Change & Movement by Michael Mariano

March went by like a cold breeze fading into the warmth of the spring season. The weather actually has been acting weirder than usual here in NYC with some cold spurts here and there. The weather just as with life can be quite unpredictable. You never know what’s coming until you see it peeking just around the corner. Hence change & movement.

Was busy with a few freelance stuff shooting commissioned editorial work which unfortunately i can’t publish till later this year. It was a change of direction since i have not shot editorial stuff for almost 6 years now. But it was strangely familiar, like it did not leave me and i was back into the thick of things again. It was mostly environmental portraits and corporate shots. The universe has a weird way of connecting with an individual, as soon as one door closes a couple of new ones open up.

The shot featured in this post was taken after the photo shoot, it was in a building with parallel fire escape stairs. I find this photo a fitting symbol for what i’m going to experience in the future. Soon, i have to move on with my life and follow the path that i have laid for myself both consciously and unconsciously. You can only see the ramifications of decisions you made only when it is almost just within the reach of your vision. I’m more of excited than unnerved since like the ladders that you see, it can only go up or down. There might be other options, but you have to follow the path that you have set. You will only find out if you have succeeded or not when you get to the end of that path. I might choose a few steps back, this time i can only go up and that is what i have decided for myself.

For the friends and connections that i have made here in NYC, i’m truly grateful for having had the pleasure of knowing and connecting with you here. We will definitely jam together before i move on. For my colleagues, friends & family back in Manila, i’ll see you on the flipside come May.

Til’ the next post!

Romeo and Juliet

It is good to be back in the Big Apple! February just flew by like the winter chill breeze and spring is just around the corner. But back in sunny California, things are brighter especially for Bart and Nessie Ancheta who just renewed their wedding vows on Feb 18, 2012. It is only my second time back at the bay area and this event proved to be a keeper in terms of the energy and good vibes that the couple exuded.

The wedding is a synergy of people from all walks of life (this photographer included). The event was quite modest, but the energy and sincerity was evident. Being a renewal of vows, it is quite different from the ‘usual’ weddings that i have covered. There are the familiar traditions to have the preparation, ceremony and reception. But you can feel the energy is different. Between the couple you can see that this time around by having their vows renewed, excitement has evolved to be more of a sincere and solid connection. And of course, there is the bonding and memories between family and friends. Which is nice to see that even after years of being wed that love, respect, family and God is still at the core of the couple.

Over the past few years, i have found myself to have been doing more of commercial portraiture than wedding photography. This time, i had to wear my wedding photographer hat and i discovered that i still love doing weddings. I always have felt a deep connection when i shoot weddings and do my best to be true to the moment. Every wedding i do makes a very emotional connection with me even after the wedding is over. I have learned  though that i cannot really force myself to do this night in and night out, because i feel that each wedding is a unique and quality is better than quantity.

While i do not actively market myself as a ‘wedding photographer’, i would do weddings with the right circumstances. And i have the utmost respect for my colleagues that do this on a weekend or daily basis because the craft of wedding photography is no joke. It requires a lot of photography experience and savvy not only to capture the memories but also to help stay true to the moment (don’t forget it costs money to invest in ‘tools’ like photography equipment and whatnots).

What i do know is this – whatever assignment i would get i do my best to see the details and capture the moment at the peak of human experience. By combining my skill, experience and talent i aim to achieve and execute that goal in each project i do. And to me that is what is important.

Below are some photos from the wonderful vows renewal of Bart and Nessie…Enjoy!

As sunset arrives, we come together

Looking forward to a bright future

The rings that bind us

All groomed up

The wait

Love amidst nature and machine

We got bling!

Sealing the deal

Giveaway

Boquet Throwaway

Let's dance the night away

I wanna rock!

Happy family!

Blanc Worldwide Website

As a new year kicks off, Michael joins Blanc Worldwide Global Collective as a contributing photographer. This January the group launched its special project site aiming to showcase the artists’ photographic prowess at its best.

Blanc Worldwide is a global collective of Filipino fine art photographers. Each member
possesses individual vision and interests, excels in their respective areas of attention,
armed by technical expertise and backed by a history of portfolios and exhibits. All are
bound by the love of photography.

