Map of My Brain

iPhone w/ Hipstamatic

Driving through some incredibly remote/utterly featureless area of Nebraska (I summed up this trip with the thought that I have been just about Everywhere, but I had never been Nowhere) out of the blue I randomly stumbled upon a fairly decent Flea Market.  I think it was fate because the very first thing I laid eyes upon was this old metal game, which happened to be the most accurate map of my brain I have ever come across.  I bought it on the spot.  It's been hanging in my house for years now and I look at it almost every day.  It reminds me that the Swirling Vortex I operate in is a good thing (in fact a blessing) providing I am able to effectively employ the Swirl and maintain a Positive Spin.

iPhoneography + Rockabilly

iPhone / Quarry House

Rockabilly Night

iPhonography

iPhone w/ OldPhotoPro

The iPhone Camera is your Friend

Glen Echo Park   iPhone w/Hipstamatic

Whenever I'm out shooting architectural details I naturally snap a few with my iPhone.  Many times afterwards I find, with certain images, I prefer the "quality" and "aesthetic" of several iPhone images over the the dslr images.  Here's a piece recently written by PhotoShelter co-founder Allen Murabayashi, included in Wired Magazine, that touches on this very topic.  Allen was kind enough to include me in the piece - it's funny to read the comments by readers.  I don't understand why so many appear to be dead set against ( afraid of ) the use of any and all the wonderful tools available in creating images.  The point is not to get hung up on the equipment or method - to me it's more about creative self expression - however it might be accomplished.

Here's the piece:  Why Instagram is Terrible for Photographers, and Why You Should Use It

Snake Dude

iPhone w/ PhotoShop Express App

Our Band - HotWire - played a Biker Rally in Williamsport, MD. I saw this guy in the crowd and had to go over and check him out during a break.  He had his "Old Lady" and all the "RugRats" in tow - He sure did Love that Snake.

Washington DC SpringTime

iPhone w/PhotoShop Express App

 Washington DC in the Spring means one thing - Cherry Blossoms - blooming around the Tidal Basin,  Cherry Blossom Trees symbolize the natural beauty of our Nation's Capital and has become part of Washington, D.C.'s rite of spring.  This year marks the 100th Anniversary of Japan's gift to our city of over 3000 trees planted in 1912 around the Tidal Basin in West Potomac Park, and on the grounds of the Washington Monument. I've been fortunate to have captured so many beautiful and iconic (= marketable) images over the years - I look forward to the opportunity in the coming weeks to create more images of our Beautiful City.

Postcard from Last Week

Ronald Reagan Funeral Procession down Constitution Ave towards the US Capitol.
See more from my collection of Washington DC Images here: Washington DC Photography

Postcard from this Week

Down by the River

My brother David and and I had a chance last week to see Gov't Mule play a show at the National Harbor Summer Concert Series. Any day you get to see my favorite guitar on the planet, Warren Haynes, is a good day. In this case a wonderful perfectly pleasant evening. I had never been to the National Harbor for a show and had no idea what to expect. It turned out the venue was great. On the river, during a beautiful sunset, a cool relaxed crowd, ample beer tents and plenty of room to roam around, all added up to create a mood that all was right with the World. My hard working little Canon G-9 performs beautifully for so many things but a little limiting in the low light concert photography department. (click images to enlarge)

Postcard from this Week

Saturday Morning Part II

My friend Keith's comments (one of my 7 readers) on the previous post got me thinking. On my little Saturday Morning Walking the Earth strolls I take so many photos, most of which I never show here. I just do a quick edit of whatever I find interesting and throw them up. Lucky for me my brain is just wired differently than most regular folks. I literally see everything around me in terms of shapes, patterns, color, and light. With my trusty G-9, I'm simply capturing what I see, to share my vision of how I observe the wonderful World around me. It's like good healthy food for my constantly swirling brain. Hopefully this inspires others to slow down and look around.
(click images to enlarge)
So, my point is, with Keith's comment, having actually inspired someone, inspired me to go back and review what I shot Saturday morning, a group of well over 100 images. I quickly selected a few more that made me smile. Images that didn't make the first cut but upon review seem worthy of sharing. They may be good, they may be bad, I don't know, But for me that's not the point, it's just what I do, Thank God. And btw, thanks Mom (one of my other 7 readers) for my over-stimulated hyperactive brain. You are beautiful and I Love You!

Postcard from this Week . . .

Postcard from this Week

If you would like to subscribe to my Postcard list just drop me an e-mail.

Yesterday Morning . . .

. . . from my side yard.

Postcard from this Week . . .

Saturday Morning ...

. . . in Glenwood, MD with my best little buddy, my Canon G-9.
(click images to see larger)

Art is Wherever You Are

Last week I went to Nationals Stadium to shoot images of stadium seating for a seating manufacturer. Pretty exciting, huh? Well, for me it is! The normal person probably walks into an empty stadium and sees lots of empty seats, but, for better or worse, I am far from normal. As I Walk the Earth, even when not photographing, I see the world around me in terms of shape, color, patterns, composition, and light. I have always seen this. I suppose it’s what has enabled me to become a good photographer. I already see images, the camera is just my tool to capture what I see. I see beauty and art in everything around me As I Walk the Earth, even in stadium seating.
(click any image to see larger, they look better bigger)

Postcard from this Week . . .

If you'd like to be on my e-mail Postcard list send me an e-mail. (info@randysantos.com)

Yesterday at Renee's Studio

Lightroom: My new Best Friend

I love Lightroom. In fact the more I use and understand it the more I love it. Everything I shoot now goes through Lightroom. For me, all final images are still worked on in Photoshop but all now begin their lives in Lightroom. The interface is well designed and so very intuitive, I can see ( just as in Photoshop) spending years wrapping my head around how deep this program is. But this is a good thing and one reason why I like it.

When I first started using Lightroom over the Summer I found this book, Lightroom Adventure, very helpful in understanding the utility and scope of this program. With Lightroom the image processing alone is fantastic but also creating presets, wonderful web galleries, keywording, appending metadata, cataloging and more. There is so much more and will only grow as creatives embrace this program. One example, here is an independently produced module, Slideshowpro, which allows you to highly customize Lightroom galleries. Also, an interesting blog, Lightroom Killer Tips, with lots of good info. I pulled a few presets from this site and occassionally use them. Below are a few images from a recent shoot one morning that I have been working on today. For this project I wanted a vintage feel so I utilized a few Lightroom presets: