On my Plate: 2 "Miette Pastry"

I found Miette Pastry shop from 7x7 “2011 SF Big Eats.” This article from this popular SF magazine highlights some unique food and drink options from across the city that everyone should try in “2011.” As a Food Junkie my goal is to try everything on this list before next years list comes out.

Here are some of the famous cookies from Miette Pastry. I got mine from their SF Ferry Building Location. They have a ton of different pastries, but I prefer these cookies as they come in a great compact container and they have 3 great flavors: Gingersnaps, Chocolate Wafer and my favorite their Graham Cracker.

Miette Pastry Shop: Twitter: @miettecakes
www.miette.com/
Locations in San Francisco and Oakland

© Michael Lopez

© Michael Lopez

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Memorial Day

Thank you to ALL our Brothers/Sisters in the military that sacrifice their lives everyday, so we can have our freedom.

Santa Monica Pier: Remembrance crosses dedicated to all the soldiers that lost their lives in battle in our fight against terrorism.

© Michael Lopez

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On my Plate: 1 "Cako Bakery"

My wife and I have a really bad sweet tooth, we love cupcakes, candy, ice-cream, you name it!!! I want to get more practice with my photography and I feel that shooting sweets will help me with: macro, natural light, tabletop and of course food photography.

Here are some cupcakes from Cako Bakery. If you’re in downtown SF, visit them; their cupcakes are SUPER good!!!

Cako Bakery: Twitter: @cakobakery
www.cakobakery.com/
211 O'Farrell Street (at Powell)
San Francisco, CA 94102

© Michael Lopez

© Michael Lopez

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C/S: Picture: "Sad Vader"

I was browsing through 20x200 and I found this great picture by Alex Brown. It’s a limited edition picture titled “Sad Vader.”  I’m a big Star Wars fan and I couldn’t resist adding this great picture to my collection. I was almost to late as I purchased print 497 of 500.

On top of being a Star Wars fan, I love how the picture displays the emotions of being “sad.” The kid in the picture might be wearing a mask, but Alex Brown is able to capture the emotions of the kid at the right moment, head down, shoulders slouched and arms not visible “typical sad.”

If your looking to collect art or you want to support some great photographers, check out 20x200, they have a ton of great images, to suite all different photographic taste. I know this picture will not be my last one…

ARTIST STATEMENT:

In my photography, I am interested in the spontaneous documentation of scenes from daily life. I am drawn to moments of beauty and humor in the mundane that often go unnoticed.

This photograph was taken in a McDonald's restaurant in Upstate New York. The kid was sitting in the booth on his own wearing a Darth Vader helmet that made the same breathing sound as the character in Star Wars. For some reason, he reminded me of myself as a child. I always wanted a helmet like that when Star Wars first came out but my parents wouldn’t buy me one.

This photograph explores various themes that are central to my work and that are heavily influenced by the American TV, movies and pop culture I experienced growing up in the 80s.

THANK YOU 20x200 and ALEX BROWN FOR THE GREAT PICTURE!

© Michael Lopez

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Quotes to live by:

I came across this quote, as today is MJ’s Bday. I grew up in the Jordan Era and can appreciate all the excitement he offered to all us Basketball fans.

This quote is not only a great life quote, but also a definition of what it takes to become a good photographer.

"I've failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed."

- Michael Jordan

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Welcome!!!

I've just relaunched my blog and website and i'm very excited to have you look around and follow me. I Love taking pictures and i have a couple different sets going on. 1st on my blog i have "Unnoticed" which is a my day to day series, "Moments with Apung Isay" which is a long term project that i'm working on. I also have pictures of golf holes of some of the interesting places i play.

If you would like blog updates, the best way to get them is via twitter. I also have a Facebook page dedicated to Portaits. If you would like updates on projects or events subscribe to my newsletter.

Once again, i appreciate you visiting and don't forget to spread the word. THANKS!!!

My Favorite SB XLV Commercial!!!

By far one of my Favorite commercials of all time. I'm a Star Wars Fan and when this commercial came on, i couldn't stop laughing! I love how the kid shows his expressions, even with a Mask on he was able to show emotions!!! LEGENDARY

Golf: On the cover

I was at the Kinokuniya Book store in Japan town in San Francisco looking around and I stumbled upon a stack of these magazines. As a Phil Mickelson Fan I couldn’t help but appreciate that he was on a cover of a Japanese golf magazine. The only problem was, the only words in English was Phil Mickelson and golf…

A new member to my Photo Family!!!

Like most photographers who are always on the go, i struggled with having to carry my DSLR around to take shots. I've waited and saved up for a professional level "Point/Click" to be able to keep a great camera next to me. I'm very excited to learn and play with my new NIKON P7000. I got the camera on Calument.com as they don't charge for sales tax and most of the time have free shipping!!!

C/S: Photo Book: “Jetlag and Alcohol”

Jetlag and Alcohol by Morten Andersen was selected as one of the best books of 2009. It has over 150 images ranging for portraits, scneariy and some abstract shots. These images were taken in New York City from 1990 - 1991. It tells you a story of what it would feel like being Jetlaged and Drunk in NYC at night...

Quotes to live by:

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

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.

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

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!!!