Quotes to live by:

Faith in your own powers and confidence in your individual methods are essential to success...

Moments with Apung Isay: Merry Xmas

PhotoAlliance: Amy Stein & Andy Freeberg

This is the first time I attended a lecture from a photographer and I was extremely excited to hear how these pro’s approached their current projects. I’ve followed Amy Stein for a while and loved her pictures especially her Halloween in Harlem and her famous Domesticated projects. The lecture was presented by photoalliance.org which also featured Andy Freeberg. Andy showed and talked about his current projects; the one I really liked was his Sentry project as this project captures exactly as he see’s it the moment he walks into a gallery.

The biggest thing I got from the two lectures was the time and process it takes to produce projects. These two wonderful photographers took a lot of time to do research and went through great lengths to produce these wonderful images. They both talked about the trials and errors it took to start the project and once they got the project going the amount of time it took to produce even just a single image. These two points opened my eyes on what it takes to produce a “quality” project.

On the Tee Box: Diablo Grande CC

Diablo Grande Golf & Country Club
Patterson, CA
www.golfdiablogrande.com

****WEBSITE & NEW BLOG TBD***

***THANKS FOR FOLLOWING ME, I WILL BE LAUNCHING MY WEBSITE AND NEW BLOG SITE BEFORE THE YEAR IS OVER, IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE NOTIFIED WHEN THE SITE IS UP PLEASE EMAIL ME***

***I WILL NO LONGER BE UPDATING THIS BLOG***

Once in a Lifetime Golf Pic

as an avid Golfer and Photographer i can appreciate this shot. 1. it shows even the best golfer in the world can make a mistake and 2nd Photography is all about timing.

first thing your probably thinking is that this shot is fake!!! sorry It's not!!! this photo was taken live at this years Ryder cup in Whales by Mark Pain. Tiger Woods missed his shot and it lead to his ball beaming straight at Mark's camera. Lucky for him he was able to capture this shot that other photographers would dream of. Or not dream of, because it probably broke his lens... LOL

C/S: Picture: Help & Support Kalaw.com

A Good friend of mine and one of my biggest teachers to Photography has a wonderful Limited edition print available for $40. All proceeds go towards the Guidance center in Somerville. Please check out the links below and help support this great cause.

Kalaw.com
collectdotgive.org

UnNoticed: 19

Chess match on Paradise

Waikiki Beach, Oahu HI

"UnNoticed" a series of random Photographs that i find from my day to day activities that i find interesting that would generally go Unnoticed.

© Michael Lopez

On the Tee Box: Hawaii Kai GC

Hawaii Kai GC, Oahu HI

UnNoticed: 18 John/Joyce Cuevas Wedding

Here are some pics of one of my good friends Wedding.

Location: Canyon View, San Ramon CA

Flickr:

"UnNoticed" a series of random Photographs that i find from my day to day activities that i find interesting that would generally go Unnoticed.

© Michael Lopez

Photo Shoot: Tyler Solis-Cook Baptisim

Tyler’s Baptisim
Location: All shoots, taken at their Home.
Flickr Album Website:

Here are some shots from the day. Please check out my Flickr gallery for more pics.

Unnoticed 17: "Art & Wine Faire"

Here are some pics i took from the Annual Alameda Park st Art & Wine Faire.

"UnNoticed" a series of random Photographs that i find from my day to day activities that i find interesting that would generally go Unnoticed.

© Michael Lopez

Moments with Apung Isay: INTRO

As my passion grows for Photography, I wanted to do a project that I can give back to my family. My family has sacrificed a lot to give me the life I have today, without them I wouldn’t be where I am. My grandmother is the center of my family and the closest person to me as she helped raised me as an infant and continues to teach me today. Through all she has been through she has remain strong and continues to live her life the only way she knows how… with love.

This project represents a journal of moments that I share with my Grandmother; I wanted to capture the moments that I share with her… The Joys, Tears and everything in between.

If you would like email updates on this specific project, please subscribe using "APUNG ISAY" from my contact me page.



THANK YOU

Unnoticed: 16 "Take A Seat"

Looking for a Seat...or a Sign...

Grand Central Station, NYC

"UnNoticed" a series of random Photographs that i find from my day to day activities that i find interesting that would generally go Unnoticed.

© Michael Lopez

Random thoughts (17) NYC 1st of many...

