CUSTOM PHOTO BOOK

From the Blog:

Spring is in the air. Well, not so much this week like the last but it is officially here. The mountains have been getting pounded with snow the last few days which seems to be a spring time ritual here in the North West. I’m hoping to close out the year tomorrow and take advantage of some of the fresh fallen snow.

All snow aside, Priya and I just returned from a trip to the beautiful San Juan Islands. We stayed at a friends place in Friday Harbor and really enjoyed the dining, drinking, exploring and relaxing. Here are a few places that are worth checking out if you make it to the island. Downriggers is a great spot for delicious food and drinks with a brilliant view. Blue Water is a great casual spot for drinks and specials. Mt Young is a scenic hike with moderate effort to get to the top. Panoramic views of the islands, mountains and sea greet you as you approach the “summit”. Which brings us to the Photo of the Month.

This was taken at the top of Mt Young looking west. The sun was just hovering above this lonely tree atop the rock and moss which makes up Mt Young. Something about this photo is majestic to me. It was just so perfect. It was like it was waiting for me at the top of the climb. I love the simplicity of the tree and the complexity of the layers of islands and sky. It was really a beautiful moment snapping this shot. Also, it really helped strengthen my recent discovery of harnessing the great feelings you have when you are enjoying something. I have been really trying to consciously feel the positive energy when accomplishing something. Whether it’s a run, a bike ride, a climb, a meal, a laugh or editing a photo, I have been working on bottling up the feeling and storing it for a rainy day. Nothing great comes easy. When you reach the greatness, the hard work is almost always worth it. This is my way of not giving up and knowing the feeling will be unmatched by any other which really helps ease the pain of the journey. You can apply this to almost anything. (Mike tips back in his chair and strokes his goatee.)

I have a ton of shots I am working on which will be up with in a week or so. Which is a great door to my last point. My print shop is finally up and running!!! You no longer have to deal with me if you want prints. Just click on “prints” on my website and you will be directed to my SmugMug page which will have all my available prints in several different sizes for ordering. As of now, I only have the photos which are hanging at Greenlake Bar & Grill available for ordering but I will be adding more this week. Stop by and let me know what you think. It’s all for you guys so your feedback is important. Is it easy to order from? Is it easy to navigate? Could it be better? Any comments are much appreciated.

Until next time!

-Mike

Maschera veneziana - Venezia, Italia

I’m doing some revisiting on some old travel photos. These photos have been in my Flickr for about a year now, and I decided to give them a second chance. I can explain that.

Recently I’ve read on a photographer’s website that people should publish (post/upload) their best works only. The hint to achieve that was to first pick the Top 50 among them. Once this is done, then the pick the Top 40 and keep on like this until finally reaching Top 10. Then you are good to upload them.

Analyzing my photos from last year visit to Italy, I realized I had too many photos there (192 photos). So, why not choose my Top 10? Besides that, after 1 year, I’ve learned something about Lightroom, so, why not re-do some post-processing also? At first, I thought “It will be piece of cake. I can do that in a couple hours”. Well, until things started to go all wrong…

What is the problem? Choosing the photos is not an easy task. Not that the pictures are too good, but because they have lots of (good) memories in them. It’s difficult to have the criteria solely based on composition, colors, exposure and other technical stuff. I’ve tried hard to reach at least my Top 50, but couldn’t go farther than Top 60 (it was like 57 but decided to round up so it would sound better).

If someone feel like giving me some hand and say something like “Fabio, take this one from the list, it’s is not so good” I will take any suggestions.