stop it

assignments keep coming and i love it. today we had to work in groups and shoot each other and water to show motion.

my "stop motion" shot, which was later chosen for the plasma screen ("plasma screen" are photos displayed on plasma screen TVs all over the school that were chosen by instructors who had outstanding achievement):


my "freeze water" shot:


this wasn't part of the assignment, but i loved the aftermath of this photo:


(except for minor cropping in this last photo, none of these images were edited. shot with the Canon EOS 5D camera)

let's blaze and legalize

my friend and i went to boston for the "freedom rally for marijuana" event. we heard about it through a classmate of ours in school. i had no idea they had an event for praising grass around here. my friend is from canada and she told me they have these types of events all the time. it was about a 3 hour drive and we drove back home on the same day. this trip was perfect because just a few days ago we received an assignment to shoot something that represented "freedom" and "anti-freedom" for our photojournalism class.

freedom shot:


anti-freedom shot:


i'm not sure if this was what the professor was looking for, but it was a great experience nonetheless. especially being trapped in a mosh pit with over $20,000 worth of equipment in my hands.

(all images were scanned from film, shot with the Mamiya 645AFD II medium format camera)

warm and cool

we went to a small town called, shelburne falls, for our shoot today. it was about a half hour drive from where i live. the town is known for their "bridge of flowers" and their "trolley museum". our first assignment involved taking photos based on color: cool colors such as blue, violet, and warm colors such as red, orange, and yellow, needed to either be related or separated. 

"cool on warm" shot at the trolley museum:


"cool on cool" shot:


for our second assignment, we had to take photos based on lines: vertical, horizontal, diagonal, and curved.

vertical line shot:


horizontal line shot:


diagonal line shot:


and curve shot:


(all images were scanned from film, shot with the Mamiya 645AFD II medium format camera)

the fair is the spot

one thing i love about living in a new area is exploring my environment and getting inspired for my work. my housemate grew up here most of her life and she has been providing me great resources, including new england's annual traditions such as the fairs in the summer.

i went to the franklin county fair today in a small town called, greenfield, with a new friend from school (the one wearing a bag):


here are some locals around the area, this definitely gave me a preview about the kind of people that live here:









this was my favorite photo of the night:


(besides the filter taken with the camera, none of these images were edited, shot with the Canon Rebel XT)

to reach your goal, you have to make sacrifices

here i am, by myself.

i sacrificed a good paying job back in new york city, a promotion, my family, my friends, and all the money i saved up for years. the only person i know at this point is my 42-year old divorced housemate who i will be living with from now on. (did i also mention that i sacrificed getting my own place?)

and you know what...
i love it.

nothing is more rewarding than to make your own choice and to follow what you know is right for yourself.

i will be attending a photography school in massachusetts for the next 10 months. i'm ready, focused, and determined.