FPOE

I Say This A Lot

2010-12-09T09:58:00.000-08:00

Until this actually happens I guess it's just words, just talk. It's only just me saying I will; and until I do I guess my word will have to do, for now. But over the months that has passed and my current disposition on writing and editing and processing pictures I have decided to resurrect the blog. Like Shue's kids, here at The FPOE we have "new direction(s)" meaning that for the time being, while I have the drive and energy, I will devote a little time everyday in making this blog the kind of outlet I have always wanted it to be. So starting today, and for the foreseeable future, I will have a post or two everyday! Everyday! I like how I have found this new found commitment to making this happen as my final exams are creeping up on me. Yeesh, what's with my timing?

The Beach Part II - Portraits

2010-09-24T09:14:00.001-07:00

Fireworks

2010-09-03T20:11:00.000-07:00

I love fireworks, you can't go wrong with a well synchronized display. I have never shot fireworks before and was very unsure about how to approach. Composition was poor but I walked away with some decent shots for a first timer. I learnt a lot and wish I went to globalfest to properly hone my skills. I went with a high iso so I can grab some pics at a high shutter speed, only downside is the grain and noise that comes with 3200 iso. The most important thing here is to remember that noise and grain can be overlooked if the moment you're capturing is powerful. There is something awe inspiring about fireworks and there is always a moment to be captured, I just hope the following encapsulates the feelings we all have when we see fireworks.

The Beach Part I - Skipping Rocks

2010-09-03T08:44:00.000-07:00

I think as a species we have grown accustomed to having all this chaos around us. It's the only explanation I have for why we skip rocks on bodies of water. Even those people who don't know how to skip rocks just want to toss some rock in it and watch it ripple. There's something disturbing about how calm a lake or beach can be, it's almost unnatural to see something so calm. We've surrounded ourselves with all these things that anything moving slower than we are is unnerving.

Finally...

2010-09-01T22:59:00.000-07:00

Here's a sneak peek of what's to come. What I have been working on, enjoy...

A few months back we travelled to the west coast and did a tour of Seattle and Vancouver, it's impossible to go to the coast and not visit the ocean. So I armed myself with my camera and had some fun at the beach as the sun set.

Sorry!

2010-07-09T13:33:00.000-07:00

I know it's been a long time since I have posted, but with good reason. I've been stocking up on some posts that I will put up soon, and I also went on vacation. I left for vacay in hopes of capturing some pretty dope stuff to put up on here. For the most part I got some generic stuff not really blog worthy but we'll see what happens after applying a little elbow grease to em. Also, I have a virus, I haven't been on my computer for like a week and just as soon as I power it back on I get a virus, without even doing anything to it. It is ridiculous.

But I digress, posts soon. Just as soon as I get my computer functional again.

Lakers Game Tonight

2010-06-17T16:42:00.000-07:00

LA - BOSTON winner take all, game 7 tonight. I am too excited.

2010-06-13T12:14:00.000-07:00

These were taken the same day as the one's in aprevious post where my buddies and I went out for a day about town. This one features my friend Marlo, he got up on this wobbly beam so we could try to get some shots. I've never really done a shoot before, and I had no idea how to give him any directions. Luckily all he did was have to look cool.

I Want To Ride My Bicycle

2010-06-13T11:49:00.000-07:00

Since about mid-way through winter of 2009 I had a sudden obsession with building my own bike from the ground up with the help of some online forums and STV. However seeing how I have a bit of a vacation coming up soon and school to save, and that combined with my unwillingness to pick up more shifts have left me to alter the spring/summer plan fo 2010. I already have a pretty decent bike, just needs new tires and as much as I would love to put my own bike together, right now just wouldn't be a wise fiscal decision. I would love a great fixie but right now I just need to appreciate with what I already have. An old Dyno which judging by the frame build and stickers on it is literally older than I am, I love that and think that it just adds character to my bike.

With all that being said, the GF and I decided to go for a bike ride, so we took a couple bikes from my garage hopped on em, and headed over to get some Mucho Burrito and some Starbucks where we sat on the patio and enjoyed some drinks.

