Bukas Na Kami (xxi)

© 2014 Rob Castro

Pancho at Olvera Street

Juzno:  What is your secret to good life?

Pancho:  I only eat what mi esposa do all the cooking.

Juzno:  What does she cook for you?

Pancho:  Mi favorito es refried beans topped with Texan filet minion.

Juzno:  How do you like your steak?

Pancho:  With cerveza.  Lots and lots.


Street musician relaxing at Olvera Street, which is is in the oldest part of Downtown Los Angeles, California, USA, and is part of the El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Monument.

© 2014 Rob Castro

Boy Sagada

© 2014 Rob Castro

Peter and Rita

Full House

They are cold but seems like they are having fun. Happiness is a warm blanket or two. Taken during a storm hit at Anilao, Iloilo, Philippines. When we left the place, our feet were all soaked in mud from crossing the paddies. 

© 2013 Rob Castro

The Door Keeper

© 2014 Rob Castro

Better is one day in your courts
    than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
    than dwell in the tents of the wicked.

(Psalm 84:10)

Why bother?

© 2014 Rob Castro 

Am I just posting my photo to score some points? Or is there a message that I want to share? I hope that I'm always striving for the latter. After all I think that is the whole point of art - that is to communicate. Even if the message may not always be what people want to see or hear. Hence, for me there is always that internal struggle: Why the heck am I doing this? 

Rita ... a bride to be

Fabian at Grand Central Market (revised)

Revised July 22, 2014
Art and words © 2014 Rob Castro

Fabian:  I'm shopping for a jewelry for my wife.

Juzno:  What does your wife want?

Fabian:  She wants Pearls but I would rather give her a washing machine.

Juzno:   A washing machine doesn't seem romantic.

Fabian:  Why not?  If she gives me a tool set I could use I think that would be romantic.

Addendum:  On revising Fabian -  The original had blue color cast coming from the available lights. That I was able to see. I auditioned several degrees of warming filter and settled on this one. I still wanted the blue cast on the right side background so I feathered that to show some shades of blue. I felt that the combination of blue and yellow on the overall image would create a nice harmony. I think some people would disagree. I can't really argue with that. I'm partially colored blind after all - which makes color rendition very difficult for me. It usually takes me 10 times as much work compared to doing B&W. Oftentimes, I go through many revisions before settling on one I like. Even then, I still second guess myself.