How to avoid criticism

"There's one way to avoid criticism: do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing" - Elbert Hubbard

"Becoming an American": a personal photography book

I thought I had everything figured out. Then I found myself quitting my job, selling all my possessions and moving overseas with my wife. What followed was an adventure that transformed not only who I was, but who I thought I could become. This is the visual story of a journey of becoming.

Becoming an American is a visual autobiography, covering one of the most transformative periods of my life. After 30 years of comfortable and predictable life in Spain, I quit my job, sold everything I owned, and got on a plane to cross the ocean.

I was to travel thousands of miles in the next few years, but the true journey didn't happen on the road, it was within. By embracing the unknown, going well beyond my comfort zone, and experiencing new places, I realized I was able to build a whole new self, from scratch.

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The images in the book are the experiences I went through to build a new me. Most of them were neither comfortable nor predictable, but that's what kept me constantly in awe and feeling alive.

I felt free for the first time in my life. I had become an American.

This book was never in my mind when I was capturing those raw moments. Most of the images were never meant for publication, but that's what makes Becoming an American so personal for me.

Becoming an American is available for purchase now. Please allow a couple of weeks for printing and delivery.

Looking up

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The sky isn't where I usually look for images. Most of the time, a dark blue sky or a bright cloudy one are just backgrounds for my subjects.

Lately, though, I've been looking up more closely. I made images of the Moon, the stars and the clouds. Even of clear, blue skies.

At a time when we are confined, the sky makes me feel free and connected to a bigger world beyond the walls of this house.

I'll keep looking up.

Quarantine life: a photographer on a farm

Here for the long term

I’ve been making images for a few years now. Back when I got started, I had no idea where this passion of mine would lead me. Today, I spend most of my days taking photographs, editing photographs, writing about photography, thinking about photography, talking about photography, studying photography.

While I don't know how long I'll be able to do this full time, I do know that even if I had to get another job to pay the bills, I'd still be doing photography.

This project of mine has grown to the point of being the purpose of my existence: to record what I see in a visual form, and to inspire others to do the same.

As I admitted recently, there's something missing in my work, and there always will. The same way a diary is never finished, I will never be "done" with my images which I consider to be my reflection, a part of me.

This is a life-long project. One I'm extremely excited about.

"Experience in Photography" ~ Debunking Photography Myths, #2

Photography is easy is a new series of videos based on my eBook of the same name, where I try to debunk a few common myths about photography that I believe cause more harm than good. This time, let's talk about "Experience in photography".

Download the "Photography is easy" eBook for free here.

Never be satisfied with your work

Are you permanently dissatisfied with your work? You are not alone.

Every time I look at my images as a whole, I feel like there’s something missing. I'm in a journey to an unknown place I haven’t reached yet, and probably never will.

I believe that dissatisfaction with one's own work is unavoidable, but also benefitial in the long term: don’t minimize the doubts, feel them, use the insecurity as a catalyst to push you out there, to experiment, to stay a beginner, and become an even better photographer.

The Night is Dark

Why you should keep your camera gear in a bag

As someone with a semi-nomadic lifestyle, I've gotten used to live off a suitcase.

Instead of organizing my gear on shelves and drawers, I keep all my cameras, lenses and accessories in my bag. Having a limited space to store my stuff makes be very selective about what I buy: a new item usually means another one has to go.

But the reason why I always keep my gear in my bag is because that way I'm always ready to go. If I see fog in the morning, I grab my bag and get out. If the Spanish government establishes a mandatory quarantine, I grab my bag and go to my parents' farm to spend the lockdown there.

I know I won't be forgetting anything because all the gear I'd ever need is there, and ready.

"Go Manual or Go Home" ~ Debunking Photography Myths, #1

Photography is easy is a new series of videos based on my eBook of the same name, where I try to debunk a few common myths about photography that I believe cause more harm than good. The first one: "Go Manual or Go Home".

Download the "Photography is easy" eBook for free here.

The most important pieces of gear

Are your brain and your body.

Your body takes you and your camera to places where images live. Your brain finds them.

Take proper care of both and your photography will take care of itself.

The Photography Sage

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A Sage is someone who has achieved wisdom. According to Donald Robertson in Stoicism and the Art of Happiness, the Stoics saw this person as

someone perfectly wise and good, giving the aspiring Stoic direction, structure, and consistency in her practice

In this context, a Sage would be a role model, someone to be emulated.

Many times, I like to put myself in other photographer's skin and try to see the way they would see (or the way I think they would see, at least). I also have a fictional photography Sage I try to emulate.

What characteristics would a photography Sage have?

• A photography Sage looks at familiar and strange subjects the same way, like it were the first time they see them. They travel but also photograph at home.
• They are forever beginners. They keep an open mind because they know photography isn't a recipe to follow, but constant experimentation.
• They are inspired by other photographers but try to add their own twist.
• A photography Sage is not afraid of sharing their work. Actually, they create to share and inspire others.
• They don't wait until inspiration hits them, they look for it with action. They take the first photo.
• They realize the way to make better images is go further, higher, deeper, for longer. New camera gear isn't the answer.
• They always push themselves: a photography Sage knows that those days when they don't feel like going out are the most important ones, because those are the ones that will define you as a photographer.
• They are always thinking about photography, even when they don't have a camera with them. Always trying to find something to capture, always trying to visualize that final image.

These are some of the virtues my own photography Sage would have, and the ones I try to emulate. Of course, I fail often if not most of the time, but they give me a sense of direction and serve as a guide.

What about you? What would your role model look like?

Composition after the shot

I try not to think too much about composition when I shoot: I point the camera at whatever I saw, I move around, and press the button whenever it feels right.

It's when I'm back at home that I can see more clearly if the image works or not. Although rare, there are cases where I'll find an image I had not seen in the field, an image I can still make by "re-composing" the original negative or file.

Most of my images are square, as you know. If I'm shooting digital, that means I have to crop the files to that format. While I'd rather shoot square natively, having that extra room for editing has proven to be very useful.

One example is this image of a couple of swans I took in Lago di Garda, in Northern Italy, a few months ago. It was only when I looked at it on the computer that I saw how it could work with a heavy cropping.

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Original 3:2 raw file showing the crop.

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Final square image.

Another example is this image of the Badlands National Park, in South Dakota. I'd taken the original photo almost 2 years ago, but it wasn't until recently that I "saw" the panoramic image in it. It was not my intention when I took it, I wasn't thinking about a panorama, but it works.

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These are extreme examples, though. Most of the time, all I do is small adjustments to the composition I did manage to capture in the field. For example, take a look at this image of a tree in the italian Alps, and compare it to the original square crop. I decided to place the tree a little bit further to the left, giving the branch a bit more room to grow to the right of the frame.

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Original square crop.

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Adjusted square crop.

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There's no shame in creating a completely new image after the shot. As I said many times, photography is not a competition, there is no prize for those who get it right the first time. Legends of photography like Ansel Adams kept playing with old negatives for decades, coming up with new edits and interpretations.

Photography is a creative process, inspiration can hit you at any point in your workflow. Embrace it.

Results are often delayed

The problem:

our actions produce results, but they are often delayed

Most of the time, we don't get instant feedback about our work so we are left with doubt: is this really working?

Sometimes, things get worse before they get better, even if we are already on the right path. It's during this first phase, when things aren't looking good, that most people give up.

That's why we need a system to stick to, a plan to follow even if results take a while to show up. They will, eventually.

Will the new iPad change my mind?

Apple announced a new iPad yesterday, but it's the full mouse support and new keyboard with built-in trackpad that is catching everyone's attention. It's got mine as well, and I look forward to reading the first reviews.

As you know, I've wanted to make the iPad my main and only computing device for quite a while, but I keep going back to the laptop as the ultimate tool for productivity.

I'd love to see all the great things about the iPad (size, weight, battery life, touch screen, cellular support) on a device running MacOS. iOS just doesn't cut it.

Why is Apple trying so hard to make it work? For me, the reason is clear: the App Store. When Apple sells you a Macbook Air, for example, they don't expect to get much more money from you after that. Maybe some iCloud storage, but that's it. Meanwhile, iPhone users in the US spent an average of $79 on apps in 2018, and revenue from mobile apps will be around $581 billions this year.

I remain skeptical about the future of the iPad as a productivity device, but I really hope Apple can prove me wrong.

Wildlife photography during a mandatory quarantine

All Spain is in lockdown, but here in the country I'm still able to find some opportunities to take some photos.

WFH

When I wrote about my upcoming trip a few days ago, I knew the situation could get worse. I could not, though, expect how fast everything has unfolded here in Spain in the last few days: from planning my trip to country-wide mandatory quarantine.

I will be working from home for the foreseeable future. Thankfully, I have a lot of photos to go through and many things to talk about, here and on my YouTube channel.

Before focusing on photography again, I wanted to repeat what every expert in this matter is saying: stay home as much as you can. If you are already taking this seriously, then please keep doing so. And if you still believe this is like the flu, take a look at this.

Stay healthy, my friends.