Down By The Seaside

Shot with my mighty point and shoot. It's mighty because I dropped it at the Sebaste River and it still works. I'm giving it away this Xmas to Irene Conui Polido because her camera sucks. Well maybe it's not her camera (heh).

© 2012 Rob Castro

The Ocean

Don't know why I called it The Ocean.  But the title sounds cool.  This belongs in my Boring Abstract Series. (I used to have a bunch in my portfolio until they graduated to the So What Series).  I don't understand why this image is getting featured on some on-line sites because it doesn't really say much.  I'm not complaining.  Just confused.  The ones I really like don't even get noticed.

Bit under the weather today so my mind is a haste.  Hope your day is going well.

© 2012 Rob Castro

Oxford Comma

I call it the Superman colors: Red, Blue and yellow.  The gray concrete represents his hair.  I think he must be 73 years old by now,  maybe older.  I'm trying to get away from this kind of photography as I want to focus and concentrate on my black and white street images but I guess this kind keeps showing up on my camera.  Sorry, but I can't help it.  I blame my camera.

The making of Oxford Comma.  Mimi watches my back to make sure I don't get interrupted.

Techie Notes and my secret to shooting Oxford Comma:  I used a 20mm lens on this one.  One of the tricks I employ in using wide angle lens is to shoot the subject at very close range.  I mean really close to maximize the potential of the lens.  If your camera has a live view, use it to get that snappy sharpness in your shots.  The other photo shows how I used my wide lens on Oxford Comma.  Mimi watches my back to make sure I don't get interrupted.  She gets paid to do that.  So, she's not doing it out of loyalty.  Her motivation is her compensation.  Smart kid.

Hope your day goes well.  Cheers.

The Soprano

Somebody must have been playing with my PC monitor setting as all my images looked awful.  I mean my monitor is bad to begin with.  But it seems to have become worse.  The black and white photos appear to have a purple tinge.  And they are all dull.  The sharpness for the most part are gone.  Everybody looked like they have gained an extra 10 pounds.  Is anyone experiencing the same issue?

Anyway, I hope your monitor is not as bad.  This lady is certainly not fat.  And she was not singing the blues.  I just don't know what she was singing.  It was in a local dialect that I hardly understood.  All I could hear were the "Rrrrrs!"  Mimi could probably understand that language.  Mimi by the way is our dog in case you've forgotten.  But I could tell by the singer's gesticulations that she was very happy.  Maybe she was serenading me.  Oh dear.

Have a good weekend.

© 2012 Rob Castro

The Girl Next Door

She's the girl next door.  That is if you live in Canada.  Except she is in China.  Or somewhere.

Hope your day is going well.

© 2012 Rob Castro

Angst and Uncertainty

A Sample Slide Show of Angst and Uncertainty Series, angst and uncertainty, angst and uncertainty, angst and uncertainty, angst and uncertainty, angst and uncertainty, angst and uncertainty, angst and uncertainty, angst and uncertainty, angst and uncertainty, angst and uncertainty, angst and uncertainty, angst and uncertainty, angst and uncertainty, angst and uncertainty, angst and uncertainty, angst and uncertainty, angst and uncertainty, angst and uncertainty, angst and uncertainty, angst and uncertainty, angst and uncertainty, angst and uncertainty, angst and uncertainty, angst and uncertainty, angst and uncertainty, angst and uncertainty,

I feel like an ant

Don't know but I'm a bit despondent right now.  Maybe it is the Fall Season.  It is still Fall, right?

Most people would have preferred to leave out the silhouettes.  To me the guy walking away is as important as the leaf.  In fact, I waited for that opportunity before I hit the shutter.  In my view, there is a melancholic relationship with the guy, the other people and the leaf.  The guy walking away from someone or something.  The other people apathetic.  The leaf symbolizing solitude.  Without these elements, the image would just be another boring postcard imho.  But not a lot of people see that.  And I'm cool with that too.

The ant is practicing the Tao of Photography :-)

My guest blogger Mimi

Please let me introduce to you my guest blogger: Mimi.  This is a great photo of her snuggling up.  I didn't take the picture though but her mom did.  Cute, huh?  The original had a bit of problem.  The blanket was sharper than Mimi but with a few adjustment in PS, I was able to balance the focus.  I darkened the edges to create a vignette.  The final result: priceless.

Somebody once said, it's hard to compete with a cute dog.  Except Mimi does not think she's a dog.  She's thinks she's a girl.  If you want to get to know Mimi, check out her blog here: http://www.travelswithmimi.com/

Hope your day goes well.

Woman

Just the other day, I tried to resurrect my former approach to art but in my mind I failed.  I asked myself, so what?  The best I can attempt is vain and futile work.

I  think part of my problem is my body of work is eclectic.  Right now I feel I'm in a phase of out-between - a word I created as an antithesis of in-between - if that makes sense.  In my world, reality is a mixed of the obvious and the unseen, and perhaps that is what I'm trying to convey.

When I see other people's art, I want to be impressed.  I want it to be "impressive" - I use that term in a different sense. I mean I want to think what is the artist going through, what was he thinking.  Why did he do that?  This is what I how I want my audience to respond.

Sorry, I'm probably not making sense to you.

© 2012 Rob Castro

Man Against Nature

I've always come to this photo. I've reworked it so many times that only I can notice. It's not a regular waterscape picture -- most people have difficulty appreciating it in the past. I'm cool with that. I'm cool if people don't notice it. I'm appreciative if they do. You see the central theme here is not just Man struggling against nature -- but it echoes the same theme akin to Captain Ahab and Moby Dick. I think ultimately it is about Man against God who is creator of nature.

© 2012 Rob Castro