Photography News and Inspiration

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How to Cope with mental health conditions as an artist. A perspective on how to cope when you suffer from mental health conditions.

If you or anyone you know is dealing with mental health conditions, I wrote a blog that deals with coping with some of the problems that come along clinical depression or anxiety.Regardless of your profession, I hope this can shed some light into your lives or the lives of your loved ones and make you come to a realization that “this too shall pass”

Much Love.

You can view the full the original article HERE <<<

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Haven't been on this platform in literally ages. Since then, I've been working towards my goals of succeeding in the industry of photography. I create imagery with hopes to encourage preservation, self-awareness, and self-healing. You can view my work at the links below :) https://www.raymondenriquez.com You can also view my entire inventory of photography prints if you're looking to fill your space with the calm, tranquil, healing energies of Hawaii :) https://raymond-enriquez-photography.square.site/

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Ever wonder how New York City Parks looked like in 1978?

A conservancy official in New York City was cleaning one of the offices in 2017 ad had stumbled across two cardboard boxes in which they discovered 2,924 color slides that consisted of images from 40 years ago. 

“The photographs were captured by New York Times photographers in parks across the city between August and November 1978 at a time when the press corps was holding a labor strike. Then-Parks Commissioner Gordon Davis decided to hire eight temporarily-unemployed Times photographers for the documentary project.”

The photographers of the images found are Neal Boenzi, Joyce Dopkeen, D. Gorton, Eddie Hausner, Paul Hosefros, Robert Klein, Larry Morris, and Gary Settle.

“The late 1970s were a time of reckoning in which the disco Studio 54 and the New York Yankees, led by a swaggering Reggie Jackson, reigned supreme,” NYC Parks says. “But rising crime, urban flight and decay led to a sense that the city was growing unmanageable. This was all set against an energy crisis, spiking inflation, and a mood President Carter described as a national ‘malaise’ just a year later.

“It is this moment in all its complexity and contradiction that these eight photographers captured, in unconventional images, a time capsule of visual candor and insight.”

Honestly, I feel that this is what I admire most about photography: the fact you are able to capture a moment in time and save that moment forever on a piece  of material that can be shown (or in this case, discovered) later on in time. Telling the next generation of stories of the past through a visual perspective. 

The photos will be displayed at an exhibition titled “1978: The NYC Parks/ New York Times Photo Project”, located at the Arsenal Gallery in Central Park, New York from May 3rd to June 14th, 2018.

(SOURCE 1, 2, 3)

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From Bulky to Lightweight: The on-the-go photographer’s dream.

Wouldn’t it be nice to adventure with all of your photography gear without the worry of having to lug around your bulking, 30lb. camera bag?

Well, Look no further! SONY has come to the rescue!

As technology has been growing at an exponential rate, Camera manufacturers have been keeping up to par with helping photographer’s maintain their craft while providing a convenient means of capturing unique imagery. Thanks to the introduction of full-frame mirrorless cameras like the Sony A9 and A7 series, adventurers and traveling photographers alike, have been able to follow their passions without having to worry much about the physical restrains that you get from carrying around a typical DSLR camera. 

Sony has always been a company that I admired for their innovations in the  photography world. It wasn’t until they surpassed Nikon and Canon with their introduction of mirrorless technology,  that I felt compelled to look further into these new and exciting tools that they have been creating (and improving) since 2013.  The lightweight feel of their cameras are perfect for those who are not a huge fan of the strain that normal DSLR’s  cause on your wrist because let’s face it, after photographing an event for 8-10 hours with a Nikon or Canon, sometimes the pain on your wrist can be unbearable. Sony’s incredible ability to maintain the same image quality, low-light performance and video capabilities you would get from any other Nikon or Canon DSLR, in their mirrorless line-up, makes me consider switching over to an entirely new camera system.

 In this video, Jason Vong discusses his must-have lenses and accessories for the a7iii, if you are considering the transition from bulky to lightweight photography gear.

Can’t decide which mirrorless camera is right for you?

Check out this article from Matthieu for a comparison between the Sony a7r iii and Sony the a9.

As a photographer currently shooting with the Nikon D850 Camera system, I am only dreaming that one day Nikon too will transition towards light-weight systems. But, until then Sony will remain the top manufacturer and leader in mirrorless camera technology.

(Source)

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San Mateo County Beaches

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A current project that I’m working on called “Regeneration”.

