NickNieto.com

Snapshots from Arizona

nicknieto — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 22:30:34 +0000

This weekend I took a trip down to Arizona to visit some friends and get away from the rain and clouds in Portland. During the quick weekend trip I had the great pleasure to play golf with my buddy lance in the warm Arizona sun. It was a lot if fun but I also realized how much I love Portland the rain and the substantially less urban sprawl.

Family – A Photo Set

nicknieto — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 01:21:52 +0000

I’ve been working on a project for the past few months of finding letters in random objects to make up the word family. This project was commissioned by a friend who had seen series like this before and wanted one for them too. So on my lunches, walks and times when I was just standing around I’ve been keeping my eyes out for the letters in ordinary objects, it took a little while but I finally completed the series with images that I like together.

**Here’s the catch to the project, since I was normally looking for letters in my off-time I shot the entire series with my iPhone, used Instagram for the initial edits, and finished up the rest in Aperture + Photoshop.

I just got the 8 x 8 proofs back from the printer and I can’t believe how good they look taken via my iPhone 4S – it’s crazy!

Snapshot: Oregon Sunrise

nicknieto — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:33:47 +0000

Sunrise over Mt. Hood - Portland, Oregon.

It was a beautiful sunrise in Portland today. It was cold, a bit windy, but gorgeous colors! I took this photo on my way into the office this morning and wanted to share it with everyone.

Portland Google+ Photowalk: Recap

nicknieto — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 19:27:15 +0000

: Old Town Portland sign – PDX Google+ Photo walk

Last Sunday I participated in a Google+ Photo Walk in Portland. The group met up at Union Station at 4:30pm. During the walk we made our way from the train station, through China Town, over the Burnside bridge and down along the east side of the river, and ending the trip at the Hair of the Dog Brewery. The weather stayed true to the Portland stereotype by Raining most of the evening, it was quite windy too at times.

Even with the weather as it was the event was a great success. After reviewing my images there are a number of images that I’m really happy with and I have also seen many images from other participants that are really great! Also, I learned a few things from this event:

1. My current camera bag doesn’t work very well for me and my shooting style – and basically a pain:

It’s a funky shape that doesn’t make getting to gear easy on the fly – at least the amount of gear I want to store.
The material didn’t hold up that well in the weather
The strap design doesn’t fit my shoulders well

I have ordered a new heaveier duty bag and will review it if I like it in the future.

2. Don’t forget to bring a lens cloth. I was constantly having to wipe the front of my lenses off and had to use my shirt-sleeve as a backup.

3. It’s fun to shoot scenes with different approaches – I shot my 5D Mark II for most of the night but on my way back to my car I shot a few scenes with my iPhone and instagram and two of the images are among my favorites from the event!

4. Next time I will make sure to introduce myself to more people and socialize more – I was feeling a bit under the weather and was a bit of a anti-social during most of the evening. I definitely will need to talk to more people next time!

The photo walk was a great excuse to get out and photograph. It forced me to work a bit out of my comfort zone with the weather and the path being partially pre-chosen (I deviated a bit) at a few spots but for the most part followed it.

Here’s a some of images from the event:

China Town -- PDX Google+ Photowalk

21st Century Classroom Project

nicknieto — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 15:00:09 +0000

Last summer I did some architectural photos for Reverie Design Studio. They have been working with Maryknoll Catholic School in Honolulu, Hawaii to design 21st century classrooms that leverage technology and new thinking to help their students learn in a more effective way. The classrooms were really neat, they had media boards in each room, smarter organization and flow-design to promote new habits and flexibility, and materials that were sustainable. It was a fun project and got to enjoy a weekend on the island in the sun.

Here are a few Images from the trip:

Nothing like fresh baked goods on a cold day

nicknieto — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 04:11:23 +0000

Lately, to my delight, my wife has been spending a lot of time in the kitchen baking numerous desserts and treats for the holidays. She has been busy perfecting her french macaron with flavors such as salted caramel, strawberries and cream, chocolate, chocolate with mint, peanut butter and jelly and more. She also, has been experimenting with other recipes as well, cinnamon spice cookies and cakes, biscotti and even soufflé recipes! It truly has been amazing for me and my stomach!

During the process I have began experimenting with food photography and really enjoying it.

Happy Holidays!

nicknieto — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 17:15:09 +0000

I would like to wish everyone a wonderful Christmas Holiday!

Set of abstract Photos

nicknieto — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 19:00:36 +0000

I really enjoy taking abstract photos on my phone using instagram – it is just a little project I do to keep myself always looking for interesting compositions throughout the days:

My Brother’s Snowboarding Video

nicknieto — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 21:41:48 +0000

Check out this cool video my brother Mike did using a GoPro at Mt. Bachelor – I recommend watching it full screen and at 1080P

I’ve been wanting to get up to the mountain to do some photos of my brother for a while and after looking at this video it makes me want to get out their even more!

Here’s a photo I took a while ago of my brother out on the mountain.

My 12 Favorite Images (from the past couple years)

nicknieto — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 17:50:58 +0000

Over on the Photofocus blog Scott Bourne recently suggested a fun mini project for photographers to do over the holidays as they have some downtime. What he asked photographers to do is pick their favorite 12 images and make a mini portfolio/album out of these images. Then take a look at the collection you selected and learn from it. The general idea is to see what images you like yourself, find a common thread on what makes them a favorite, and give you direction on where to pursue your own photography in the future.I really liked this idea and have decided to take part.

The following images are my favorite 12 images that I’ve taken from the past couple of years:

Financial Forecast

Growth of Ideas

Portrait: Mike Nieto

Portrait: Pat Bognar

Portrait of my Grandfather: Age 94

Engagement Portrait

Fall Portrait

Portrait of Littlebear

Kodak Pony

Holga

Arc Du Triomphe

Eiffel Tower

I’m very happy with each of these images and think that they accomplished what I was trying to do in advance – each one has a story some obvious, others more hidden. I like that. I hope you enjoyed my favorite images. I hope a year from now I can take 12 images from 2012 and have as many favorites as I do now. I know this project is for my own reflection – but if you have any comments I always enjoy reading them and learning from them.