X-tra MEdium

Pictures I’ve taken and life in my 30s. Ig: rawfiki Ig: runitbackmedia Vsco.co/rawfiki

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Some 2022 photography highlights

[rawf1k1]

Neurodivergence.

My name is Raf and at 34 years old I was diagnosed with ADHD.

How did I get here?

Almost 30 years undiagnosed and a pandemic that put a hold on my coping mechanisms. My whole life I just accepted that I was just that kid that went to summer school every summer and that I was just a “bad” student, accepted Im not as “smart” as others, accepted that everyone has intrusive thoughts, accepted everyone gets distracted, accepted that Im lazy, accepted that Im not good at anything, accepted that everyone has thought about unaliving themselves and snaps out of it, , I accepted that I was going to fail at everything, I accepted that im probably wrong most of the time, I accepted that all this is normal. I just accepted that I am who I am that I was just “mad” all the time. I learned how to be accepted, put on a straight face, learned how to read people, read social queues, I learned how to laugh at myself, I learned how compartmentalize, I learned how to internalize criticism, I learned how to look and act normal, I repressed. I got here because of my private meltdowns, Ive cried to my wife when stress became way too much handle, I’ve had depressive episodes that would last for days. I got here because I don’t know what a night of good sleep feels like, I got here because I don’t know what loving myself truly feels like even though I can give unlimited amounts of love to my friends and family, I got here because I needed help. Help that wasn’t going to come from my coping mechanisms.

So, at 34 years old, married, and a father, enough was enough for me. with the support of my amazing wife , I sought out help. As much as I have been outspoken about physical health, all that is for nothing if I can’t get my mental health in the right direction. This is is me, in full transparency, vulnerable. Trusting the process.

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2021. I reflect back on the year, rather, the last 2 years and think of how much growth happened both personally and creatively. With that said 2021 was tough on me creatively, mentally, and emotionally. I ran into tons of creative and mental blockages in ‘21 by just being uninspired, I think a lot of it had to do with cabin fever and burnout from commuting to and from work (I live 63 miles away from my job). It was one of those years that forced me to be as creative as I can be and learn more, it also helped that we were able to be and go outside with our friends and family. They don’t know this, but its my people that inspire me and help me get through mental blockages, so im grateful that we were able to hangout this past year.

HIGHLIGHTS.

Since being vaccinated able to go out, my wife and I took our first real (needed) vacation in 2 years for my 34th birthday. I was able to attend 2 events that The Hoopery was involved with. We even got to have our true housewarming with our friends from San Diego at our new house. We got a little bit of normalcy back. Ended the year with news of an addition to our family due in June.

I have high hopes for 2022.

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Recent pictures from the end of summer, 6 year wedding anniversary, and the first card show I took photos at. I like to think Ive grown a lot since I started taking photos, but I’ve still got so much to learn.

[rawf1k1]

View my website at https://rafaelmiranda.smugmug.com

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Decides about a month ago to start a photo site where ill be uploading photos from events to photoshoots!

[rawf1k1]

More product photos for The Hoopery and Solebandz. I cant wait until I can schedule some photoshoots.

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Natural lighting and using different elements to practice stepping away from using my soft box for product photography. Im constantly looking to stay creative while we social distance and stay home. Honestly, having to stay home has forced me to try new techniques as I grow into my photography.

[rawf1k1]

Dear Nike Basketball,

This unexpected surprise made a tough year a little bit better, thank you.

I included the Kobe 5 protro “Chaos” because it was the last protro I was able to score on nike before the tragic passing of one of my all time heroes. Also, to symbolize how the year started and how its closing out. 2020 was a year that was filled with losses. I personally lost a good friend on January 1st due to a brain aneurysm, then the world went to shit after Kobe passed.

Worldwide shelter in place orders, temporary shut downs of businesses, no big social gatherings, etc... Its no wonder the world went to shit, or at least here in the United States it did. In the midst of all of this I tried my best to stay positive and find some kind of silver lining. Did I find it? Maybe. That silver lining, for me, was to reflect back on my time and my relationships and be grateful that the worst thing to happen, happened in the beginning of the year. I have my family, my friends, my job, my health, and my memories.

As a fan of Kobe and like many fans of kobe, we try to collect what we can that is Kobe. Especially his shoes, it’s that “Like Mike” effect. When you wear his shoes on court, you almost feel like you can hit the game winning jumper or harness his mamba mentality to go that extra mile/minute/rep. We were and are going to keep buying, or rather attempt to keep buying the shoes, because its one of the closest things to meeting kobe or the closest to feel what he felt every time he stepped on the hardwood. I know buying sneakers or collecting sneakers is part of the beast that captialism created, but Ive also met some really good people through sneaker culture and for that I’m grateful. This year since Kobe’s tragic death it’s been impossible to buy his sneakers, almost to the point where every release ended up being a meme.