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I am in my last semester of art school and will be finally graduating with my BFA in photography in May... What is this Spring Break you speak so highly of?

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Married Couple Questions their Destiny Through a Single Photograph

A married couple from China, found themselves questioning whether destiny really does exists after discovering a photo of each other as teenagers, 11 years before they met and fell in love.

(Left): Ms. Xue, (Right): Mr. Ye.

In a very surprising and romantic turn of fate, a married couple from China found that they happened to be in the same photo 11 years before they even met.With the number of people in the world reaching into the billions, you likely pass by hundreds of people you'll never see again every day. However, a Chinese couple, name Mr. Ye and Ms. Xue, recently discovered that they had appeared in the same photograph 11 years before they even met.

It happened in 2000, when the two independently visited the city of Qingdao, where they traveled to May Fourth Square. Ye was part of a tour group arranged by his mother, who unfortunately had to stay home at the last minute due to appendicitis, while Xue took the trip with her mother to help her recover after a surgery. At the same moment, the two posed for separate pictures in front of the sculpture, Xue's photo capturing Ye in the background.

They would not actually know each other for another 11 years, eventually meeting and falling in love. It wasn't until Ye was going through some of his wife's old photos that he discovered the amazing happenstance. The couple, who now have twin daughters, say they plan to return to the site with their children and take another photo, as this place now holds a special and heart-warming meaning.

(SOURCE)

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Woman falls into a $10,000 debt in the pursuit of becoming ‘Instagram-Famous‘

According to Fstoppers.com, a 26 year old woman name Lissette Calvierro, fell into a debt of $10,000  in pursuit of getting famous on Instagram. As she moved to New York City, for an internship in 2013, she found herself falling into a financial hole thanks to her bad spending habits. Along with her expensive taste and habits,  which include a multitude of meals at high-end restaurants, buying the  latest fashion wear, and flights to different parts of the world, resulted in a very expensive consequence.

Listed as a “Content Creator” on the popular Instagram platform, Lisette refused to post images that showed the same outfit more than once, costing her $200 a month in addition to $1000 being spend on handbags and travel. As she stated in an article from the New York Post, “I was living beyond my means. With debt looming over my head”

All for the name of the next like or following on a social media.

Depsite the fact that she was not working a full-time job and only received compensation for transport expenses from her internship, she wasn’t able to manager her budget in a reasonable manner. Instead, she fulfilled her wants rather than her needs and sought out brand new outfits, flights to luxurious destinations and restaurants consisting of deliciously crafted, but well overpriced meals.

But, was it worth it?

I honestly don’t think it was. I mean yes, she was able to taste all the great foods, visit all the beautiful places in the world,  wear the newest styles, and gain a ton of followers on Instagram, but that could be done with money that is actually yours.

I feel that social media is to blame when it comes to pursuing fame in front of a worldwide audience...and especially through a platform like Instagram. It’s just how our society has conditioned us to become. We all want the next like, the next follow, and the next big break through for our careers. But are those things valuable enough to allow us to fall into repercussions of the financial world that lurks beyond the confinements of our social media presence?

Even if it was, I feel that no one should allows themselves to fall into a financial rut especially at a such a young age like 26. With the abundance of products out in the market that have similar styles or looks to them in compared to their high-end competitors, putting a little creativity into your process can turn something that was cheap into something valuable, unique and even fashionable enough to show off on social media.

I find that Pinterest is a great resource for budget-minded individuals that are trying to find creative ways not only in photography, but also in interior design and even in fashion. And for those struggling financially and trying to get back on their feet here is an article by Debt.org I found very helpful.

Bottom line is to be realistic when it comes to your finances and creative endeavors. Distinguish between what you want and what you need in life and always chose what you need over what you want when it comes to spending your last $20 in your bank account. Ask yourself, how will it benefit your life in the long run? and if the answer is simply nothing, then you should reconsider your investment.

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Will 2018 Kill Photography?

As the new year has been well broken into, artists and photographer’s alike may be questioning our industry’s stability in the coming months. With the abundance of digital cameras readily available and things like Artificial intelligence, some may fear that devoting time to this form art may be a waste of time. That because computers are getting smarter and at a rate faster than ever, that technology will someday take away the need for a living, breathing human to press the shutter button.

But its NOT! and never will!

In fact, there are still many growing trends within the vast world of Photography. 

Silence and Solitude

In this world surrounded by an abundance of technological advances, a trending topic within the photographic arts this year is...

Silence and Solitude.