This was the first time I got to see NYC. With only 5 days, my wife and I tried to pack as much as we can with the amount of time we had. We stayed at Time Square which gave us the ability to be right next to a subway station that had trains going were ever we wanted without having to transfer much. We tried to eat as much NYC specific food, but that didn’t last long due to the amount of time we had. I know next time I head out their I will spend more time having NYC mom/pop owned food.

In terms of sight seeing I was able to see all of the regular tourist hot spots. Empire State Building, Top of the Rock, Radio City Music Hall, MSG, Brooklyn Bridge and of course Statue of Liberty. The ones that meant the most to me was seeing Ground Zero, and relaxing in Central Park.

I was able to eat at some great places, but these 3 places were by far the standouts: like Tom Coliko’s Craft (REALLY GREAT), Serendipity and Magnolia Deserts. Check out my Yelp Reviews for a more detailed review.

I was also able to catch a Broadway show, with so many good reviews for each show, my wife and I decided to watch America Idiot based on the hit album from Green Day. We decided to watch this one because we love the music and it would be something we could relate to. The show was great, it moved fast and the songs made sense to the story they were trying to tell. I do recommend this show to anyone that wants to see a more modern Broadway Musical.

I feel that anyone visiting NYC should stop by Ground Zero and pay their respects to everyone that suffered due to 9/11. Seeing Ground Zero for the first time gave me an eerie feeling knowing so much was lost and the amount of devastation that 1 day can have.

On our last day my wife and I took the time to spend the morning relaxing in Central Park. If you have the time I highly recommend it, its one of the nicest parks I’ve ever been to. There are tons of things to do and see; the best thing about it is all the photo opportunities that are available. The scenery is perfect for Landscape shots, so many people doing so many different activities is great for photojournalistic style shots and the statues and friendly people are always willing to pose for Portraits. With the time constraints that my wife and I had, I wouldn’t change the hours we spent at Central Park, being able to relax and drift away was by far the highlight of my trip.

These past 4-6 days has been one of the busiest, tiring, but also exciting and RELAXING days for as long as I can remember. I can’t wait to go back!!!

Quotes to live by:

"Photography is a lot like Comedy: If you have to explain it, it's not good!"

A Beautiful day in Napa.

Today was a special day as it marked a milestone BDay for my wife! As close as we live to one of the great wine properties in the US we never took advantage of experiencing it. Today I decided to treat her to a wonderful experience of the wine country. We took part of a great educational style wine tasting at the world famous Robert Mondavi Winery, drove around in the very rich wine community and caped our afternoon off at the great V. Sattui Winery were we laid out and enjoyed their wonderful BBQ lunch special’s. If you live in the Bay Area or if you're visiting, I highly recommend spending your day in Napa.

© Michael Lopez

Bold but True..

As a Basketball fan I was lucky to grow up in the Michael Jordan ERA, even though I was a Reggie Miller Fan I was able to respect what Michael did for the game of basketball. Now in the ERA after Michael we have basketball stars fighting for their place in history. With the great Free Agency of 2010 the question is “where will the best players go?”

Young stars like Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh and Lebron James all have big decisions on their hands not just for them but also for their cities, fans and their “LEGACY.” No matter what anyone does or tries to sell them on it will all depend on the stars themselves. Do they want that big payday or want a chance at a title? Of Course they want both, but finding the right spot is hard to do. The interesting thing is everyone is trying to convince these star to come to them, but how do you that with out pushing to hard? Who do you sell a Superstar on becoming "GREAT?" I believe that if Legacy is what you dream of, these stars being just like me growing up in the Michael Jordan era has to look past the money and look at what they can leave behind. CHAMPIONSHIPS Breads LEGENDS!! These Stars if they want to be remembered 30, 20 or even 10 years after their done has to find the balance between money and leaving their careers with multiple TITLES!!!


I found this picture from Yahoo that was taken for the Chicago Tribune. Its the sales pitch to Lebron James from the fans of Chicago, trying to convince him on the opportunity to follow one of the Greats Of All Time. This picture says it all!!!