So why me? Why was I, a virtual nobody in the sneaker culture, gifted a pair? My answer: I honest to God do not know. I was floored when I opned up the package to see his logo on the box, and in the box aside from the shoes was a personalized card from Nike Basketball. No words could describe the emotions that ran through me and I kept asking myself, Why me?. What I do know is that im extremely thankful and humbled by this. So to whoever saw my MANY social media posts dedicated to Kobe, thank you so much!

While this year was filled with losses and changes there were some personal wins. I got a new job thats going to challenge me, my wife and I became homeowners, im more clear about what I want to do with my photography, and one of my favorite companies gifted me a pair of Kobe’s signature shoes for Christmas. I hope everyone had a Merry and safe Christmas and with the new year just around the corner, I just know that there is hope.

[rawf1k1]

Messing around with reflective surfaces and lighting.

[rawf1k1]

It’s been a long time since I last posted here. Too long. I’ve been mulling over if I should start my own photography website apart from runitback.media to showcase the portfolio im bulding. Maybe when the shelter in place orders have been lifted? We’ll see. For now ill post some favorites here. Enjoy!

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so much has happened since my last post. Much more to come.

[rawf1k1]

2017 came and went. My 2017 was a roller coaster of emotions, from my son being born to childhood friends creating new chapters in their lives, I turned 30 and picked up photography as new hobby to benefit my website RAWkin-it.com. Just like every year, more growth happened; growth in knowledge, growth in wisdom, growth in family and friends. 2017 also presented itself with opportunities to help grow my website (1 year since going live) by collaborating with friends and adding to my team. 

For 2018 I’ll take lessons I learned in 2017 to be a better Man, Husband, Father, and Friend. I thank you 2017 for the struggles and the victories.

[rawf1k1]

So, What the hell is RAWkin it? Why start a year before I turn 30? What do I plan to accomplish with it?.

Quite frankly, it’s more a passion project than anything. In my circle of friends there are creative minds, a perspective that’s different from others. That was probably one of the biggest inspirations for starting at the time I started RAWkin it. Yes im 30, yes it’s a little late to try and have a presence in social media. If there’s anything I’ve learned is that it’s never too late to start something, so thats where I am. I’m 30, married, a father, and founder of RAWkin it. I don’t expect anything from this passion project of mine, but I also know that consistent content from me and my team will help build it. It’s hip hop, sneakers, top 5s, current playlists, etc... that’s what RAWkin it is and the potential to be much more.

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While at the moment im not considering photography is a hobby quite yet, but im learning a lot and having fun doing so. With so many different styles to shoot, and all the different lenses thats offered for my camera, its getting pretty close to it being a hobby. Also, these days, especially with Instagram, we like to post moments and share them ASAP (for the likes, maybe?), but In recent months I’ve decided that maybe taking a step back and kind of living in the moment and capturing it might be a better way to live out the of my life. Appreciation for the beauty that is life, dare I say it? There is beauty in light and there is beauty in struggle. These moments Ive shared are just me appreciating the beauty I see in MY life, my perspective. Appreciate this life, take advantage of the opportunities presented to you or the opportunities you’ve created for yourself.

[rawf1k1]

Today I had the opportunity to practice some more with my camera. The more I take these pictures the more apparent it is that I should probably invest in a prime lens, someday. Sunday October 1st, my wife, my son, and I spent some quality tome together running errands and hanging out with family. I love days like today, because I’m reminded that no matter how old I get or how far I go in life I have my support system to get me through and to keep me humble.

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Took some time to try and catch some flicks after work today. Think next time I’ll wait a little longer, but practicing with my kit lens was fun.

[rawf1k1]

Since the last time I posted (about my website), I’ve turned 30, my son was born, childhood friend got married, went to vegas, got a real camera to take pictures for my website. So here we are now, i’ve decided to change my tumblr into a photo journal as well as a personal journal. Why? Well, with social media and having my own website/blog I use these platforms differently for different reasons. Here on tumblr it was always about keeping it personal, but it was too easy to repost and “like”. In the next few days ill be doing a mass deletion of posts and starting off “fresh”…sorta. Some posts you might see on my Instagram, but here I can go more in depth.