What Really Matters

To be with the ones you love.

To share a good and peaceful meal with them.

To enjoy and savior every minute we are here with them.

To give some of our time or help to the ones who do not have anything.

To be able to forgive and forget.

To be at peace within ourselves.

To simply love.

Happy Holidays.

The Reflection of a Reflection.

  I have started playing a little, with the idea of getting a reflection of another shining or reflecting object; I want to explore how confusing or clever it can be.

  What can it be achieved? Does it really tells you anything? Do the bouncing images make a dynamic statement; or do they just stay still?

  Can I obtain a merging image? or a complementary one?

  I will dig into the concept deeper and perhaps will find the answer.

  In the meantime I am posting a couple of shots I was able to obtain this week.

" A Few Strangers"

  Five consecutive days of NO SUN!!, give me a break; the effects were showing;  yesterday I spent it sleepwalking throughout the house, my mind was numb and the soft and non stopping little rain was holding me down, couldn't concentrate on anything!!!! and it is just December.
   After checking the weather report like 5 times; it seemed that I could venture out on Wednesday for a Photo Session in the city. I said to myself, "screw it I will go out no matter what". Well that no matter what didn't last too long today; it was freezing, the buildings were creating the most horrid wind tunnel; I could not take it; the sun was shy, not the bright and sunny 54 degrees they were announcing. I could barely push down the shutter...
   The realization that my photographic therapy was not going to work pulled me down in to a deeper shade of blue, my head was screaming COFFEE!!!!, I could not walk fast enough to make it to the next coffee shop, about two blocks away.., Oh, forgot to mention that I was dressed for a mid fifty type of day (all courtesy of the Weather Channel)..
  Finnally I made it to the place; it took me about 5 minutes to thaw out and have blood flowing through my body. Once I had my coffee and thoughts passing by my brain I realized that most likely, the best of my morning was happening right there and then.
  And softly and smoothly I started shooting anybody who didn't make eye contact with me, anybody who didn't even noticed the weapon I had in my hand (with a big zoom lens and all); they were strangers so occupied in their own reading, suffering, problems, laptops, walking, that I didn't exist to them. I said great, I do not want to be asking anybody about taking a picture of them, they will be my subjects for the day....
   Since, mostly the cold didn't allow me to move freely I felt my session today was a waste of time; I opened my images and...there they were, strangers who never saw me and that might never know that I have their secret image for that day.
As Diane Arbus used to say " a photograph is a secret about a secret, the more it tells the less you know".

  Before I go, I do have to mention, I only had one subject who posed for me openly and happily, she was aware of my presence and my movement, in the middle of the city. Hah!!

Hands

  During  most of my life, my hands have been the least appreciated part of my body. They were always too stubby and non feminine enough, my nails have always been very frail, short bedded, lots of ridges etc,etc. always being the focal point of the the never-ending stupid self criticism, in order to achieve the beauty cannon of goddesses and such. To make matters worse, with age they are showing their veins more than I would prefer; and there you  have it, the psychological results: eternal envy to the slender and long elegant fingers of the majority of the female population, just ridiculous on my part really. I even  took it to the next level, married a person with beautiful hands I adore, just to allow myself to have that longed view on a daily basis; trying to compensate.
 However, I discovered with time that, regardless of the lack of aesthetics they were amazing...whenever I really concentrated they could carry my commands beautifully; and realized that the reason I was not good enough on doing things wasn't because of my hands; it was the absence of  my mind to direct them.
  Well, little by little I decided to try them on anything, cooking, writing, drawing, loving, photography, make up, caring...and they have responded quite well, sometimes with top notch precision and quality.
  My hands are pretty much the carbon copy of  my grandmother's, a woman that could carry the world on her shoulders without having the education tools. She made my whole family what they are, all well educated people facing the future. Her hands were the instrument she used to keep everybody on the right track, and on the right track they were and stayed (imagen that, a 5 feet tall lady with 8 kids , 5 of them boys nonetheless, that requires some spherics). Her accomplishments are the type which nobody hears about,like with the majority of our grandmothers, but those achievements are always present, her integrity goes far and beyond of what I can even think of.
  Now, I look at my own hands,and  realize that I cannot feel any more gifted to have the hands that I possess by genetic default, It is an honor for me that they resemblance her strength, her memory in me, they just make me aware of who I am and how much I owe to her in the distance.