(Photo By Sander van der Werf )

Finding that peace and tranquility through solitude in nature or places otherwise known to be congested with heavy human traffic. Escaping from the busy, every-day, city life to find comfort and to regenerate in silence or solitude, are what photographers, Sander van der Werf , Julia Nimke and myself (Raymond Enriquez) have been exploring so far in 2018.

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[Photo by: Raymond Enriquez]

Diversity

As the acceptance of a diverse society continues to influence people around the world in the fashion and advertising industries, the need for conveying imagery alike continues to be trending this year. Being able to reflect our society’s differences whether it be through ethic backgrounds or cultural upbrings, styles, or lifestyles, and being able to authentically reflect how people really are.

One of the best examples of this photography trend in action is the  A17 campaign for Jigsaw, . This photo series combines a pro-immigration message with beautiful photographs of some of the 45 nationalities employed by the company. This kind of imagery is nicely in line with the general direction that fashion advertising, in particular, in heading, with a study this year suggesting that fashion print ads are for the first time outperforming the runways themselves in terms of racial diversity.

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Travel

[Photo by: Raymond Enriquez]

Yet another trend keeping photography alive this year is Travel Photography. Images that depict discovering, unraveling, and opening doors to hidden-areas of the world through traveling and photography. increases and the world becomes smaller, people travel more and uncover the hidden areas and off-grid places.

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Conceptual Realism

Another trend being practiced in 2018 is a thing known as conceptual Realism. According to Getty Images, this new visual expression has emerged due to the mix of long-term visual trends, technology, and the public’s skepticism to take things at face value. Go check out Getty Image’s website to get a better insight into the type of concepts these artists are exploring.

[Photos by:Flora MacClean]

Ultra-Violet

Yes the color, not the light. According to an article from Digital Arts, the use of blue-based purple in photography is trending this year. Ultra-violet is said to take  our awareness and potential to a higher level and is known to be intriguing, mysterious and to represent the unknown. Check out Adobe’s article for more on the color of year.

(Source)

So don’t worry people! Photography will not come to an end this year. There are many things you can do to keep the this art alive and its all up to you as an artist to make the best of any situation thrown at you. Just keep working hard, follow your passions and keep creating and nothing, but good things will come along your way!

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Is education the key to succeeding as an artist?

Many times in my life, I’ve been approached with the question of whether or not it is worth my time and effort to study the photographic arts in school. I mean can’t anyone be a photographer? You are only pressing a button

...My answer to this is NO!... and YES!

There are many well-known artists as well as photographers that have built a reputation for the work that they do regardless of their education or knowledge behind the arts. However, being someone that is in his last semester of Under-grad school, I feel that investing in my education played a vital role in how I approach my artistic decisions compared to when I first decided to take on this challenging industry of Photography.

When I first picked up photography as a hobby, I shot in  .jpeg format, didn’t have any sense of composition in any of my images, nor knew the differences between the types of available light and artificial light. In addition, at the time, I thought myself as a “professional photographer” just because I had my very own entry-level Nikon D3000 DSLR Camera. WOO! So Fancy!

But, i was soon to find out that was all wrong!

Just because you have a nice camera doesn’t mean you are a professional photographer. There is a lot more to the this art than what most assume and I wouldn’t have been aware of such things without finding out in my photography courses. On top of the technical aspects of photography, like  having to learn the operations of a DSLR camera, you must learn how to utilize lighting to help convey your concept, find talent/models, find locations, fund for equipment, fund for projects, know what colors will and won’t work in your concept, create contracts, design your brand, know how to post process or retouch and the list goes on...

I’ve learned all of this and more thanks to my education at the Academy of Art University and because I am at my last semester of school, I am glad to have invested so much in my education.

Education is not for everyone though. It’s expensive and you only learn as much as you are willing to learn.

Plus, there are still many ways that can allow you to become a professional photographer or artist withing spending thousands of dollars in getting a degree! With the thanks to Youtube videos, Online Articles, Industry specific Organizations, and by assisting other artists or professionals. For anyone looking to learn more about the basics of photography, I recommended the book “Digital Photography Master Class”. It provides an in-depth explanation of how to operate a DSLR as well as other useful fundamental skills behind photography. It was my first book that I invested in to help jump start me into the creative art of photography.

With this blog, I aim to inspire other artists and photographers to follow their dreams and to stay creative whether it’s through found articles, videos or images,  help me help you become creative while keeping me creative.