Photo Book: "Days with my Father"

My friend referred me to this book and it absolutely took me by surprise. Without knowing anything about the photographer I was able to grasp the story and the concept behind his book. This book as it’s titled is the Photographer Phillip Toledano’s experiences with the remaining “Days with my Father.” It takes place over a span of 2 plus years showing his relationship and what he sees with his father who suffers from Short term memory loss. I highly recommend this to any photographer or to anyone looking for touching pictures with a great personal story.

Random thoughts (16) SUMMERTHING

Today was a great day, my wife and I was able to finally head out to Alice 97.3 annual FREE concert SUMMERTHING at GoldenGate Park. This year they hosted 4 artist: Thriving Ivory, One Esim, Kris Allen and one of our favorite groups LIFEHOUSE! The park was beautiful as hundreds of people laid out under the sun with their love ones and their pets. The city was extremely packed due to the annual Pride parade, the Giants had a home baseball game and there were 2 smaller events being hosted in SF. I guess for me, I was fine with that because if these events where not going on, it would be hard to imagine what seating would have been like! Here are a couple shots of the concert. I can’t wait to head out there again next year! LIFEHOUSE WAS GREAT!

© Michael Lopez

Mirrors: 3

© Michael Lopez

"Mirrors” is a series of Portraits taken with a different point of view."

Movie Review 5: a new story

6/18 Toy Story 3 (SCORE 90/100)

After a 10plus years or so from Toy Story 2, this movie gives back to its loyal fans. I was able to watch the first two before I watch this one and it brought back the memories of how great this trilogy really is. I ended up watching the movie in 3d and even though I still felt a little woozy, the experience with 3d has been getting better.

Its great to see this series bring back all the main characters and a lot of the supporting cast. The flow of the movie was great and the story connected all 3 movies to give a nice flowing connection. Even though it’s an animated film the acting for the voice drew me in as if I was watching a non-cartoon. I highly enjoyed this film as I was a teenager when the first two came out; it was nice to see the characters grow up in this film as I have with it.

Overall this movie is probably the best movie I have seen so far this year. It offered everything you could want in a movie: Drama, romance, suspense and of course comedy. The people at Pixar open the door with Toy Story 1 and now sets the bar higher for themselves and other animation companies to produce a hit! I hope with all great trilogies that it ends with this one, yes this movie can be a tear jerker so please watch the kids…

*********************************************************
Last 4 movie scores:

IronMan 2: 76

Kick Ass: 86
Clash of the Titans: 86
Percy Jackson "Lightning Thief": 33 Lowest score this year

I have listed below my categories of how I score a movie.
I use scores based on a numeric scale with a low score representing a bad score to high score being a good score.

Time Management (5) Visual/Sound Effects (5)
Acting (25) Story (25)
Enjoyment (30)
Wow Factor (10)
TOTAL POSSIBLE (100)

Thru My Eyes: 15 "US OPEN Driving Range"

Henrik Stenson, Hunter Mahan and Ernie Els
At The Driving Range: Pebble Beach, CA

© Michael Lopez

"Thru my eyes” is a series of random photographs taken with various cameras to capture the moment the way I see them. This series is a way for me to continue to grow as a photographer and share with the world my views “Thru my eyes.”

Thru My Eyes: 14 "Presidential Lock Down"

"SUPER SECURITY"
4th st, San Francisco CA

© Michael Lopez

"Thru my eyes” is a series of random photographs taken with various cameras to capture the moment the way I see them. This series is a way for me to continue to grow as a photographer and share with the world my views “Thru my eyes.”

Photo Shoot: Tyler Solis-Cook

Tyler's Baby Portraits (3 Months)
Location: All shoots, taken at their Home. (Studio set-up in their home)
Flickr Album Website: Tyler Solis-Cook Set

This was the first time I did a photo shoot with a baby, being only 3 months old Tyler Solis-Cook gave me a new respect for professionals that have the time & patiences to capture great photos time in and time out. Having the advantage of the baby being in a comfortable setting, I was lucky to have all the shots taken on location. I had a wonderful time and I can't wait to do it again.

Here is one of my Fav's. Please check out my Flickr site for more pics.

© Michael Lopez

Mirrors: 2

"From the cup"
From The Paolo Baligaya Golf photo shoot. Mission Hills GC, Hayward CA
© Michael Lopez

"Mirrors” is a series of Portraits taken with a different point of view."