Winter within the City

As far as it can be seen, the city I live in is packed with trees everywhere....
I would even think that it may be one of the major metro areas in the US with the most amount of greenery and natural Landscape...
 It is winter, and in the roughest of areas the trees have gotten really sad, no vibrancy to be proud of, this is the season where concrete visually seems to be winning the battle. (most likely it has already won it), however I cannot help to see the bright element they bring to it all;  resilience, hope, protection, and the reminder that next season is around the corner, time where they will regain central stage in this unbalanced equilibrium; where they have decided to hold their ground regardless of how much we tend to destroy.
 I personally adore these images.

Wonderful track for this one.  HoneyThief by Halou

The Urban Living Room

We always seem to try to make ourselves feel at home; even in the most dire of circumstances; give your self something that has resemblance of a shelter, and automatically we will hang,paint, collect, draw , express our taste, feeling , emotions, aversions...

 Where else is this better expressed than in our urban walls?, urban bridges and our urban living rooms

  A room with a view for everybody?...

  Track  Rabbit in your Headlights by UNKLE

Painting with Trees. (Photography Experimentation)

The air was crisp and dazzling to inhale,
A slow speed in the morning with a night time aperture?
We will see; there were trees all around, completely oblivious to the morning rush traffic.
As I was attentive to it because of my walking.
I loved the results; incredible coloring; incredible elements....They became my light filter; they painted my pictures.
First time I have played with that set up in my camera in such hours.
Great results.
All is Full of Love by Bjork

Framing the Sky

  Architecture can defy nature and our perception of natural things surrounding us.
  It can slice; filter or make the sky bigger by reflection. Beautiful, really.
  It can have a statement of its own regardless of what it affects.
  Are we searching for a Sculpture-Architecture?; or are we trying to create in order to shelter the ones in need? Are we trying to build and not destroy everything around it?

  When I went to architectural school; never put a brick or a wall together with my own hands; it was not on the curriculum, that I can recall of course. How is that?. I can compare this to a surgeon coming out of Med School not even trying to use a scalpel before. I guess that is where the deficiency starts.

 Soundtrack " We share our Mother's Health" by The Knife.

Amphibian

 I just rest; and at the same time feel it.
 Wonderful thought of serenity,  the certainty; I am hurting myself.
 I do sometimes prefer to be underwater
 Time to create and reflect; even when the wound gets deeper.
 When I twist it. Am I really getting anywhere?
 Should I try to go back to the surface?
 No need for that, I think I have learned how to breathe within it.
 Survival at its best.

     Amphibian is just a Self-Portrait shot. For me it was one of the most intimate so far, part of a Self Portrait exhibit in Atlanta. You can see the whole series here.
     Soundtrack for the image. In McDonalds by Burial

Grand Concourse; Architectural Competition; Great Team Effort

Project developed in conjunction with Sandra Valenzuela

   Wonderful Experience this one was; thoughtful; creative, open, incredible rewarding, I was able to conceptualize very interesting elements. This project of Ideas was located in the Bronx; the whole thing swallowed us wonderfully. It helped me to pull myself out, Sandra was witness to that.
   The experience with my team member was very serene; even close to the mark( this is really hard to achieve when Architects work in groups); even when we lost control of the whole thing. (but that is another story) . Architecturally, this project has very interesting components; that were developed as a team effort. Overall, the theory behind it is complex, and that I believe, took us by surprise.

Of Tolerance and Mutual Respect; Photography at the Pride Parade 2009.

                                                                                    

" We as society, will not move forward (sideways or anyways for that matter) until we understand that tolerance, respect and equality ARE part of our common way of living;. Once this dust has really settled, and becomes part of the ground we walk on; only then we will achieve the best of our nature as humans." A.C.
  This quote does not mean that we are all the same, in fact we are all different and unique, but at the same time we are all equal, and we all deserve the same niche in society, the same treatment; the same opportunities, to have access to the same information, same services; to not be discriminated against, regardless of your gender, race, sexual orientation or religious belief. We all need to let be, and let the other ones be as well.
  It was very festive and inspiring for me to be at the 2009 Pride Parade; of course it was colorful, exotic and interesting; but what really got my attention was the amount of people out of the Gay community willing to support, and accept that they are fighting for that equality spot in society; and openly going out for it. There was so much diversity among the people; that it made me feel hopeful that at some point or another we might be able to get along.
   I hope my photography on that day have captured that atmosphere.

                

Photography taken by Marco Celis

Photography taken by Marco Celis

Photography taken by Marco Celis

Tolerance, respect and equality should be the standard for this generation and the ones to come.