One Person At a Time...

Inspire

[in-spahy^uhr]

verb, -spired, -spir·ing.

1. To fill with an animated,quickening, or exalting influence

2. To produce,or arouse (a feeling,thought, etc.)

These past two weeks I have been getting a lot of feedback from my photographs. One of my oldest friends told me my work inspired him over the weekend to go out and take photos for himself. I seriously can't begin to tell you how happy him saying that made me feel. It's exactly what I want to do. To INSPIRE more ART and CREATIVITY in this world. From audible art forms to visual poetry inspiring someone to do something is such a wonderful gift you don't even know you're giving.

So anyway, sold my first print last week and I STILL don't have the shop section up on my website. More on that by the end of this week hopefully.

I Want Flow...

So I listen to a lot of Hip-Hop and R&B and was out running an errand with my girlfriend. I was criticizing how some artists have the potential to be great, but there are nuances in their vocals in relation to the track that just aren't right.

For an example I'll use Lil Wayne considering he just got out of prison today: From his Lights Out album, which was the first Wayne album I ever purchased, to Carter III, he got progressively better. His metaphors kept getting better, and it's like he finally figured out where and when his voice would sound better at a certain point in the track. "A Milli" was outrageous, and the fact that he recorded parts of that song as a freestyle in a hotel in Amsterdam is a testament to how good he has gotten over the years. (Proof)

During that car ride that my girlfriend and I were taking, we were also comparing some new rappers to older ones. I swear...the next song that came on the radio was Jay-Z's 'Hard Knock Life'. After the song was over there was a long pause, and the first thing she said to me was "I'm sorry, but nobody can rap like he can". THATS the damn truth...

Jay's flow is ridiculously good...period.

So what does this have to do with my photography? Well a couple days later I was having a conversation about my photography and where I would like to go and some of the ideas I have. The comparison between the growth of rappers like Jay and Wayne was brought up and how it related to what is going on with my creativity. I realized I want a flow. A flow that no one else can compare to. A certain style of images that is unique to me, and only myself.

I want to do something amazing.

Bottom line is...I want my flow, and I'm not going to stop taking pictures until I know I got one. Even if it takes me a long ass time...although I hope it doesn't haha.

Keep Creative.

Getting out of the quicksand...

It's been almost 2 months since I've updated my blog and I'm pissed. I'm more pissed at myself than anything else. I just can't believe how much I've been procrastinating solely because I pride myself on working hard, and working towards my goals. I set myself a goal to update this blog at least twice a month when I started it and lo and behold, that hasn't happened. Theres been some creative road blocks here and there, and I think it's time for me to step my game up once again. My hustle has withered down to a slow creep but my brain has been churning out ideas for future projects like crazy. Projects that have largely been inspired by the music I listen to,how that music is always changing for the better, and how I'd love for my creativity and the subsequent images to do the same.

I have been looking at my past photos and have realized that I need some sort of an overhaul. I want more color, more emotion, and more of a statement. I want my images to connect to people and I want to create an image that makes you go "....WOW".

I also want to be able to look into a popular magazine and find one of my pictures in the centerfold...but baby steps Mario...baby steps....

anyway

Since my last update, I've been published on BBC.com under one of their weekly photo contests titled "Back to Work" where a self portrait was chosen. Big thanks to my number one supporter for sending in the picture to BBC without me knowing ;)

Lastly, I finished editing the photos I had taken for an organization called Pitbull Centerfolds (www.pitbullcenterfolds.org) in mid October and am waiting on a reply to find out when the calender is finished for publishing. It's very exciting to be published in a calender, so I can't wait to see what It looks like!

So yeah, until next time, KEEP CREATIVE.

Shoot with Paul and upcoming things...

So much for that update huh...Been so busy with work and trying to do new things lately that I forgot about my blog for a bit. I've gotten some new equipment but still nowhere near where I want to be. As always I make things work (shout out Tim Gunn) with what I have and my images always end up great right from the camera.

For example, this shoot with Paul inside of a giant yellow pipe. At first things were a little eh. Had a miserable day at work and I had planned to shoot earlier. Got out of work later than I had expected, hit traffic, and had to turn around at some point to get the property release form for the shoot that was left behind. Oy vey! I showed up a little grouchy but ready to get down to business. Since it was getting dark I had some trouble focusing which was driving me up a wall. My biggest enemy was time. The shoot was planned in just a few days and I relied on daylight too much. I fixed the low-light-focusing situation and thankfully that will never happen again.

