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Forgot about myself

Been off this place for a very long time … The daily life made forget about myself. About photography. About being alive.

Need to get this thing going. Not necessarily to talk photography, but more as a place to take a minute and reflect.

Vacation are coming soon. I’ll try to post some stuff while traveling (maybe), and hopefully that will give me a bit of a kick.

Meanwhile take your time, roll a…

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Today makes a year that I came back to my hometown from San Francisco. Time has flown. Family, friends, work ... The daily life has kept me busy. I can't believe it's been a year already. I'm still trying to feel at home in my own home. Weird feeling. Seven years in SF have leaved a deep imprint in me. I know one dayI'll be back in SF. I also know nothing will be the same. Still miss you San Francisco. I guess like in the song I left my heart in San Francisco ... Or at least one big pice of it. #home #bilbao #sanfrancisco #sf #bio (en Bilbao, Spain) https://www.instagram.com/p/BqiFzaVhpS7/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=7psiik10m8fc

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My cat Valentine is the best. He is now decided to become the next Helmut Newton ... At his age! ... Go figure ... #yesisafuckingcatoninstagram #itismycat (en Bilbao, Spain)

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The GR Files #2

The GR Files #2

It’s been a long time since the first one, but a lot has change in my life since. Heck! I don’t even live in the same continent! Just a quick post now that finally I found time to record some sound. It is more difficult than I expected to find a quiet place. Vayan con Dios! https://theblackbrickphoto.files.wordpress.com/2018/03/tbb-audio002-32618-11-08-pm.mp3

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Good bye San Francisco. These almost 7 years had been a hell of a ride. It was good till it wasn't. But I'll always have you in my heart. So many great people I had the chance to meet during these years, you all will be missed. #sanfrancisco #sf #california #goodbyebayarea #4deuces #thesunset #oceanbeachsf (at San Francisco, California)

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Sorrow ...

Sorrow …

Yesterday, here in the USA was Veteran’s Day. A day dedicated to remember and honor all those who served in the armed forces of this country. [Disclaimer: I’m not an American citizen. Never served in any kind of armed force in any part of the world. I understand that armies have been necessary in order to protect people and keep peace. That doesn’t mean I agree with their existence.] I’ve been…

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Leica, "cheap" batteries

Leica, “cheap” batteries

Yeah right? Like if there is anything Leica that is cheap. Well this is not cheap really but it definitely can save you some bucks. When I got my first digital camera years ago it was running on 4 AA batteries. I think it was a Fuji Finepix S5000. It is probably somewhere around my parents house. That thing ate batteries like there was no tomorrow. But I was coming from a film SLR, and eventho I…

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Yesterday I was re-watching #Manhatan for the Nth time ... What can I say, #woodyallen is a genius 😂😂😂 (at Outer Sunset, San Francisco, California)

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#SFMOMA #relaxing #findyourzen #ballsonbowls (at SFMOMA San Francisco Museum of Modern Art)

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It’s been a little while since my last post. Life it’s been very complicated lately. Well it’s been complicated even before I re-started this blog, but just lately it’s been a bit more intense than usual …

Maybe some of you remember this post I wrote some time ago Leica is dead … Hail to the king Fuji. For some reason it seems to be the most visited post in the short lifespan of the blog. Well, all I have to say is that I stand behind all my words in that post. I believe than Fuji is (as today) the only camera maker that is doing things right. Their files are the most beautiful files I’ve seen coming out of a camera in years. Their cameras are a pleasure to shoot with. Also they are the second best looking cameras (leicas are the best looking ones to my taste) there are. I guess on an average of bang for your buck and looks, Fuji is the best you can buy. And I truly believe this.

The boring but traditional portrait “a la” rangefinder.

So why the fuck I’m still shooting with Leica? Yeah, uhmmm … I still question myself on that respect. Basically the answer to the question has two parts. One very simple and logical. The other one more … questionable, I guess.

So, when I got disappointed with the Leica files I decided to put it up for sale on ebay with a few extras. I guess after the M10 came out the demand for M Typ 262 and M Typ 240 cameras decreased because nobody seemed to be interested on it. Don’t blame you. The M10 is the Leica that everybody was waiting for since the M8 days. But at double the price of the one I was selling I thought it was going to sell fast. It didn’t happened.

So after couple months with the Leica boxed up i decided than that was a waste of time. I have this gorgeous camera (M’s are the most beautiful cameras out there) in a box waiting to be sold. So i took it out the box, just to take a few shots and put back in the box. You know, I don’t want to get any ding on it now that it is for sale. So I mounted one of my Zeiss lenses and started shooting a bit around my apartment. Yeah … I like that manual focusing … uhmmmmm …. Next day i went for dinner to my buddy’s home and I decided to bring the leica along with me, just to take a few candids or whatever i felt like shooting. Man! It felt so right shooting with it!!! I know, I know … the files are not that good, specially on dark situations. Well, maybe I needed a new approach on my way to process the DNG’s.

Since that day I have worked on how to process those DNG’s. They still far from being the best files, but they are looking better. I’m not the happiest for having to change my ways around, but sometimes is a good thing to re-examine your stuff.