Photo Shoot: Paolo Baligaya

Paolo's Golf Portraits
Location: Mission Hills Golf Course: 275 Industrial Pky, Hayward, CA 94544
Flickr Album Website: Paolo Golf Portraits Set

One of my good friends ask me to do some head shots using his military gear, but we decided to use the good weather and change it up to a more fun and relax golf style photo shoot.

Here is one of my Fav's. a little abstract, but a lot of fun. Please check out my Flickr site for more pics.

© Michael Lopez

Movie Review 4: Iron Man 2 or Avengers Pilot?!?

5/7 Iron Man 2 (SCORE 76/100)

The second movie in a line of a probable 5 part super hero series was a little off from is great debut. With the first Iron Man setting a high bar, the second seemed more on building a story to lead its highly anticipated Avengers movie. The Movie still had the Blitz and Special effects that made the First one so great and Robert Downy Jr. didn't lose a step as the Ego First Tony Stark. All in all the movie had some great "WOW" moments, but the slightly lengthy story and the pursuit of building the hype for a different movie lowers my grade from a Mid/High 80's to a decent 76. (STILL AN EXCITING MOVIE)

*********************************************************
Kick Ass: 86
Clash of the Titans: 86
Alice in Wonder Land: 70
Percy Jackson "Lightning Thief": 33

I have listed my categories of how I score movies below.
I use scores based on a numeric scale with a low score representing a bad score to high score being a good score.

Time Management (5) Visual/Sound Effects (5)
Acting (25) Story (25)
Enjoyment (30)
Wow Factor (10)
TOTAL POSSIBLE (100)

Thru My Eyes: 13

"PARK NAP"
Lake Merritt, Oakland Ca

© Michael Lopez

"Thru my eyes” is a series of random photographs taken with various cameras to capture the moment the way I see them. This series is a way for me to continue to grow as a photographer and share with the world my views “Thru my eyes.”

Random thoughts (15) "2010 Masters Recap"

As an avid golfer, I have learned to respect the game and study the history of it. Every year during the first couple weeks of April the golf world stands still, as the Masters has arrived. The Masters is the First of Four Major Championships and represents as the measuring stick of a golfers career. The majors are considered the hardest to win because only the top 50 to 100 or so golfers are allowed in; this ensures that the best are playing against the best. The Masters tournament is more than any other tournament, because in 2004 The Masters was the tournament that started my golf obsession.

This years Masters brought more of the pre-game excitement, it showed the return of Tiger Woods after a 5 or so month layoff, Phil Mickelson bidding for another Win after a great 2009 and some of the Veteran golfers such as Ernie Els, Jim Furyk and Freddy Couples playing some great golf, all winning this year. With all this excitement added on top of the regular hype; this years Masters lived up to one of the Greatest Masters I have ever seen. The Masters separates itself from other golf Majors, because its always played at the same location every year and because of that it generates rich history that people can compare from year to year.

This years Masters had all the Drama of an Epic movie as the best golfers competed to be immortalized in the “Green Jacket’ and to have their name in the history books. The first two rounds had 2 Euros playing stellar golf and 2 past champions proving they can hang with their younger counter-parts. As Moving Day started the game’s two biggest stars looked to move up the leader board, fortunately for us Phil Mickelson gave a 3 run stretch of EAGLE/EAGLE/BIRDIE as only the 3rd person in Masters History to perform that accomplishment. Yet Phil was still waiting to give us the “THE SHOT.” The final day of the Masters doesn’t start at the 1st hole, but on the 9th hole like the famous line goes “the tournament doesn’t start until the back nine starts.” And for this year this line was true. Lee Westwood and KJ Choi was ahead when Phil Mickelson stood 207 yards out on the 13th hole with his ball rested on pine needles and between trees. With a brief conversation with one of his best friend and caddie “BONES” he gave every sports fan “THE SHOT” that only PHIL the THRILL can attempt. Phil off of pine needles hit his shot 207 yards between two trees, over a creek and to land on a fast/slopping green to 5 feet as one of the greatest shots ever hit in Masters History. This shot seemed to give Phil the momentum to past Lee/KJ and give Phil a 3 stroke victory and his 4th Major Tournament victory.