As for the upcoming things: A variety of Pit-Bull Terriers and their respective female owners, a bar in Hoboken, a firehouse in Little Ferry, and a calender.

More about it in my next post!

Small Update:Triggers Fixed! Upcoming Shoots...

Fixed the situation I was having with my wireless flash triggers!

Finally ready to get things moving once agian.I have a small 'warm-up' shoot planned this Sunday that has to do with a giant yellow pipe that I pass everyday to and from work. After that, I have an enviromental portrait to shoot that will include a horse, hay, and a good old friend of mine. So things are definitely moving. The U.S. Outworkers shoot went well but the owner and I are still working on the final stages of post.

Time to sleep...

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It's Far From Over...

Well everyone.Back from a 'Statecation' and feeling refreshed.Although still a bit stressed about a few things here and there but overall doing well.Saw hot air balloons, went to a beautiful winery, and even went to see a minor league baseball game.(Shout out to Megan for the awesome seats!)

Also managed to get a slew of new pictures and finally got around to revising the website.Added a shop area thats still in the works, new categories, new pages for easier access, a contact form, and a video section thats going to be up soon with just a few videos from my cell phone I've taken so far.

It's incredible how much work just a few things can take.I was up two days straight until 2am working on it.I can finally say I'm comfortable about how the layout is. Still got a few loose ends here and there as always but not enough to overwhelm me like it was doing before the revision.

As far as work goes I have been keeping steady.Yesterday(Sunday) I spent most of the day shooting images for a company's website (www.USoutworkers.com). They specialize in asphalt repair, crack filling, and seal-coating.I have yet to show the owner the ~700 images I took from that day but I'm absolutely positive he'll love them.Updates on that later this week.

Up-coming shoots are still in the works as some of my wireless flash triggers are damaged

*sigh*

I still have several more pictures to edit so keep looking for updates on those! Enjoy and farewell.

No Light at the End of the Tunnel...

But it still doesn't mean I'll stop searching for one. No Struggle, No Progress. Update later next week, nuff' said...

Renegade's Live Show & Some Jibba Jabba...

Hello once again world(a.k.a. small audience). Every time I get put under pressure I always find myself exceeding my own expectations. Case in point,this live event with a group called Renegade at the Cobblestone Village in Mountain Creek (RenegadeHipHop.com) It was an album release party and it went very well. Not only for myself but for Renegade. What caught me by surprise was that I never would have imagined there are people this good in my town lol. I was feeding off of their energy and having a great time.

I am pleased with the images that I posted...BUT....since I am a perfectionist in a way I couldn't help but think of what I could have done better.

*Lighstands could have been weighed down, better wireless equipment, better lenses, more wide shots. More, more, more, better, better, better*

To be honest thats what goes through my head every second before I open the shutter. The best part was that it was noticed by some of the people around me. Whether I was running around and asking people to scoot for a place up on stage for a shot I had in mind, or pointing fingers and giving instructions, it showed and it payed off. Having some issues with my equipment didn't stop me from snapping as many photos as possible of course. And I was able to reach out to a few people and spread the word about what I do. I only wish that there was a way to show everyone how passionate I am about what I do(and CAN do) with a camera in the time it takes to say 'Hello'. Thinking about building my portfolio and just having the word 'Hello!' in bright bold letters on the cover,I guess thats one way of doing it...

Anyway, I have been asked to take some photos of Renegade once more and am looking forward to that experience again!

As far as these upcoming shoot ideas,still in the works. Like I tell some people,"You can't rush greatness." Hoping to get some things done next week and have the images out to the public that following Monday.Keep creative people.

Renee's Shoot and Big Things Poppin...

First of all,let me sum up this shoot with two words, Good times.There's a big reason this shoot was so important to me,as it was one I had planned for a long time.It was also the first shoot I needed a property release for which got me pretty nervous.The best part about it was that I couldn't have asked for a better location.The owners of the property were very pleasant when I spoke with them and I was free to use whatever I had to,so before I go on any further I have to thank them one more time for letting me use their property for this photo shoot.