Blanc Worldwide aims to promote its members and to gain patronage for their works in
the international art scene.

1st row L-R ( Lester Callanta, Kyo Suayan, Michael Mariano) 2nd L-R (David Fabros, Randy Tamayo, Dominique James)

Photo prints are available for a limited time through the individual photographer’s profile.

Visit http://www.blancworldwide.com/ for more information.

New York City from East River view by Michael Mariano

2011 has been a year of great blessings and challenges. As we move forward to a new year, it has been said time and again that we have to learn from the lessons from the past, incorporate them how we live from day to day and look forward to the future.For me as an artist, designer and photographer – it has been a year of maximizing myself and the talents that i have to face daily challenges of deadlines and creative problem solving. In this year alone, i have shot more than 70+ music DJs in individual capacity both in and outside of the studio (of which the pictures i have yet to upload) for Scratch Music Group. Probably the most i have ever done in such a short period. I’m thankful to have been able to rekindle  my passion for art and design.

This coming year, as with any year will certainly come with its own trials and tribulations. Life in general as i have observed has been tough all around. From various natural calamities that seems to be growing worse by the day. To man-made ones that seem to show off how reckless we humans can be. I think we can better. Amidst all of the trials, what we can do is again to learn from experience, live in the moment and be prepared for anything that comes across our paths both in career and personal lives. Be strong for the weak and not forget the simple acts of kindness that we can give to other people.

The photo is shot from across the East River at the Water’s Edge Restaurant in Long Island City. May all of us shine like the lights of NYC – never failing, shining brightly, and resilient at the darkest of times.

May you have a prosperous New Year and stay safe!

-Mike

Inverted Roots, Central Park NYC by Mike Mariano

New York this time of the year is perfect for night photography. The weather is perfect, not too cold, not too hot. But don’t be deceived by the above photo and the fall season. Climate change has certainly played its hand when i decided to hook-up with fellow photographers from the Night Photography aka Night Magicians of meetup.com and shoot at the Great Lawn of Central Park. I was used to shooting mostly in the streets and alley ways, so this was a good change-up from the usual NYC urban grit. The weather was a chillin’ 36F (2C) which was cold considering it is still fall. It did not help that i forgot to bring gloves and had to hold my tripod which had an all-aluminum frame!

Despite my frigid hands, it was an amazing experience! I have never been to that part of the park before, adding to the fact that it was almost pitch black. There was a few park lights here and there adding to the ambient early night light. There were a few people scurrying around, trying to jog in the cold night. Otherwise, our group just dispersed into the calm surroundings. Who would have thought that a part of NYC can be quiet and placid?

Photographer amidst the fall foilage, NYC by Mike Mariano

In order to do proper night photography, i did not lack in bringing my photography equipment. I came armed with a tripod, my camera (of course) and a nifty gadget – an IR trigger which i used in lieu of a manual shutter release cable (which my camera – D7000 did not support) Most of the shots in this post required an exposure of around 20 to 60 secs depending on the subject. I just wanted the optimal image quality. As a rule of thumb, i set my ISO to 100 and then my aperture ranges from f/8 to f/11 to ensure extensive depth of field in my shots.

Belvedere Castle, NYC by Mike Mariano

To be honest, i coaxed myself to shoot like i was doing it back in the day – making artworks for myself and not for other people. And i was not disappointed with the results. Good thing i decided to go with a group of people who knew the place better than me. A castle in Central Park? Who knew. It just goes to show that no matter what your experience is, life can show you a different perspective. I’m looking forward to the next meetup, and when my schedule permits go out and shoot again while the weather is just right. Till’ next time!

- Mike M.

October Snowstorm at NYC; photo by Michael mariano

This past Halloween weekend i was ‘fortunate’ enough to be able to encounter two massive events in one shot. First was the expected storm that hit NYC. And the other one was the PDN Photoplus exposition. I have not experienced any of the said events. The first event was definitely a significant as the snowstorm (1.3in central park) broke a record set on October 1925 (0.8in central park) for measurable snow. It was indeed a weird experience having to brave the storm walking from the 34th st. and 8th ave. E train station all the way to Javitz for PDN even before December struck.