Life is good when you learn to enjoy the little things, like little bike rides with someone you care about, and getting some well deserved (and highly craved) tacos.

She wanted me to snap a couple pics of her, I didnt get her in the pose she originally wanted so these will have to do. At least for now, until we get another few shots on another bike ride adventure.

My City

2010-06-11T13:49:00.000-07:00

she provides for me, my city does. She gives me everything I need.

Took these a couple weeks ago on the same day, played around with different things in lightroom. I still very much love this city. Though I would be lying if I told you I didnt think of visiting and living in other places in the world. No matter where I end up I know this, my heart will forever be in Calgary.

Hangin' Out

2010-06-10T17:42:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago some buddies of mine wanted to learn how to use more of the features on their cameras. So I thought what better way to learn than to just get out there and practice, and it was likekilling two birds with the same stone, got to hang out together and take some pictures. It was a real pleasant day, everything came together, the weather, the mood, the lighting and cloud coverage. It took me a while process the pics, but something that really hit me as I did was the spirit of the day. I know it's a little corny but as I look at these pictures I can feel the love; I hope you do too.

I hope you look at these pictures and feel the fun we had too.

Real Talk -

2010-05-10T02:05:00.000-07:00

I know I said I'd have these updates, and don't get me wrong I have tried to come up with some. But I'm in a place right now that just won't allow me to do so. I wish I liked the work I was doing but the truth is that I don't. I don't know what's up, but give me some time to get my head on right again.

I Love My City

2010-04-21T12:44:00.000-07:00

So this summer, my biggest goal is to put something together to showcase my city, and show the world what it is I love about this place.... I have many pictures, a few keepers and a few that I could probably do without haha. But here's a little sneak peek.

Thought About removing the lense flare but I think I like it.

My Dream Girl...

2010-04-21T11:42:00.000-07:00

I think technically the girl of my dream would probably have like a really bodacious rack, maybe different hair, probably be more into sports. But truthfully, you're better than the girl of my dreams, because you're real.

I'LL Be Gone

2010-04-18T23:38:00.000-07:00

But Don't worry, I'll be assaulting you with new posts as soon as my last exam on Tuesday the 27th of April has come and gone.

I have so much to work on, and so much to do this coming year. And It'll be my golden year, so I feel obliged to make it count. Big things happen is little steps.

So Step one...make it through finals.

But don't worry, I'll still update when I find some time to.

It's Been A While...

2010-04-15T09:08:00.000-07:00

Haven't updated in a while thought now is a good as time as any to put these up. When I first really started taking pictures these are some of the one's I really liked. It's finals time so hopefully this will tide you over for a bit.

This is a little sneak peek into a project that I plan on starting this summer. I plan on making it a huge collaborative work between the people who I admire and motivate me the most. Not my best work, but I love them anyway, and I think I have come a long way since then.

The Creative Process

2010-04-10T19:18:00.000-07:00

I find that it is easy to get motivated, but it is very difficult to get inspired. Sometimes the creative process can get a little pedestrian. When that happens, I like to shake things up, try something different. Read a book, watch a movie, look at pictures, watch videos on youtube; somthing, anything that'll just get me going again.

I don't want to do something or post something for the sake of doing it. So I'll try anything to get me going and to keep things from getting too pedestrian:

22 by 22 - Day 4

2010-04-10T00:21:00.000-07:00

You should know how it works by now. So this isn't exactly walk around weight, but with enough physical activity in my life this should be a manageable weight without having to go on my elliptical.

22 by 22 - Day 3

2010-04-10T00:15:00.000-07:00

People are still giving me funny looks when I tell em about my mission to "lose weight." But the funny thing is once I lose the weight, I think I'm gonna try to put on some muscle. For some reason I feel like it'll be easier to put on muscle weight than it is to convert fat into muscle.