Golf is deemed an individual sport, one player, one ball and one shot at a time, but Phil showed that it’s not all about him. In a time where golf needs a hero’s, Phil proved that golf can be more than an individual sport, as he finished he gave his caddie and long time friend “Bones” a hug, then not knowing if his wife would be waiting for him on the 18th green due to her fight with breast cancer he walked up to see his wife and kids and gave his wife an emotional hug. During his press conference the very first thing he did was thank his team, for his success, he then continued to elaborate that this golf tournament and winning it gave his family the ability to forget the troubles of their long time fight with cancer. To me this shows character, for a man who won one of the biggest tournaments in his life, to dedicate and play his heart out to win this not for himself, but for his family.

from golfchannel:

“In a time when our biggest star shows his dark side,

the Masters showed that at the right time, the right place,

the right man won.”

from Phil:

“A great shot is when you pull it off,

a smart shot is when you don’t have the guts to try it!”

Thru My Eyes: 12

"See what he see's"
On Bart heading to the East Bay.

© Michael Lopez

"Thru my eyes” is a series of random photographs taken with various cameras to capture the moment the way I see them. This series is a way for me to continue to grow as a photographer and share with the world my views “Thru my eyes.”

Random thoughts (14) "Lent-Easter"

As a Catholic when the Lent and Easter season comes around its a big deal, as it represents what Jesus means to Catholics and what he has done for all of us. Lent is the 40 days that Jesus spent in the desert being tempted by Satan and traditionally it represents a time for Catholics to Fasten. As long as I can remember my family has preached giving up something that is bad for us as respect for Jesus who had to endure all the temptations from Satan. I remember being told that if Jesus can survive for 40 days than I can too. For the past couple of years I have given up items like Soda, Sweets, Fast Food and Meat, but this year I decided I was going to give up all four.

The hardest part about fasting is the accessibility of these items. I can remember being on the road, super hungry and driving by a McDonalds; wanting to order something to eat; or eating in a restaurant having to order Seafood or Veggies while looking over at someone else eating a BIGO STEAK. I’m a naturally hyper person, but when I have those moments of sluggishness, I crave for candy and ice cream. Giving up Sweets is also super hard because in my office I can always count on some form of Sweets to be left near me on a weekly basis. But once I get into a rhythm and scheduled out what I can eat on what days it became second nature. I try to tell myself “I don’t need it” or I try not to look at them when their around.

The funny thing is that now that lent is over I don’t crave all that bad food, to me it feels like I’ve condition myself not to consume any of these items. I’m proud that I still haven’t had McDonalds and for the most part haven’t binged out on junk food. I hope that next year I can give up a little more and survive.

But who can really give this stuff up for more than 40 days?

My Lunch on Easter Sunday:

© Michael Lopez

And my treat for making it through this LENT:

© Michael Lopez

-ML

Movie Review 3: will the real Perseus please stand up.

4/2 Clash of the Titans (SCORE 86/100)

This movie was a remake of the 1980 version. Even though I don’t remember too much of the first one, I was still able to appreciate a good EPIC. The story used great Greek mythology while telling its own tale. It was fast, action packed and it didn’t leave any plot holes. One of the things that WOW’ED me was the natural landscapes that they shot at. It really brought out some great shots and knowing not a lot of CG was used made me appreciate the movie that much more. I thought that acting was good and it starting to show that Sam Worthington is becoming the next big action star. I would defiantly recommend this movie to anyone that likes Greek Mythology or wanting to watch a good Epic Film.

*********************************************************
PREVIOUS MOVIE SCORES:
Alice in Wonder Land: 70
Percy Jackson "Lightning Thief": 33
Edge of Darkness: 56

I have listed my categories of how I score movies below. I use scores based on a numeric scale with a low score representing a bad score to high score being a good score.

Time Management (5)
Visual/Sound Effects (5)
Acting (25)
Story (25)Enjoyment (30)
Wow Factor (10)
TOTAL POSSIBLE (100)

Thru My Eyes: 11

"Sitting in the Spotlight"

Westfield Mall, San Francisco CA

© Michael Lopez

"Thru my eyes” is a series of random photographs taken with various cameras to capture the moment the way I see them. This series is a way for me to continue to grow as a photographer and share with the world my views “Thru my eyes.”

Photo Shoot: Desire Apuada

Desire's 18th Birthday

Location: Full Moon Seafood House: 2042 MacArthur Blvd, Oakland, CA 94602

Flickr Album Website:

It was a fun shoot, with tradional Filipino ceremonies celebrating a young ladies 18th birthday (Debut). I was able to practice on my journalistic style of photogrphy, but i was also able to manage some abstract and candid shoots.

