photography by wasim.

Tag: architecture

Guanajuato – Millions of Gallons of Happy

I hate dogs.

I’ve always hated dogs.

And if you were living with the trauma of being been bit by numerous dogs as a child, you’d hate dogs too.

So when a friend’s friend asked if I wanted to dog and house-sit for her, my immediate internal reaction was ‘NO chance!’

Then she threw a curveball – a Google Images link for ‘Guanajuato.’ This triggered my self-diagnosed compulsive wanderlust disorder (and unreasonable addiction to tacos) and my fingers found themselves frantically replying “YES ME!”

It was beyond my control.

Regardless, I was now faced with the reality of a stranger’s dog, in a foreign country, under my supervision and responsibility.

A half-week of self-pep talks, frantic Googling, revived attempts at meditation and Tony Robbins clips helped quell my nerves enough to reach out to a friend who happens to run a professional dog-training and sitting service. I asked him to draft a ‘How to Love Dogs for People Who Hate Dogs” handbook, to which he borderline-begrudgingly, yet thankfully, obliged.

48 hours later there was a ticket with my name on it from PDX to BJX.

I (think) I was ready.

When I landed, I was greeted by Mosa, the dog, and the wonderful woman whose house I’d be sitting, Miriam de Uriarte, an extremely prolific and well-decorated writer, poet and artist, who also founded the Berkley Child Art Studio during her time in the Bay Area. She has called Guanajuato home for the past 15 years, and there’s absolutely no wonder why.

If you’ve never heard of Guanajuato, upon first sight, your immediate reaction might be a quaint Spanish town was airdropped smack dab in the middle of Mexico, then carpet-bombed by millions of gallons of red, blue, orange, pink, purple, yellow, and green happy sauce!

Founded in 1558, this UNESCO World Heritage city has a rich mining history – at its height, over two thirds of the world’s silver came from the veins in these very hills, and with mining, came money.

Lots of money.

And with lots of money came ornate haciendas scattered amongst seductive theatres, fountains, churches and museums.

The colonial influence is inescapable, and with manicured tree-lined plazas dotted with courtyard cafés surrounded by centuries old rainbow-colored sandstone structures, conjoined by an endless matrix of cobblestone pathways, roadways and alleyways, why would you want to?

However, lots of colonial influence eventually led to lots of inequality.

And with lots of inequality came revolution.

And Guanajuato was ground zero for revolution – it was here the first battle in the Mexican War for Independence was fought.

The Monumento a el Pìpila, where the following 360˚ image was taken (if you scroll the picture around, you’ll see the statue of Juan José de los Reyes Martínez Amaro, better know as El Pipila, overlooking the city) pays homage to one of the heroes that led that battle.

Though its prime mining days have waned, the region’s draw has not. The old mining tunnels are now an impressive network of roadways beneath the city. There are tunnels upon tunnels leading to more tunnels that start new tunnels as each tunnel ends into a tunnel. Heck, even the river that used to run aboveground was diverted into…yup…a tunnel underneath the city.

What this does is help lessen the congestion of cars aboveground in the city, which is absolutely necessary being as the city is so old, most of the roads are of the small cobblestone variety that don’t exactly allow for most of today’s cars to even fit through them – they were designed for donkeys and small carriages and mining carts and such.

Regardless, that just adds to the charm of the modern-day version of Guanajuato, as this leaves most of the aboveground for walking.

In fact, when you arrive and first lay eyes upon her, the first, and only, thing you want to do is walk.

Every vibrant path, plaza, twist and turn just leads to another insanely stunning all of the above.

Each day, I would just drop myself off at some corner or plaza and just start…walking. It didn’t matter which direction and there was never a destination in mind, and that was the absolute beauty of it. Where you ended up wasn’t the goal, concern, focus, or even part of the plan. The best plan in Guanajuato is to have none, because you will discover something, somewhere, everywhere, all the time.

And if you happen upon something that you particularly like, chances are you’ll never find it again, so you better stop and grab that enchilada or torta or sopa or those zapatos or that shot or whatever it is that caught your eye (or other senses), for once you turn that corner and you find yourself in a whole other beautiful maze to navigate, that location will be long gone.

The colors, the charm, the aromas, the food, the food, the food. Oh my.

This was an absolute photographer’s, and curiosity seekers, and hopeless romantic’s paradise.

How Guanajuato isn’t a more popular destination absolutely blows my mind. At the same time, I’m hesitant myself to divulge the secret that is this gem simply for blowing its cover and contributing to turning it into something that it’s not. This is not only one of the most stunning destinations in Mexico, but one of the most beautiful locations on the planet. Period.

It’s as authentic as authentic gets, and if you’re not charmed by Guanajuato, have the carnitas. And if you’re still not charmed, then, well, you’re just not human and I simply don’t trust you.

Needless to say, the last thing I expected was for a dog to be the impetus that led me to one of the most beautiful destinations I’ve ever been.

