Wishlist 2013

As per usual, every year around this time in October I always share my wishlist and write a special post about it. I always post it in October, around the 20th/24th, since next month is my birthday (24th November) and then there's Christmas. 2013 will not be an exception. So let's get this baby started! 

One thing I have been dreading to have, and it's been love at first sight since it came out is the amazing Nikon D600. As I grow as a photographer I come to realize my limitations and the hunger for better quality for my own work. Imagine what it's like to work with my good ol' D80, where this highter ISO is of 1600, which I never use because the noise is too disturbing. With the D80 I never use above 400 ISO, which is sad, having in mind new concepts and work that I can only produce with higher and better ISO.

Next year I am doing my first wedding photography attempt, since one of my best friends is getting married and she insisted I should photograph the event. I got super excited but extremely worried, because with the D80 I am extremely stuck when it comes to lightning, and I want to go all natural, using only natural light, with a few exceptions.

I am getting it as a gift for my birthday (which is next month) and for Christmas, when my parents go to Canada and get it there for me. I've got the best parents ever, and I am forever in their debt for everything they have done for me this year. But enough of emotional crap, they know I love them.

The next item actually also shows in the picture above: The Nikkor 85mm 1.8! I'm done reading reviews, I'm done watching samples and videos about it. It's time to get it. For me this is the perfect and better portrait lens that there is, and I must confess that this whole wedding event thing made me think about it a lot more. Reading the blog of one of my favorite photographers - Rosie Hardy - made me realize how amazing it was and the result it can provide. Also, Rosie is a wedding photographer and this is the lens that she uses the most. I learned so much with her articles and her reviews about this lens are awesome. I want one. That's all.

The next one is something I always have to make in a very rudimentary way - a home studio background: blankets or sheets, tape and that's pretty much it. It keeps falling, or I have to iron the whole sheet or the tape won't work. It's a mess! I want something cheap, that can hold straight and won't give me any problems. I don't need anything expensive, top branded, when I can get the structure and fabric a lot cheaper, as I've seen so much around Ebay or Amazon. I want this little home studio for beauty shots, for close ups. I don't want to have it for the whole body portraiture. The one I've seen so far comes with black and white fabric, so it works fine for me.

Once I got my Macbook Pro I knew I had to get one of those plastic colored covers. It was a wish untill 1 hour ago, because I already ordered mine from Ebay. I went for the Aqua Blue, it was such a catchy color and I love it. If I get any more lavender stuff I might call myself obsessed with the color, so I went for the aqua blue instead. Once I get mine installed on the laptop I'll share pictures for those who are interested to see how it looks like.

This will always be a wish every year, all year, since I can't help but to collect notebooks and notepads! Any kind, any shape, any color, any theme. I love them! There is something about them that makes me squeeck! I love then and I can't get enough. It's a cheap gift so feel free to send me some! hehe 

Another thing I've been planning on is to decorate my blank walls. I am so tired of the whiteness and sadness they have. My walls need art and photographs all over them and I already started to take care of that. Soon enough I'm having more pictures on my walls and a little more life into them, finally.

As for fashion, I just want and NEED a new winter coat. Lately I've been giving a lot more value to money, it's been hard to save up and I learned to make decisions such as "Do I really need this?". It doesn't matter if a cute shirt is only 5€, in that minute I have to think if I'm going to wear it that much, if I need another cute shirt, if it's worth it. 5€ at a grocery store is a lot. That is the comparison I've been doing lately. Of course I love beautiful clothes, I like to look good, I like to have my own style, and I still know how to do it. I just don't need to spend money on clothing I'm only going to wear 3 or 4 times, at most. Enough said, I just want a new winter coat, because I need it. So here's an example of the shape I want, straight lines and different fabrics.

(I've been talking too much on this Wishlist post... I'm sorry.) 

Another fashion/clothing related piece that I really REALLY need for months is a new pair of the Vans Old Skool. I am not embarrassed of the actual pair I own, because it's full of memories, including the best concerts of my life, but I haven's worn them in ages because they are so ripped and old. The pair needs the retirement and I need a new pair. I kinda like the floral pattern, but I will always choose the original ones.