Here is one of my Fav's abstract style. Please check out my Flickr site for more pics.

© Michael Lopez

Thru My Eyes: 10 "Painting with Lights 1"

"Painting with Lights 1"

© Michael Lopez

"Thru my eyes” is a series of random photographs taken with various cameras to capture the moment the way I see them. This series is a way for me to continue to grow as a photographer and share with the world my views “Thru my eyes.”

Random thoughts (13) "Golf: Out with the OLD, In with the NEW"

Golf equipment is one of the most important aspects to a player’s game. You have to have confidence with the equipment you use. Over the past couple of years I’ve been shifting between companies and I’ve been playing with a mix bag. I wasn’t too happy with the fact that my golf bag wasn’t uniformed. After thinking about it for a couple of months I decided to change things up. I want to uniform my set as much as possible, without limiting my ability with certain clubs. I know from history, statistics and playing characteristics that my driver without a doubt will always be Callaway. The problem is I don’t like Callaway Irons. I currently had Mizuno Irons, but didn’t like anything else from Mizuno. With these small problems I decided it was best to sell my entire golf set and rebuild it from scratch. With doing this I hope I know what I’m doing and not regret my decision.


OLD SET: NEW SET:
Driver: Callaway Ft-9 ------------------Callaway Ft-iz
3 Wood: Adams Insight -----------------Titleist F2
5 Wood: Callaway Warbird --------------Titleist F2
Hybrid: Mizuno Fli-hi -------------------Titleist 909H
5-PW: Mizuno MX-25 -------------------Titleist AP1 - AP2
SW: Callaway Forged --------------------Titleist Vokey
LW: Mizuno MP -------------------------Titleist Vokey
XW: Callaway X -------------------------Titleist Vokey
Putter: Odyssey White Hot #9 -----------Titleist S. Cameron Napa

Movie Review 2: Lightning thief, was robbed!

2/15 Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief: Score (33)

The movie is an OK movie with decent special affects suited for young kids. The acting was sub-par with a story line that seems rushed. This movie feels like it wanted to make that quick buck during the book-movie phase. If your taking your kids to the movies than it’s worth it at matinee prices, if you’re going to watch a movie watch something else.

SIDE NOTE :
I am super critical of this movie because as a fan of the book I’m super disappointed with the movie. A great book turned into a movie that makes the book even better. The movie missed all important details that made the book great. To me this movie was a bad interpretation of the book. It seems to me that the directors/Producers did not read the book or understand the book or doesn’t care what happens to this series.

PREVIOUS MOVIE SCORES:
1/29 Edge of Darkness (56)

Random thoughts (12) "Dream Kit"

As an amateur photographer I thought I would be cool to put out my dream wish list. Maybe 1 day a couple years from now I can look back and compare it to my current kit and see if it was the right fit or a crazy phase?!?

Nikon D3X
Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8G ED
Nikkor 50mm f/1.2
Nikon 85mm f/1.4d IF AF
Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 AF-S ED
Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 AF-S ED VR II
Nikon 300mm f/2.8 AF-S ED VR II

AND OF COURSE, CAN’T FORGET THE FLASH:

SB-800 AF Speedlight Unit
SB-600 AF Speedlight Unit

Random thoughts (11) "Once a Year"

Every year, I know I’m going to get hit by 1 big FLU-BUG and maybe if I’m lucky (unlucky) an additional 1 or 2 small 24-48 hour colds. Most of the time the big bug hits me around October or November, but this time I got it in the first week of January?!? It started with a sore throat that lasted about 2-3 days, then came the vicious cough that lasted for 4-5 days and after a while caused me to be light headed and really fatigued. Now if you ever had a really bad cough you know how bad it can make you feel. I started to think I was getting better when all of sudden my symptoms turned for the worst, I developed a slight fever, loss of appetite and the 1 symptom I hate the most: HEAD CONGESTION. I felt that my body left the faucet on in my nose and it just wouldn’t stop. As much as my nose was running I felt I couldn’t breath and no matter how much I blew my nose, I just couldn’t feel better. This cold/flu is one of the worst ones I’ve had to date, a couple of days ago I was at work and realized that I had gone through a large bottle of OJ and 2 boxes of tissue with no end in sight.
Generally when I get sick I don’t have the cough or the symptoms to restrict me from doing the things I “want” to do, but this time all I wanted to do was sleep! I ended up having to push back a lot of things I wanted to start this year: Photo Projects, Gym Time, Flag Football Games, Watching the NFL Playoffs and of course updating my Blog with Pics & My Random Thoughts. I’m happy to be feeling a lot better so I can continue my pursuit of making this year better than ever. I can only hope that with my Yearly visitor making an early appearance that it doesn’t decide to come by and make another visit this year. I’ll keep my fingers crossed!!!