Oh, by the way, did I mention, I love dogs…

A full gallery of images from the trip is above (including the lovely Mosa bidding me farewell…)

Here’s a panorama taken from the Monumento a el Pìpila (check this one out in full screen!):

And not to worry, a 360 video in virtual reality for Superswell VR is coming soon as well…

And for more nonsensical yehawwws and weeheewaas:
instagram: @wasimofnazareth
ello: @wasimofnazareth
google+: +WasimMuklashy

You my dawg Mosa!!

And if you enjoy these posts, please feel free to subscribe to my mailing list at top right of this page, and I’ll deliver each post to you as I publish them, and if you support the kind of work I’m doing and the things I’m sharing, please consider ‘subscribing to me’ on Patreon.com. Yup, subscribing to ‘me.’ You can even set the price. Literally, $1 per month if you want. No joke, I’m a poor bastard, so your little helps me a LOT.

April 2, 2018
How To Expose For Interiors And Exteriors In Architecture Or Real Estate Photography – Part 1 – On Location

If you’ve shot architecture or real estate photography, you already know the rub…exposing for interiors as well as exteriors! It’s a finicky art all in itself. Starting when I lived in Los Angeles, sandwiched in my little hippie canyon between Malibu, Pacific Palisades, and the Hollywood Hills, and throughout my time after moving to the Pacific Northwest, I had the opportunity to shoot some very high-end real estate for some very high-end and particular clients, and through that process, I’ve learned some incredibly helpful methods to help pull off results that even surprised me! While it would look incredibly unnatural to have both exposed for perfectly, especially when shooting a scene where big windows are involved on a bright day with a to-die-for view in which blown out windows are just NOT an option, there are a few ways to do it that will please both yourself and the client. Most importantly, they can provide a very accurate and attractive representation of the space.

HDR is certainly one of those methods, but HDR in its traditional sense more often than not results in very unnatural surreal images. While they can sometimes (and I emphasize ‘sometimes!’) look pretty cool, they’re more often than not neither an accurate representation of what the scene actually looked like, nor do they represent any sort of (sober) reality anywhere on earth (and if they do…please tell me where…I’m moving!).

My preferred method was taught to me by Michael McNamara of ShootingLA.com, a client I did some occasional work for in Los Angeles and this method has changed the way I approach real estate photography and has made my job a LOT easier. In addition to your camera and obligatory tripod (a MUST), here are the things you’ll need:

1. A decent off-camera flash (with an optional bounce-card). Does NOT need to be name brand. I use the Yongnuo speed-lights and they’re MORE than capable and a third the price of name-brands. If you really want to get crazy, you can use a Cheetah Light or equivalent, such as the Cowboy Studio or Neewer versions of the same speedlights.

2. Wireless flash triggers such as the Pocket Wizards or what I use are Yongnuo RF-603 flash triggers. A pair cost me 30 dollars and they do just as good a job.

3. Adobe Lightroom software

4. Enfuse Plugin by Photographers Toolbox (donationware) or Photomatix Pro by HDRSoft ($99) or Skylum’s Aurora HDR, especially their updated 2019 version. While I used to use Enfuse, since the original publication of this article, I have begun using Aurora HDR as their tools have become infinitely better. Enfuse is certainly more economical and absolutely gets the job done, but Aurora HDR and Photomatix are much more detailed programs that give you more control over certain parameters that you might want to consider after you get the process down and are looking to advance to the next level. Also, as of the original date of this writing, Adobe has included a very very good HDR Merge feature directly into Lightroom, which is an excellent option as well.

Now when you’re in the space, find your shot, frame your shot, lock the camera on the tripod, and set it at an aperture you’re happy with for the size of the space to get everything in focus, typically between f7.1 and f11. Also, make sure you shoot in RAW to get the most latitude out of your data. Now, either set your camera to bracket 3 shots as if shooting HDR, or if your camera doesn’t have an automatic bracket feature, you can fire the brackets yourself – one exposure centered at 0, one exposure at a stop underexposed and one exposure a stop overexposed using exposure compensation. I typical expose for the mid-tone in the scene so as to preserve as many details as possible. And if the window is blown out, don’t worry, that’s where the fun part comes into play.

Once you have your base exposure and the two bracketed exposures, turn off bracketing, and turn on your flash and the wireless flash triggers. Set your exposure centered at 0 and move your focus/exposure point to expose for the brightest part in the scene (typically the window). Increase your ISO to somewhere between 400-600 in order to boost the sensor’s light sensitivity to absorb as much of the flash light as possible. Now fire an exposure using the flash as a bounce flash aimed off the wall either behind the camera or the ceiling above the camera if it’s white or a light color that will bounce the flash. If there is no light surface to bounce the flash, use the bounce card or a white piece of paper. If you did it right, what you should see now that you didn’t see in the brackets is the window frame or door frame detail, as well as the scene outside the window well exposed. If there are shadowed areas in the exposure, don’t worry, you’ve already exposed for those areas in the brackets. All you’re looking for here is a well exposed exterior scene outside the door or window with little to no light leak or fringing on the door or window frames. Sometimes, depending on the scope and size of the window or door and intensity of light, you might have to shoot that exposure at a stop underexposed. What you’re looking for is a result similar to following image:

For more advanced shooters and once you have this process down, you can even shoot multiple bounce-flashed exposures to expose for different parts of the room or space.