Morning weight, prior to run

Before I go to bed, after a nice dinner with the GF's famlay

Marlo's Party - A Franatiks joint shoot

2010-04-09T08:20:00.000-07:00

Shirtless Kegstands. My first drink in 3 months. Plastic cup flash filter. Paper Towel Diffuser. Good night, with good friends. I'm a little sad for my sobriety to come to an end, but I guess it had to some time.

N.Fajardo foto credz

Nat Took this One

Nat Took this as well

By N.Fajardo

Then to be silly I decided to see what happens when I use my red drinking cup as a flash filter these were the results :

22 by 22 - Day 2

2010-04-08T23:53:00.000-07:00

So I told my friends at work what I plan on doing, and they all just laughed at me. Cause I guess I'm a twig or something. Over the years I think I filled out nicely. I know my metabolism has slowed and that I have put on a bit of a relationship gut. I don't mind a little bit of weight but what I don't like is the lack of sustained physical activity in my life. I used to love playing outside going for bike rides, playing basketball. Growing up in my neighborhood was amazing because there were all these kids my age and every night after homework I could just go outside and play with my buddies from around the block. Nowadays it's almost a chore trying to find time to do anything active. So what I am trying to take away from this project is not the weight loss, but the self discipline and the physical activity I can enjoy once more.

My weight this morning, pre run

Before bed weight, looks like I took a step back

AB Fashion Week

2010-04-08T14:07:00.000-07:00

I finally finished the few AB Fashion Week - Henry Singer pics that I felt were worth even maybe putting up. It was a good experience. First time I ever shot a fashion show, and boy was it a learning experience. There's a lot of trial and error in photography and this was one of those errors that has really taught me a lot.

The Real Models

How I Got into this Mess Pt. 1 - Self Discovery

2010-04-08T11:45:00.000-07:00

Our paths in life lead us in all kinds of different and crazy directions. Mine has been ever twisting and has brought some very trying and very rewarding times in my life. This is the story of how I got where I am today, and why I love to take pictures. I was going to make it just this quick little blurb about how I got th were I am. But the story spanned such a log period of time that I thought that I would do it some justice. Now I am not a photographer, I don't take amazing photos, I don't take into account white balance, or exposure, or ambient lighting; I don't have the knowledge or know how. I'm just a guy who fell in love with life and the world around him and decided to document it all by any visual medium possible.

I have this love and an affinity for all things visual. My journey started in the 11th grade, I met a girl. She changed my life, she didn't know it at the time but if she doesn't know now then she'll probably never know. It was an interesting time in my life and it inspired this story in my head that I always wanted to put down on paper. It was also at that moment I realized how much I loved to write, and how much I loved film. My idea was to put it all into a form of a script that I could one day film for myself. She inspired this story that has been kicking around in my head for the past 5 years.

It was through a series of events I learnt about myself and how much I loved my life. It was as if something had awoke inside of me and I started to see things in a whole new way. And not until recently have I decided that this love for life I had was something I wanted to share with the world, by any medium possible. The journey has official begun, but the story started back when I was only 16 years old. I am on the brink of 22, and my life has only just started.

22 by 22 - Day 1

2010-04-07T12:21:00.000-07:00

I am going to lose somewhere between 10-15 pounds. I am by no means fat, nor am I really unhappy with my body. I have a little bit of a belly but I'm ok with that. What I am not ok with is the lack of physical activity in my life. So I've decided to weigh myself every morning and every night and share this journey with you guys. I currently weigh 170lbs as my walk around weight, which considering my frame is maybe borderline overweight. My ideal BMI is 21 at a weight of about 155lbs about 2 years ago I was a 22 weighing 160lbs. So the goal is to have a BMI of 22 by the age of 22.

My main focus in this to learn how to not really eat properly, but eat regularly, and to eat proper portions. I tend to overeat and in the long run this will just get me into trouble. I'm not going to be counting calories nor will I cut back on fatty foods. I am simply going to cutback on the amount I consume, it's probably bordering on gluttony. My main focus is to get into shape and get active, and I thought the best way in ensuring that is by setting a goal for myself.

