNally and his book ― Hot Shoe Diaries and a very informative video also by Joe titled “Nikon: A Hands-on Guide to Creative Lighting“, and last, but not least Zack Arias’s “OneLight” dvd. 42 weeks and this is quite a revolutionary step for me . . . more to come.

Praying helps me be a better a person. Its a constant struggle between the good, the bad, and the ugly. A few weeks I had spoken to my family members how important it is to celebrate life. Celebrating life is not only important but critical in my humble opinion. My uncle was diagnosed with Leukemia last week. He arrived at Miami for a second opinion, and now is back to the Dominican Republic where he is to begin treatment tomorrow. I can’t help but think how a great man came upon something like this but through prayers and understanding I’ve come to realize its just one of the many crosses us human beings have to bare in order to arrive at our salvation. I believe its important to tell loved ones that you love them. Yes, literally saying the words, letting them know how you feel. Often times we go through life, sometimes pretending or hoping those other people know how you feel. The truth of the matter is people don’t know unless you tell …

Only 12 more weeks in the weekly project I can hardly believe I’ve last this long. I think it would be beneficial to start to collect my thoughts as to what I’ve learned in this soon to be 52 week. For starters, I can assure you that cameras don’t really matter all that much. I think I’ve proved that to myself. Keen readers of the blog will know I’ve been around the block as they say with my chosen camera gear but in the end, we create what we create. More importantly I think its our thought process as we see a frame and bring that frame to completion via processing. Processing for me is so intimately tied to vision because it hones in on what you saw and what you want your viewer to see – guide the eyes. I tell you though, its no easy task. It takes time and practice. Personally, I think I’ve done it a few times this year with a few frames. Matter of fact, I’ll probably do a …