I need to say that I am guilty of leaving the good old paperback books for the ipod portable audiobooks. Everything started last year once I changed my computer and they gave me a gift card for the apple store. With this incentive I got my first audiobook, after that many more followed. I put them on my ipod and started taking them for runs, in the car and to the beach.

After my 7 months of my audiobook affair I decided to start reading paperback books again. I found myself missing the feeling of the book in my hands, and smelling the ink of the print. Seeing the pages go by and being able to track my progress with a tangible bookmark, is in a sentimental way, fulfilling. The kind of connection with the story while reading a paper book instead of listening or reading  on an electronic gadget is completely different. And that’s why I am back reading the old school way.

Growing up in a small very slow paced town, where big chain stores are still closed at noon for siesta, books became a way to get lost in different worlds and escape from the monotony. I was lucky that my mom is a book lover so I had access to a big home library that me and my siblings would call “The Monster”, not because we were afraid of reading, but because it was huge! I had access to so many different styles and stories. For me paper books take me back to my childhood, slower times when I could live wherever I wanted in my mind.

I will probably not stop listening to audiobooks but I will definitely not stop reading paper books again. I know that the way things are going makes ebooks far more popular, but there will always be a market for paper books . I used to think that digital photography was going to eliminate film, yet now film photography is a big subculture and it has a very loyal market.

I wanted to create an image that conveys my attachment with books. What can I say, I am after all Uruguayan and nostalgia runs in my blood.

Mucho Amor,

Lu.

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It’s been a while since the last time I posted. It is a good feeling to be finally at home sitting down to write. Sometimes life gets in the way in good ways, like my parents coming to visit me for three weeks. When that happens it is good to just lean back and enjoy it. In the end I am sure I will remember these weeks more than all the years on my computer.

After those amazing three weeks I needed another week to get back on track! And for that I went up to Santa Barbara and among other things… gave my first “Creative Compositing Photography Workshop” at Youth Interactive. Youth Interactive creates after school programs on Technology, Entrepreneurship and the Arts, so that youth can live their dreams & grow into financially sustainable, fulfilled, happy people. I was honored and excited when my dear friend Emily invited me to be one of the mentors. I was blessed to grow up in a sheltered environment and in an encouraging family, so if I can give some encouragement back I must.

The idea behind the workshop was to introduce the kids to what is possible with digital photography and get them fired up to imagine and create new worlds. No we didn’t have a fancy studio with unlimited backdrops and flashes to get started. We did it all with the materials and the spaces that were accessible to us at the Youth Interactive headquarters.

The first day we started with basic camera use and photography theory to give them an idea on how to use the camera in Manual to get more creative freedom. The second day I showed them how I approach each of my fantasy pictures step by step and then we created a piece together.

We started with the scribbles below; something that we dug from my messy diary. The drawing represents the discovery of a new brighter reality behind the curtain which would later turn into a wall.

Below is the main image where all the images came to blend together. We were really lucky that the same day we decided to create this image, the center had received a donation from Patagonia that consisted of meters and meters of fiber! So yes, we got a perfect backdrop for our improvised backyard studio. The idea here is having a surface that is plain enough for the other images to blend in. What we want to get is the movement and wrinkles of the fiber when it is moved.

For the image of the valley I used a picture I took with my tilt shift on  my way to Sequoia National Park while traveling with my parents. The image of the bricks is from a house close to home.

I think I learned as much as my students did . It was refreshing to see their eagerness to learn and to help them find their way on a creative road.  We never stop being students after all.

Emily and Nathalie, the power behind Youth Interactive, have big plans for the center. I was beyond inspired by their motivation and the positive impact they are bringing to their community. We are already planning a future workshop that will be a little longer and with more hands on experience so that the students can create their own projects and continue working on them once the workshop is over.

I am forever grateful for this opportunity to grow with such inspiring people!

Mucho Amor,

Lu.

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I’ve always been fascinated by underwater photography. I love how everything looks so timeless but still all flows. It wasn’t until recently that we had access to an underwater camera to do an underwater photo shoot. Nothing fancy, just a Go Pro Hero.  Using this kind of camera is like using an old film camera or a toy camera that’s not reflex; it’s unpredictable.  You have no composition control, and if you happen to loose your googles it’s even worse. The images you get are not high-res, and the lens is not the best either. Against all odds we decided to embrace the limitations of the equipment and make the best with it. And at very least we got to experiment with something new in one of our favorite places; the ocean.

The day was bright and there were no waves, which helps the visibility as there are less things moving. The hardest part was to find an uncrowded beach in Laguna Beach in summer time. Luckily, Alex grew up there and knows all of the hidden spots. (Yes, there are still some hidden spots in Orange County).

We choose to use a dress that has many, many layers of  flowy fibers. This seems to be what works better underwater to generate that stillness feeling. This time we didn’t have a sketch of what we wanted to do. Sometimes it is good to to go out and shoot with no plan, and find the meaning once we are already in location, once everything is happening. We took it out just as an experiment to have a little fun.

The best part comes after the shoot, downloading the images to finally see what we got. We only rescued a few of them for editing, and this is when we got to see how the camera really works underwater. We realized that it is always better to have the subject closer to the surface and closer to the camera, as the visibility underwater is much more limited. The good thing is that this little, fun camera has a very wide lens.

Sometimes is good to have limitations on the creative process, as some limitations can give you more freedom. Less to choose from is always a release.

The images below are all a composite of more than 3 images each. Hope you like it!

Mucho Amor,

Lu

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