I weighed myself after my run

Before I went to bed

The Babies - Nathan Pt. 1

2010-04-05T18:22:00.000-07:00

As I've said before, shooting babies is tough to do, and I love it so much. My next offering is Nathan James, his family doesn't own a TV so in their free time they do a lot of reading. I love Nathan because he feels like this real blank canvas that see's the world like it's brand new everyday. The epitome of innocence and wonder.

The Wish List

2010-04-04T11:46:00.000-07:00

As a budding photgrapher there is so much for me to learn, and so many new things for me to play with. I love new toys, and here are a bunch that I would love to one day get for myself:

A Shoe Cord:
I always get a little envious when I go to events and find people using a shoe cord. The advantage it gives you of an almost completely free flash is amazing. Although if your flash had wireless capabilities this would be a little useless n'est pas?

A Color Right Filter:

I personally find this thing useful, I don't know how much usage I would get out of it cause I see it a lot more useful for event photography where the lighting is always skewed from the light bulbs. I do however see its uses in the outdoors as well. I personally have a hard time with finding white balance and this is a great tool to help with it.

Wide Angle Lenses:

I love taking wide angle shots of the city, and for the most part when I am out shooting I use my stock 18mm-55mm because it's the widest angle lense I have. Lately I have been searching for other one's and have found some pretty good candidates.

Sigma 10-20mm F/4-5.6 EX DC for Canon

A nice wide angle zoom lense with a fairly decent focal range for strictly wide angle photography. It's a fairly fast lense with an aperture range of f/4-5.6-f/22. I just really want a wide angle lense that can capture a lot of light, and this does a pretty good job of both.

The Tokina 11mm-16mm ultra wide angle:

Very wide, very fast with a fixed aperture range throughout the zoom. Most likely the next Lens I get, pending some further research. I have been hearing conflicting things from different sources, but they're both salesman, so we'll see what happens.

My Dream Body The Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Fast FPS, Full Frame, Full HD. There's lots to this camera I like, and not a lot of drawbacks. But the biggest hurdle to overcome is the 2500$ price tag. Siiiigh maybe one day.

The Babies - Brooklyn Pt.1

2010-04-03T00:06:00.000-07:00

Meet Brooklyn, she's 2 years old and loves life! She's the silliest girl I know, and I have a ton of pictures of her. Shooting babies is somehting I found I had an easier time doing when I kept it real simple. Let them roam and enjoy their environment, put on a 50mm prime and snap when something happens.

My Favorite Shot

Not Banff

2010-04-02T00:35:00.000-07:00

I went with the girlfriend and her classmates way west of the city to Elbow Valley and Stone Pine communities. And it turned out to be both helpful to them (they needed pictures for their report) and beneficial to me because it was a great place to shoot. Though techinically 2 minutes outside of the city limits, it wasn't Banff but it sure felt like it at times. It's a cool place, and the houses we're beautiful, large and expensive. Stone Pine itself is a gated community, I could tell you how we got in....but I'll save that for another time.

A Wasps Nest

2010-04-01T01:29:00.000-07:00

I took my grandmother to see a cardiologist just outside of the downtown core, and it just happened to be located at a bottom of a hill, where I had this amazing view of the city. I really really really wish I had a wider angle lense, but this will have to do for now.

It was kind of chilly outside, but I really wanted some pictures from this day.

The Journey Officially Starts

2010-04-01T01:01:00.000-07:00

So here it is, I've been playing around with some updates, and taking some pictures since the weather has been improving I have been out a little bit more. But school is coming around full force and it's hard to find time to really update.

This is where it will officially start, the journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step and hopefully this is the right one. I don't think I have a great talent or eye for photography, but it is something I have grown to love. I don't take great photos, but I love them all, which I think will help others to love them too. The best people in any given field are the people who love what they are doing regardless of any external pressures. To be the best in my opinion, is to love yourself unconditionally and to follow your dream how you see fit.