-ML
© Michael Lopez

Mirrors: 1

"Mirrors 1"
My wife patiently waiting to go shopping. Fall Season, CA
© Michael Lopez

"Mirrors” is a series of Portraits taken with a different point of view."

Random thoughts (10) "New Years Resolution"

With the New Year, comes change:
A time to grow, a time to learn from today,
to avoid our mistakes from yesterday
and better ourselves for tomorrow...

I have made a ton of goals in my life, completed some and failed on many. This year is an important year to me for many reasons, but my biggest goal in life has always been to be happy. I know that being happy and being healthy comes hand in hand. As I get older I know that my body and mind is something I need to keep in “check” and its this reason why I have chosen exercise as my New Years Resolution.

To be more specific my New Years Resolution is to complete over 160 hours of CARDIO/EXERCISE and to eat BETTER. To break it down: its about 3 hours a week in the gym and to be more discipline on what i eat. I know its not much, but I have to start somewhere. I currently go to the gym about 2-3 times a week, but its mostly not goal oriented, just go in, workout and leave. On the eating front i have to cut out my two biggest problems: my sugar intake (SODA/SWEETS) and eating crap (FAST FOOD/SNACKS). I know if i can combine a better eating habit with a better goals in the gym, I can create a healthier ME!

I look at where I was 5 years ago and where I might be in 5 years with the pace that I’m currently at, its scary! I have to do this, not just for me, but also for my family/friends. I want to be able to look back to today, 5 years from know, reading this and thanking myself for what i have done. WISH ME LUCK!

...The best thing about today, is knowing I will be better tomorrow.

-ML

Thru My Eyes: 8

"Silhouette fireworks "
NYE Fireworks @ Ferry Building, San Francisco, CA
© Michael Lopez


"Thru my eyes” is a series of random photographs taken with various cameras to capture the moment the way I see them. This series is a way for me to continue to grow as a photographer and share with the world my views “Thru my eyes.”

Random thoughts (9) "A Look Back @ '09"

When I look back at ’09 I can, for the first time in my life realize how lucky I am, to be thankful for everything I have and to appreciate everyone close to me. With the way the global economy is in, with unemployment up and health care on the verge of changing, I can honestly say I grinded this year out and made it through healthy. This is not to say I had it easy, buy no means working semi-full time, wondering if myself or my wife will keep our jobs, fighting with mandatory days off and worrying about the Swine Flu, is“easy”. But through it all I know I one of the lucky ones; I watch the news every day and read news sites about how others, less fortunate than me are doing and I think to myself “what if that was me”?

With the New Year, I owe it to myself, my wife and family/friends to start living in today and not worrying about tomorrow. No one can predict what will happen, so the only way I can ensure I’m happy, is to do what I can and let everything else go. I can’t let anything hold me down.

On a brighter note, looking back at ’09 as an amateur photographer, ‘09 has opened the doors to my photo future. I was able to learn from a great teacher, I got inspiration from attending my first gallery and started on my first of soon to be many photo projects. ’09 also was a step in the right direction as I was able to produce some of my best shots to date and found a new joy in photography: WEDDINGS. I got 3 wedding under my belt for ‘09 and I’m doing all my research on becoming a better Wedding/Portrait Photographer.

My goals for 2010 are high, as my ambition has driven me mad to ensure I get better in all aspects of Photography. I want to shoot another 3 weddings and hopefully do one as the main photographer (I’ve been the secondary for my first 3). I would love to start & finish the 3 personal projects I have on paper, produce more shots and my main goal as a photographer is to start my own website.

I can only hope that this time next year I can write about how great O-10 was, how I accomplish my goals, how I’m happy were I am with my family and friends and not compare it the ’09 grind.

-ML