I have been dreaming about the perfect living room. I am making mine UK themed, slowly, but it's something I will achieve someday. I am sure I'm spending a lot more time on my living room once it's decorated perfectly, with a british accent into it.

I want flowers decorating my house. That's all.

I know I've got a big tattoo, but nothing is more flattering than get some little, subtle "sisters" into my canvas.

A wish that will never end, untill I die, is save as much as I can so I can travel as much as I can. It's a lifetime achievement and I want to get richer with culture and experiences. I can't wait to go to Paris for my birthday!

And last, but definitely not the least, I am still searching for the perfect floating lanterns. ♥

And this is my wishlist for 2013.

Vamp it up

I love Halloween, and always did. Being a non english or american citizen doesn't stop me for enjoying the tradition and what it means. Living close to american folks from the military gave me a wide cultural experience, like trick-or-treating, for instance. I miss those times. American candy was and still is a treat from heaven.

So I couldn't pass the month of October without a Halloween inspired portrait. It's not meant to be pretty, it's meant to be scary and uncomfortable. It was also inspired on one of my favorite shows, "The Vampire Diaries" new promo shots. I got so impressed and astonished on how cool it looks that I wanted to try to re-make them in my own way, and I think I did pretty good.

Here are some examples of the amazing promo shots for the season.

Black background, 1.5€ dark navy tule ordered on ebay, unlimited time on doing the makeup and great music to provide the mood - that's what it takes to come up with the shoot.

From the start until the end, including the time for makeup, putting the props together, fix the lightning, test shooting, post-processing, editing... 9 long hours, no joke. I think this was the most challenging self shot I ever did, because I was obsessed about creating the perfect mood with this vampire/halloween themed portrait.

Enough of talking. Here's the B/A shots. The "Before" was already processed with color dodge and burn, did some highlights on the face, darkened the makeup and made the eyes stand out more. 

On the "After" shoot I gave the mouth the awkwardness of the vampire teeth and it's not perfect and it's not supposed to be, because vampires are not gods. They are gorgeous, but at the same time they are not human and not at all gifted with goodness and kindness. Keep that in mind, ok? (Man, reading "Dracula" really makes me look into vampire culture in a totally different way hehe).

Continuing: I added more tule texture, a little vintage old paper texture also, just to give a smoky mood into it. Darkened the image, but kept the light on my face, so it could stand out a lot more and create that spooky outcome of an evil creature, being, whatever. You get the point.

I hope you like it! 

MAC and WACOM

I just pampered myself with new technological goodies! All this because my good ol' HP died the other day, and I panicked, since the computer is obviously a tool I need for my personal work and daily life, like everyone else.

So I finally decided to turn teams and go for Mac instead of Windows, and I must say I am delighted with it. I never thought I'd get used to it this fast but I am truly enjoying it! 

Along with it I also decided it was time to get a digital table&pen for my editing. I got it today so I'm still getting used to how to manage it, but so far so good. BTW it's the Wacom Bamboo Pen&Touch. I'm happy.

Dracula, by Bam Stoker

Apart from Lara Jade's "Fashion Photography 101", I also started the well known "Dracula", a 1897 gothic horror novel by the irish author BRam Stoker.

I wanted to read it for a while, since I found out that the "The Tudors" producers were working on a new show inspired by this novel. So the months flew by and it's airing on October 25th!

The series introduces Dracula as he arrives in London, posing as an American entrepreneur who maintains that he wants to bring modern science to Victorian society. In reality, he hopes to wreak revenge on the people who ruined his life centuries earlier. There's only one circumstance that can potentially thwart his plan: Dracula falls hopelessly in love with a woman who seems to be a reincarnation of his dead wife. (Written by NBC)

So far, the book seems interesting, even though I know that she show is diferent; I said it was inspired, and it also has the same characters. And besides, it's from the same producing crew of "The Tudors", "Downton Abbey" and even "The Walking Dead". And it has Jonathan Rhys Meyers as the main character and it's in London, so it makes it even better.