Jay Dickman at PDN 2011; photo by Michael Mariano

Good thing that the Javitz expo center is an indoor venue and was modestly sheltered from the raging storm. I was with another photo colleague and friend of mine, Dominique James at the expo. I don’t usually go to expositions since i already know that its either the vendors will just be there to sell you something, or you’ll see legions of people attending the paid seminars. So DJ and i just went around the expo seeing what’s new or not. And as we decided to rest at the Lexar booth seeing that it had empty seats, we noticed this guy setting up for what it seems to be a presentation. So we asked if he was doing a presentation. He said yes. And interestingly enough, he said he was Jay Dickman a photographer from National Geographic. Of course who wouldn’t know about National Geographic. So we were intrigued by this gentleman and decided to stick around for his presentation. We were in for small treat since he did not sell us Lexar products, rather show his amazing set of images from different eras and assignments through his career.

It was no coincidence that we were there in that booth. As a photographer and artist, i knew what he was talking about. It was still refreshing though to hear it from a another person with experience and talent. He finished his presentation as he was off to hop-on his flight to his next destination. Overall, the expo was just like any other expo. The next time you are at an expo, it does pay to be observant. Each artist has his/her own way of seeing the world and we can’t always experience the way they saw it. So it was a good thing to have had the chance to meet Jay and spend time on showing what an amazing world we have around us.

Jay Dickman with Michael Mariano and Dominique James; photo by Michael Mariano

Till the next update! – Michael Mariano

View of San Francisco from Twin Peaks by Michael Mariano

As a photographer and an artist, traveling has always been a part of the job and the craft. Photography has taken me to so many places around the world whether on the job or simply for leisure. My most recent trip was to the west coast of USA. It was a leisure trip, my first in San Francisco/Bay Area/Tracy. My plan was to visit family and friends. I try to pack ‘light’, trying to avoid paying an additional fee for checking-in baggage. Fortunately for me, my photo backpack a Naneu Sahara 217F can turn into a daypack or just a regular sized backpack. I brought along with me my Nikon D200, 28-75 2.8 lens, a 50mm and my Lumix lx3 for wide-angle shots. Good thing i packed some of my equipment for little did i know that my whole trip would be like a mini-photo expedition.

My first stop was to San Francisco/Bay Area. It is indeed a beautiful city! The area had a little bit of everything, from the urban sprawls, flatlands, hills and whatnots. I was toured around the usual tourist spots – Fisherman’s Wharf, Lombard Street, the photo featured is at the Twin Peaks which had a spectacular view of the city. The Golden Gate Bridge, was well.. the Golden Gate Bridge.  Nothing special except that when you do walk on it, it gives you an alternate view of the city. Toured around Daly City, Fremont, Palo Alto, I spent a few days in the city, trying to absorb what i can in such a short time.

The next stop of my trip, was to Tracy, CA which was my base camp on the way to Yosemite National Park. I used to do some trekking back in the day. And coming to the park has definitely rekindled my fondness, albeit temporarily for nature. Yosemite is definitely a must-go place. I only had a day to explore at least the valley. If i had another shot at going to the west coast, i would want a week just in Yosemite!

Overall, my trip was definitely worth it. Being able to spend time with family and friends, take a break from the hustle and grit of NYC. If you are planning to go for vacation, leisure or a photography trip, the San Francisco / Bay Area is a definite must see.

For photos of the trip you can check them out here – http://photobucket.com/westcoast092011 the password is – marianomedia

Enjoy and till the next post!

Tables on fire by Michael Mariano | Native Racket's Randy

Fall is just around the corner. But don’t let that fool you into thinking that you will be just photographing falling leaves and foliage. Creativity can strike anywhere. As long as you have a camera ready and with the proper know-how, you can capture any mundane situation and turn it into a visceral experience.

I have recently been to one of the gigs of my friend Ivan Monegro at the Hot Lava party. He and his partner Randy Delgado are DJs for their group – Native Racket. So they were spinning during the hot lava party inside this massive warehouse which was dimly lit despite having a nice big disco ball lit on all its sides by focused lights. The only camera i had my Panasonic LX3 with me which had an underpowered flash. So i thought of just playing with it knowing the range of my flash. I decided to set it to Shutter speed priority (S) and make the shutter slower than usual (around 1/8 to 1/15th of a second)

In the photo, i captured Randy spinning on the decks. There was few lights on the turntables. So with flash ready and the shutter speed dialed it, i decided to ‘paint’ the scene

by moving my camera in long strokes while making sure that i focused properly first and accounted for the shutter lag since i’m using a slow shutter speed. The flash worked just in the right range, illuminating Randy and the decks. While the slow shutter speed made sure that the lights streaked that conveyed a sense of motion throughout the scene. I took some more shots of the party. It was good practice for me since i haven’t been covering events lately and that situation made me think outside of the box.

