deception

Hi everyone, on my last trip to Europe I had the time to visit a city I had never been to before: Madrid. I grabbed my 1956 Leica M2 camera with black and white film and walked the whole city for a weekend. On the first afternoon I found out that the 'Plaza de Toros' was still on and that it had a run that afternoon. Perfect occasion to put my old camera to the test.
God was I going to be in for a SHOCK. For some reason I really thought that it would be a recap of the good old days with the 'ole...ole....ole' as the great attraction. But to my surprise, and shock, it was all real. Real meaning that over the afternoon 'show' 6 bulls were put through torture and an agony that left me numb. And what was even worse was turning around and seeing a fully packed stadium cheering and excited about such spectacle. I couldn't get myself to understand that in the 21st century people would still be up for this. Even worse when I found out that these 'corridas' happen 5 days a week all year round!!
Funny and sad enough these fotos capture this old/ancient tradition in a retro style that could & should be from 50 years ago, which is the time where it belongs.
Left the city in utter deception, feeling sick that people of this 'first world' modern society would accept something like this.

Candelario

Hi Everyone! As you already might know I was in El Salvador 2 weeks ago for business. I was lucky enough to be taken care of by some great people over the weekend, which I think, I can call friends. This is indeed a beautiful country, full of even more wonderful people. It reminded me in a way of my time in Asia, can't pin it down, but it was the mixture of chaos, warm sunny weather, rawness and welcoming people.
I experienced a beautiful sunset on the beach house of a friend, and as we turned round to go back into the house I spotted Candelario, who takes care of the place, just gazing into the horizon lost in his thoughts somewhere out there in the sea.
The tone of the light & the lack of it was just perfect, making the tone of his skin so smooth, the slight reflection of the horizon on his glasses, his true transparent smile.
I Love the coloured version of this diptic & I believe it stands out even more when compared to its B&W version. All said, I will be back...on holidays next time.


Hola Todos! Como ya sabran estuve en El Salvador hace 2 semanas por trabajo. Tuve la suerte de ser muy bien atendido durante el fin de semana, por quienes hoy pienso, puedo llamar amigos. Este es un hermoso país, lleno de gente aun mas maravillosa. Me recordó un poco a mis anos en Asia, la mezcla de caos, el caluroso y soleado clima, la crudeza de la naturaleza, y su gente tan amable.
Experimente un atardecer increíble en la finca de un amigo sobre la playa. Cuando volvimos a la casa para luego emprender nuestro regreso vi a Candelario, quien se ocupa de cuidar el lugar, con la mirada y sus pensamientos perdidos en algun lugar alla lejos en el horizonte.
El tono de la luz y la escasez de la misma sobre su piel haciéndola parecer tan suave, el reflejo del horizonte en sus anteojos, su sonrisa tan real, honesta y transparente.
Me encanta la version a color del diptico y creo que se resalta aun mas contrapuesta con su version en B&N. Sin mas que decir, volvere...pero la proxima vez, sera de vacaciones.

pixels on GAS

Hi Everyone! I am currently in El Salvador for business but didn't want to miss posting something this weekend. Yet another very colorful triptic. I took these while on my last year (2014) trip to Amsterdam. The same artist that did the previously posted mailboxes painted the sreet floor in bright colors. It so looked like zooming into a colorful image to the point of seeing pixels. But what I liked the most was the GAS sign which seemed to be floating adrift in this sea of pixels.

Hola Todos! Estoy actualmente de viaje por trabajo en El Salvador pero no queria dejar de postear algo este fin de semana. De nuevo otro colorido triptico. Tome estas photos en uno de mis viajes a Amsterdam el ano pasado (2014). El mismo artista que pinto los buzones anteriormente posteados tambien pinto una calle en brillantes colores. Realmente parecia como si hicieramos un zoom sobre una colorida imagen hasta visualizar los pixels de la misma. Pero lo que realmente me encanto fue la casilla de GAS que parecia estar flotando a la deriva en este mar de pixels.

amigos

So I traveled to Amsterdam a few times in the last years for business and had the time to stay over the weekend and wonder around and take photos. On my first trip I found this spot where an artist had used a mailbox as the main subject to his graffiti. A red headed subject in a sea of rainbow colored puzzle like brush strokes. But when I came back 8 months later I found his smiley friend as his replacement.

Viaje un par de veces por trabajo a Amsterdam en los ultimos anos & tuve tiempo de quedarme el finde semana para aprovechar y sacar fotos. En mi primer viaje encontre un lugar donde un artista habia usado un buzon como sujeto principal de su graffitti. Un tipo colorado en un par de coloridas piezas de rompecabezas. Pero cuando volvi 8 meses despues me encontre con su sonriente amigo como reemplazo.

clean start

To all here go my new year wishes: a clean start to a very promising 2015 hoping all your wishes and plans for this new year materialize as I hope mine do. Happy New Year!!

A todos aqui van mis deseos para el nuevo ano: un nuevo y gran comienzo para un muy prometedor 2015 esperando que todos sus deseos y planes para el 2015 se materealizen como espero que los mios tambien. Feliz Ano Nuevo!!

interestelar

Hi Everyone, 2 weeks ago I attended the movie INTERESTELAR. Loved it, I love SCI-FI, true, but this movie blew my mind & really touched me deeply. The idea of interestelar travel, to dive into the deep darkness beyond anything known (so fkn scary), the realization that we are SO small and insignificant compared to the infinit greatness out there. The way time goes by and how time itself past present and future are all interconnected and run in paralel. Added to the infinit love of that father (not knowing when he'll come back) whispering into his daughter's ears: "I love you forever...I love you forever", so true and so moving to me.

Having watched the movie I remembered I had a photo I had taken 4 years ago which I really liked a lot but couldn't think of a place for it. Well, I finally did find a reason for it.

Really love this photo. The darkness giving it a sense of  remoteness infinity, the white light coming from above (upper left corner) as an unknown source of light / life shining onto a flat futuristic still surface and the contrast of this light bouncing off onto moving waters.

Hong Kong, China, Planet Earth 2010.

+ Night Trails

Dear All, here I am back with a few more Night Trails from that same night in Singapore's Chinatown around a year ago. More of the same but I really like them.

Hola a todos, aca de vuelta con un par de series mas de 'Night Trails' de esa misma noche en Chinatown de Singapore hace alrededor de un ano. Mas de lo mismo pero realmente me gustan.