I pass several barns around here in my town and have been thinking about getting a model and setting something up. Small jobs here and there have been keeping me busy but I have never gotten around to setting things up like I had to do with this set.

First of all, I had given Renee some criteria for what she should be dressed in and she showed up in exactly what I had in mind and made everything go by so much smoother. Having my girlfriend and a friend of mine there to help also didn't hurt,so HUGE! thanks to them also.

Last but not least these past few weeks a friend and I have been in talks of setting up a few projects for ourselves to benefit our portfolios.We have some wonderful ideas in store and I'm looking forward to getting this out to the public as soon as I get the chance! Basically we'll be shooting some faux ads. These ads will help build my portfolio, Paul' s, and those of the models/makeup artists/hair dressers we may be using; will let me expand on my skills and style as a photographer; and give me a great amount of creative freedom. If things go as planned you should be looking at about a couple dozen of new images by the end of the summer! Wish me luck lol.

It's been a while,but I'm keeping busy...

Wow...long time no blog post huh...

Where do I start? Lets see, there's no reason for me to talk about what happened in April, considering there wasn't really much activity that month. But man, once May came around the proverbial ball of creativity was rolling. My birthday came around on the 8th and my girlfriend and I headed down to Seaside Heights (no fist pumping involved by the way). The beach, be it freezing cold or blazing hot, is a great place to collect yourself and get the creative juices flowing. From then on, May was filled with random hikes through the woods, scouting locations, and shooting what great things came my way. So much of my work was inspired by the growth of greenery around my location. Spring and the start of Summer never cease to amaze me in the amount of colors they respectively bring with them. Even after a rainy day, it's hard for me to stay inside and not enjoy what is out there for me to photograph. Example: for about 16 years or so, I've been passing a patch of amazing scenery and it finally tempted me enough to take a hike and capture a part of what it has to show. I parked the car about 100 yards from where I needed to be and spent an hour hiking that 100 yards! The greenery was up to my chest in most parts and it was apparent that not a single human being has been in that area in years. The moment I captured does not even come close to doing the scene justice. Spring is an amazing season.

Anyway, a trip to a reservoir and a forest-seldom-seen later, I'm on the verge of photographing a model at one of my scouted locations. It's going to be a traditional American Farm shoot and I even plan on posting up a 'behind the scenes' video of sorts to put up on facebook and on my website. It'll give you an inside look of what it's like to be in a shoot with yours truly. Hopefully everything goes as planned and I blog post again at some point next week.

Until then be on the lookout and keep creative.

The Soon-to-be Zink's & Sophie's 2nd Shoot

It's been quite a long time since I have blogged.Spring time is finally here but for some reason we cannot get a couple days of sunshine without it being followed by torrential downpour and flooding.So I've been keeping it low key for awhile and still managed to come up with some new images here and there.

Anyway, it has been almost a month since these two photoshoots were shot and I have finally got some time to write about them. Fortunately I was lucky enough to squeeze these two shoots within a weekend and hammer out the pictures fairly quickly. I had another nervous issue before the shoot with Renee & Kevin for some reason, even though I knew there was nothing to worry about. My mind likes to play tricks on me by making me think I'm not good enough for scenario's such as this one.For example,it was blindingly bright that day.The sun was at it's highest with an overcast,and about 90% of the ground was covered in snow.Not an ideal shooting scenario incase you were wondering....I was thinking I'd be lucky to get 2 images without anyone squinting as if they'd just walked out of a cave into direct sunlight.(Although someone did do a great job of not showing it!)

BUT,like anyone else in less than ideal conditions,I adapted, and made the best of it.

Actually Kevin & Renee were so easy to work with so it wasn't just ALL me lol.I really don't think it could have gone any better than it did.They're personalities compliment each other in a way that made me become a better photographer.I'll sum it up in my two favorite words...Easy and Enjoyable.

Before heading to Park Ridge to Renee & Kevin I traveled a little ways across town to meet up with Kristina and her daughter Sophie.What can be said that I haven't already said about this little girl? For starters she had be cracking up throughout the duration of the shoot.I can't believe how smart and energetic this little girl is! It was another easy job to do and I really do think that the images came out better this time around then they did before.So far Kristina has sent all of my images of her daughter to 7 agencies and has gotten a call back from 4 of them!Way to go Sophie!Looking forward to seeing her on TV in the next couple of years.