So the next time you feel that you might be limited by your camera or the situation, think outside of the box and use whatever tools you have in hand. Keep on shooting,  and enjoy the coming fall season ahead!

Scratch DJ Academy New York - Photograph by Michael Mariano

Scratch DJ Academy has finally settled into its new location at 32 Cooper Square! Scratch who? For those in the music industry, this title should be fairly familiar to you. If you are not familiar, shame on you! For those who are not acquainted, Scratch DJ Academy is a division of Scratch Music Group. In 2002, in the heydays of DJing where access to proper DJ education was not widespread, DJ Jam Master Jay and Rob Principe founded the academy to provide quality DJ education and access to the art form. Its legacy and legend extends forward to the future with the move of the academy to the historic Cooper Square where known institutions such as Cooper Square Union and New York University  are located.

I have had the privilege to be at the launch of Scratch NY’s new crib. The location was a definite game changer and the new spot had a cool vibe to it. Soon enough the Scratch Music Group will come out with a bang. The photo featured is of the Academy. Stay tuned for the launch of Scratch Music Group and its other business lines – Scratch Events and Scratch Weddings.

Keep on rockin’!

- Mike

Pennsylvania Farm - Photograph by Michael Mariano

Summer is upon us. People here in the northeast coast has been waiting for this season since wintertime. Memorial day has come past and the signs of a warm summer ahead are abound in and around the city. People are preparing to travel on those long-distance trips and bring out their dusty traveling gear out of the  closet. So why get stuck in the 4 corners of your house when you can go out and travel without breaking the bank? The featured photo is from a farm in Pennsylvania, a good to 2 hours drive from NYC. They have attractions that are family friendly like visiting the Amish countryside, Hershey’s factory and of course a trip to Philadelphia is a definitely a must-see especially for those history buffs.

Most of those destinations would definitely entail some traveling either by a car or public transportation. For serious photographers, stopping at each ‘photo-op’ (photo opportunity) is a must. However, not everybody has the time to stop each time that they want to take decent shots. And that does not mean you cannot take good photos while on those times that you are mobile and unable to stop in the middle of the road. Fear not, for here are some tips for taking photos while being inside a moving vehicle:

1.) The featured photo – i set my shutter speed to a reasonable setting like 1/250 (or higher) to
be able to stop motion, but still get that effect of moving grass in the foreground. That way your
photo will have a bit of depth even while your shot seems something like that is as common as the postcards that you see in the souvenir shops.

2.) It helps to pre-visualize what you want to capture in conjunction with a bit of careful planning and research where you plan to pass-by. This will help you plan out which places of interest that you want to shoot from the road and the type of lens/camera combination that you will be bringing. As a rule of thumb, a combination of a normal zoom lens (28mm to 70mm) and a telephoto lens (70-200) is a good way to cover your range of photographic subjects.  The telephoto lens will definitely help you pick-out subjects of interest, but do be mindful of setting your shutter speed/ISO setting higher esp. if you are using a longer lens.

3.) Having a stable platform to shoot from while inside the vehicle helps. If you have a beanbag or a pillow case to act as a makeshift tripod, it will help stabilize your camera and lens. Bringing down the window helps avoid nasty reflections on your photograph. If you can’t bring down your windows, try pressing the lens of your camera as close to the window as possible to avoid any unwanted glare.

4.) Last but not the least – carry lots of memory cards and batteries as you might not be able to charge until you get to your hotel, resort or final destination. A laptop or portable media device is a good alternative to just bringing memory cards. At least by the end of the day you can view your photos and learn what other shots you need to take.

So this summertime whether you are out in the field for vacation or an assignment, do not leave your camera at home when you travel! Have a great summer ahead and a safe passage to all!

- Mike