photography

Don't Be like me and get lost in the process /  by Christopher Del Rosario

Let me first of apologize for the late blog post. I really tried to get one in before mid week. That was a lie. I completely forgot about writing one to be honest. I've been a little preoccupied with working with some new gear and workflow. I had to recent additions to my photography. One is in the form of a Leica M6. I traded one of my last fuji cameras for it and have been shooting with it pretty much non stop since it arrived. I have about 12 rolls so far that are undeveloped. The other is a new Epson v850. I used to have a Pakon scanner which was an amazing device. Unfortunately it only scanned 35mm. So i sold that and picked up an epson for a really good price on eBay! Down side to the epson is it's a little bit slower at scanning and a little more involved, but thats okay since i can scan medium format, 4x5, and even 8x10 if i own a large format camera. 

Still needs a little more coloring

The following images are not taken on film just FYI. Although i've been shooting film i haven't sent them out to be developed yet. I've sort of considered developing all this myself but then decided not to since I'm not here permanently. Until i start developing at home i'll stick to sending my film into my favorite place Indiefilmlab. Once i get them back i'll use my nifty new scanner and the next follow up blog will hopefully be full of film images that have been scanned and digitized. Yes i get that its contradictory to shoot film and then scan for online viewing. It defeats the purpose right? Well It's really the easiest way to share those images and help me create prints on my inkjet at home. Anyways i'm going back to scanning and try to master the software since it is pretty cumbersome. 

What did growing up in a Filipino family teach me? /  by Christopher Del Rosario

I can't remember my very first birthday, but I'm almost certain it involved several dozen of family members. First cousins, second cousins and the rest of their families gathered around a dinner table full of food. It was almost always a lined up buffet style, with barbecue pork on skewers, pancit palabok, lechon kawali, and so much more, i'd rather not think about because I'm already hungry as it is. We didn't reserve these extravagant food arrangements for birthday parties. We'll get together for holidays, any sort of sporting event championships, karaoke night (when someone just so happens to have a magic mic). As I look back at all of the parties we had, I recently started to realize and appreciate the idea of having a strong supporting network. 

I want to go back to the word family for a little bit. What does it mean really? Is "family" someone you have a traceable blood relation to? Sure, that's the most direct answer. The word "family" to me means a person you have built a long and meaningful relationship with. Anyone that quickly takes a look at my collection of photos will clearly see that my family is what is photographed the most in my life. It's kinda hard not to when you have such an eclectic bunch of friends from so many different backgrounds. You'll also notice how much they've gotten used to having a camera in their face at all times. I'm usually completely ignored now which is great for me. It's so much easier capturing all the genuine candid moment we have.

"the most important thing right now is self awareness...knowing your strengths and weakness(es)".  So i sat down, thought about it and here we are. Writing a blog about something I consider a strength of mine. I know there is so much talk out on the interwebs about introverts and extroverts. I don't really know which side I live on. What do you call a half and half? (closet introvert?) Some days I'm perfectly fine sitting at home binging on Youtube videos while thinking if I should order an entire large pizza for myself. Other times I'm up and about networking and meeting new people. I can honestly say I've made it through the majority of my life by the help of friends and family. Anytime I've needed help or just needed people to talk to, friends and family have always been there. It kind of baffles me how someone can go through life with out this type support.

I don't want to sit here and say i got by in life using the connections i have, but i certainly would not be the person i am today without the people I've surrounded myself with. Isn't is just human nature to want to be around other human beings? Is it crazy to think some people out there find a better connection with Cats, dogs, manbearpigs?  Whatever or whomever it may be that you deem as your inner circle of friends and family. I only hope they help you keep your sanity throughout your life. I know mine has so far. 

“The more complex the network is, the more complex its pattern of interconnections, the more resilient it will be.” – Fritjof Capra

"the most important thing right now is self awareness...knowing your strengths and weakness(es)" - Gary Vaynerchuck