Anyway, the point is that I’m still shooting with my Leica and I’m really liking it! To be honest I don’t think I’m going to sell it to buy a Fuji in the near future. I still have my beloved X100T, but the poor camera haven’t seen much action since I “re-connected” with my Leica. So I guess I will keep shooting with it for a while. It makes me feel good shooting with it. It makes me feel connected to the photos I take. I don’t have any problem focusing on dark situations, I mean, there is no AF hunting, right? Yes, the files might not be the best ones … But if the camera makes me feel good when I’m shooting … shouldn’t I keep it?

If I love Fuji, how come I'm still shooting with Leica??? It's been a little while since my last post. Life it's been very complicated lately. Well it's been complicated even before I re-started this blog, but just lately it's been a bit more intense than usual ...

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Man-made palm trees at Ocean Beach #sanfrancisco #california #sf #ca #oceanbeach #ob #415 #erlantzbilbao #theblackbrick #fuji #X100T #disposable (at Sunset District, San Francisco)

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China-Town door [San Francisco]

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Let me tell you a story

Let me tell you a story

So I was with my buddy Dave taking some photos (me) and video (him) around the park here in San Francisco. There was this event where they had random pianos scattered around the park, and anybody can go and play. Anyway, after hanging around the park, we decided to grab a beer in a closeby place that we go sometimes when we are in that area. It is a cool place to sit, grab a cold one, and listen…

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One more year the San Francisco rt Book Fair happened this last weekend. Oh what a joy!

This is my second year attending. Last year I fall in love with it, this year was just the confirmation that my love is real. If you never been there, well … you are missing out on something big. Traditional books, zines, and any other way you could ever imagine you can make a “book” was present there. Heck, I even saw a book made of glass!

I wanted to take more photos around but I have to choose in between taking photos of everything or just focus my attention in the things that people created. I chose the last one. So much to see, I could spend 24 hours with the entire place for myself and i wouldn’t be done with it! That how much stuff there is to see.

Two things I got out of it. One, I never can live the place without buying something. Two, being surrounded by creative people doing creative things makes you wanna create.

This year I took my friend there, she loves photography, art, and creation; but she never been at the SF Art Book Fair. As soon as she left she texted me back saying that she got “super inspired to make books now”. And that is a very good thing to get. Never take inspiration for granted, because when you are missing it life is so darn boring!

The icing on the cake … I bought a Nobuyoshi Araki limited edition book. Beautiful printing, cover, … everything! And I got from Deadbeat Club a book from Deanna Templeton. She happened to walk into the fair with her husband (also a photographer among many other things) Ed Templeton; so I got the chance to get the book signed.

So if you have never been … Just go! Next year of course. You won’t regret it.

Que les vaya bonito!

SF Art Book Fair One more year the San Francisco rt Book Fair happened this last weekend. Oh what a joy!

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Ok, I’m not the best example for this. I’m not really a big risk taker when it comes to my creativity. There is people out there that really love and can push the boundaries. I’m talking about CREATIVES in capital letters. But that doesn’t mean i can’t have an opinion about it right?

I belong to a photography forum in Spanish, called Caborian, since … Dang! I can’t remember for how long I’ve been there, but many many years. It is a place where you can seek critique, real honest, sometimes brutal, critique. From newbies to hot shots, everybody gives and receives. You know, that thing that nobody gives a fuck anymore about with all these likes, thumbs up, stars, and all this social media crap! It is like the Adam West’s Batman, BANG! BOOM! POW! But at the end of the day you might learn something out of it.

So I got the idea for this post from the critique I got in some of the last photos I posted there.

Anyway, I posted recently the photo you can see right above (I know, masterpiece!). Not a big risk taking photo. Just a “different” post-process plating with blur effects, keeping things in focus and things out of it. Because why not? Where does it say you have to do the same shit than anybody else is doing? So, people didn’t like the photo in general. Not a big deal. Just move on, learn what you can from it and take it with you for the future.

Some time ago I posted couple other pictures and knowing how I know the people in that forum … they tend to a more “classic” type of aesthetic … I thought I was going to be chewed out. Here the photos (click to see them bigger).

But then I got different kind of responses. I would say the positive and negative opinions were split 50/50. That sparked this thought … In my opinion, that 50/50 split opinions is great thing, because maybe the people that didn’t like the photos might stop and think “what these other guys see on the photos that they like them?” and vice versa. And that might lead you to question your own taste. That might lead you into get inspired and have an idea. That might lead you into wanting to experiment with that idea. That might lead you into creating something. That might lead you into sharing it. That might lead other people to question themselves. That might lead them into get inspired and have an idea … And this goes on and on and on …

So go nuts! Or not! Just take risks. Be creative. You might get something great out of it. You might not. You might inspire someone into creating something great. What is there to lose?

Vaya con Dios!

Creativity – The Art of Taking Risks Ok, I'm not the best example for this. I'm not really a big risk taker when it comes to my creativity.

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Portraits with the Ricoh GR?

Portraits with the Ricoh GR?

This is why I don’t like to take cellphone photos. Image quality is crap. Ok. You need to excuse me here but I’m going to be preaching in this post. Fare warning. No, I’m not the religious type, and no, this is not a religious type of preaching either. I think provably as many people out there, I like to check here and there what people is doing with the same equipment I have. So sometimes I go…