Shout out to my cheerleader :-)

Valentine's Day,Hike, and Paterson...

What a busy month it has been. Jennifers shoot for her Valentine's day present to her boyfriend went very well. Her sister came along and my brother (who has been friends with Jennifer since highschool), came up to assist and provide some...input, I guess you could call it. In all seriousness, it was very productive and it gave me some new techniques to practice during my photoshoots in the future.Not to mention I have a great testimonial to publish on my website from her!

A week later we got hit up here in Northern New Jersey with a snow storm.I was able to make it to work but had to leave early because of the snow.I got home and felt inspired,so I embarked on a hike up to a place I haven't been to since I was 12. A place about a mile from my house called Horseshoe lake.I had a great time being by myself for a bit and with the snow coming down the way it was it looked like i was in a sort of winter wonderland.When I had finally located the lake I hadn't realized how far out onto the lake I had walked!I did manage to get a few interesting images from the hike wich you can see on my website.

Also this past weekend my girlfriend and I headed to Paterson,NJ to take a look at a few of thier landmarks up close.Considering I was born in Paterson and I have never been to these locations I was pretty excited to see what I could get from them.The first location we headed to was Lambert's Castle.I remember seeing this landmark in the distance when I was a kid heading to where my father worked, wich was literally 2 minutes up the road.Walking to the castle we were actually greeted by a small production crew filming a sort of comedy wich was actually pretty funny! Made our way up a hill only to find that part of the grounds were fenced off. Still had a great time there and it was great to see the NYC skyline in the distance.The second location we headed to was Paterson falls.Captured some interesting waterfall photos here.Feel free to check those out too in the landscape section of the website!

Business Cards

Finally got around to designing my set of official business cards! Had a friend of mine design a rough draft for me and point me to a great printer (www.overnightprints.com).Then I took the ideas from there. Overall I'm pleased with the result and the quality of the card is amazing.Although I had to pull out 3 or 4 duds where the ink ran too dark,4 out of 500 isn't too bad at all. I'll be handing these babies out to anyone who's willing to take them and spread my word.So far the first few recipients have been immediate family members.

I'll be shooting at a friends birthday party this weekend(weather permitting), then soon after I've scheduled a shoot for for a Valentine's Day present,so look for those updates coming up.

Shoot with Sophie!

Let me start off by saying that I have never shot a toddler for a portrait before.That being said...WOW! What a task!
I've always remembered the famous saying in show business, that you should "Never work with children or animals". Just because they're unpredictable. As a photographer photographing a child,in my opinion,this saying could not be farther from the truth.I had learned that to get what I wanted from Sophie,I just needed to let her do her own thing for the most part(with a little push from her mom).She was very smart and capable of understanding direction.I was making myself nervous by thinking about it too much before the shoot. As soon as I walked in the door and saw how adorable this little girl was,I knew it was in the bag and we were going to get some shots to be proud of. The shutter kept going and everything was feeling great...of course until spongebob squarepants came on.Distractions and a childs restlessness do not mix,lesson learned.

Overall we came out with great images.Sophie was the cutest and funniest little girl I've ever met,her makeup and hair were perfect[thanks to her mother],and my girlfriend,Chrissy, did an amazing job handling my requests and being a wonderful assistant.

Wow,writing about yourself is NOT easy...

Especially when you don't write so well to begin with.
The Bio tab on my website has been sitting there for several weeks now,pointing to a page where a ridiculous black and white picture of me was taken.Next to it has been an empty space,like a black hole if you will,sucking in my pointless attempts and writings of anything that lets people know who I am and what I do(or want to do in this case).
So what better way to deal with it then to just delete the tab altogether and set up a blog!! I'm thinking its a great way to let people know who I am and what I want to do[and can do!] by just typing and being myself.
To be honest I would have never imagined myself..."blogging",but apparently it is a great tool to market myself, and to let people know what I've been up to.I think of this as another way of social networking.Someone might ask, "But Mario, couldn't you just post a status update on facebook or something?" Yeah I could, but theres a whole lot of wierdo stalkers out there who could possibly facebook creep me,and im not down with that.

So anyway, I will definitely try to keep this updated with anything photo/website related.Even if no one actually reads this,at least I'll be happy in knowing that I'm stepping up my skills in writing.

+1 Skill Point