So who knows what will become of my photography and (hopefully) videography, but for now I invite you my friends, family, and all who stumble upon here...the first step in what is hopefully the right direction for me. I am in what most would call a self discovery period, but seriously who isn't? I don't know what will become of me, but I know where I want to get, and how I want to get there. If it happens it happens, if not, at least I'll live my life knowing I tried, and I did something I had a real passion for.

So keep it tuned for updates,

The FPOE

....is back.

Counting My Blessings

2010-03-21T09:37:00.000-07:00

First and foremost I would like to thank each and every single one of you who have viewed my video, and don't forget to vote for me starting March 26th.

I am sitting here in a hotel room in Edmonton, just killing some time. I came across Nat's blog and it has really got me thinking. I am so grateful of the people in my life. It has taken me so long to realize just how much I have surrounding me. I have number one, the best -bar none- GF. My family is bigger and cooler than yours. And I have been blessed to be surrounded by the most driven, creative, thinkers that I know. I have always tried to make the aura surrounding me an approachable one, which just reeks of welcoming. And through that I have made some connections with people in different positions who give me some solid support. I feel awful for only taking notice now, but I am forever grateful for those of you who have supported me, and shown me love. I just wanted to take a quick sec to say thank you, and appreciate the love you have shown.

Young and Free

2010-03-20T01:44:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, I have applied for a job and need your help in getting it. I need you to watch my application video which won't take more than 61 seconds of your time. And starting March 26th, I need you to vote once and only for me here. Thank you all so much in advance your continued support means a lot to me.

Franatiks Goes To Town

2010-03-19T11:28:00.000-07:00

Now if you haven't seen this yet, I suggest you do; because they're amazing shots. The following are my shots, and some re-interpretations of the same shots, from the same day. I just thought it'd be funny if I could make a similar or identical post to Nat's. Haha.

I get dizzy looking at this one

Franatikal

2010-03-19T08:46:00.000-07:00

So Natalie and I have decided to start a joint blog in addiction to our personal blogs. Natalie is quite a talented photographer and she has this eye for subtle things that most people miss out. She is one of the most genuine people I know, always helping me out with my photography and giving suggestions of pictures I could take that she thinks would look nice. And as I said before she has a great eye for some really dope shots, so it'd be stupid for me not to listen to her.

So here are some pics from some previous outings of ours, we have a bunch more where that came from, but we'll save that for the Franatiks Blog.

See the rest of the pics from that day, and here blog over here

2010-03-18T13:49:00.000-07:00

Sometimes when I go out to take pictures, a funny thing happens. I take one that turns out even better than I could have hoped for. Natalie showed me this little trick with a flash and some lights on the camera so I spent the next couple days testing it out whenever I can. So when I was out on Stephen Ave. freezing my tail off, barely able to hold the camera stead (which for this is a good thing) while walking across the street I snapped this pic. It wasn't completely by accident but I don't think I could replicate the hand movement I used to achieve this shot.

Ps. If you haven't noticed this is actually an invert of the orignal shot.

My Friend Marlo

2010-03-18T12:22:00.000-07:00

This is my friend Marlo, I took this picture on the Train as we were leaving school to grab some eats at District, my new favorite pub.

Exposure was awful due to the sunlight, but after some tweaking I like how it came out.

Wow

2010-03-18T12:20:00.000-07:00

I have spent the past couple of months taking pictures and figuring out what I want to do with my life. I don't know exactly where I am going, and I don't take particularly good pictures, but as I grow, I want this blog to grow with me. This is one of 2 blogs I will be updating and this will be more a personal blog then anything else. I'll try to update as much as I can and as often as I can, but this'll be more a side project than anything else.

You're With Me Leather

2010-03-18T11:39:00.001-07:00

First and foremost before I get into the swing of things again, I want to say thank you Kathryn Alcazar for bringing life into my world. It was through your support and your constant encouragement that I am finally posting again. I'm a butt face loser, and you love me despite my shortcomings, and I love you.

Welcome Back

2010-03-18T11:38:00.001-07:00

Finally,

It's been a while hey?