Next step is to post-process these exposures. I cover that process in How To Expose For Interiors And Exteriors In Architecture Or Real Estate Photography – Part 2 – Post Processing. In the meantime, go fire off a few images using the methods above so you can follow along with the post-processing techniques.

And if you’re in need of real estate photography services, whether commercial or residential, please feel free to contact me or check out my Property Photography website.

For more of my madness: Instagram: @wasimofnazareth Twitter: @wasimofnazareth Google+: www.Google.com/+WasimMuklashy Facebook: www.Facebook.com/WasimOfNazareth

July 2, 2014
Apparently I’ll Be Adding ‘Historian’ To The Resume…

So just thought I’d share…this was kinda groovy. One of the homes I shot a few weeks ago for www.ShootingLA.com was apparently of some historical significance. It was built in 1954, and the residents, who have lived in it ever since, were a husband wife team, Albert and Gloria Martin, who not only designed the home, but literally built much of it with their very own hands. Anywho, click here to see the whole piece, the rest of the pictures, and the structure’s history, courtesy Kate of www.RetroRenovation.com. Pretty sweet stuffs…

March 15, 2014
The Red A-Frame Cabin at Far Meadow – The Pictures

I’ll keep this one short and sweet…so all that madness I’ve been blabbering on about the past few posts about this Far Meadow business? Well, the whole purpose of that trip was to photograph a new A-Frame cabin as well as their ‘Glamping’ facilities. Well, those pics have finally been published! Below is a gallery of those images.

Enjoy. Book. Go. Trust me.

August 7, 2013
Just Flow – Pursuing A Life Of Being

In a strange sense, I feel like I’m preparing for something. I spend a lot of time alone, very little social interaction – isolated from the constant deluge of stimulation and media saturation. I’m left alone in my thoughts, in my being.

And I do it to myself.

And there’s an almost constant sense in me of, I’m not supposed to be here. I’m not supposed to be down there either, but I’m not supposed to be here. I’m supposed to be somewhere. Elsewhere. Yet, only recently have I begun to accept and embrace the possibility that I truly am supposed to be here. For if I wasn’t, then I wouldn’t be.

But I am.

The distractions, the noise, the static, the relationships from the past, most of which were based on toxic and flawed foundations, would have continued. I would not have been able to see them for what they were. The true essence of man that surrounded me would have continued to be masked by a show or a band or a story or the news or an event or a relationship or a girl or a guy or a lie or the tv or a film or some form of numbing deceit…adding layer upon layer on top of the only thing that truly exists. Layers that you’d eventually have to dig through. One after another after another.

And hence, the cycle would just propagate itself.

Is it easy? Of course not. But it’s not supposed to be. Is it valuable? Absolutely. For understanding what you are capable of and what you are not, is necessary if you pursue a life of being.

So it was necessary, necessary to step away from it all, and be away from it all, and be. Just marinate in being. Feel everything. Allow yourself to feel everything. Allow it to take hold of you. And then allow it to release you. However many times it needs to.

It was necessary in order to understand that the way it was and the way it seemed, is not necessarily the way it will be. It was necessary to begin to understand yourself at your core in order to understand how that core fits into greater moment.

Limitations are a gift. Limitations realized are a blessing. Knowing that those limitations are preparation for limitless expansion is the ultimate prize.

For without those gifts and blessings, you would never know where you stand. Where you should be.

So yes, I’m preparing for something. The only question is…

…what?

July 2, 2013
When you can’t get away from it all…get away from it all.

So it was one of those days, the thought process just goes into overdrive and begins to cloud any reasoning and logic. The past comes up, the future comes up, all of the baggage surrounding both start to rear their nosy and intrusive little lizard heads. Sometimes this would last for hours, then days, then weeks, but more and more you begin to see that there’s a way out…well, at least temporarily.

You recognize it.

You realize it.

You consciously stop it and remind yourself that none of it is part of your current existence, except the parts you allow to be.

And then just as you think you’re starting to get the hang of it all, you slip right back down. And that’s when you realize you need to step away.

Or maybe it’s just me.

In any case, I figured it’s been a long while since I’ve visited one of my little sanctuaries and what better time than now. So I jumped in the car, headed down to the gardens at Lake Shrine Self-Realization Center, and just sat.

Literally.

Just picked one of the benches and sat.

Watched. Listened. Felt.

And a few other people just came to the surrounding benches and sat.

Just sat.

Watching, listening, feeling…being.

And just like that, you remember what you’re supposed to be doing. And everything else melts away.

Thanks again for setting me straight Lake Shrine.

Until the next time…

June 28, 2013
Piece by Piece

A few recent gradual revelations are telling me that perhaps part of me feels like I’m coming into my own in a lot of respects as far as photography is concerned. And I suppose it’s really just a matter of perspective and paying attention rather than just letting life happen and allowing the monotony to take charge of the psyche. Day in and day out I’m editing photos robotically for a website, and many of the photos are photos I’d never think to take myself – small, close-up details, seemingly devoid of context.

I’m so constantly focused on the large wide sweeping shots, so much so that my camera almost always sleeps with my 11-16mm on it, that sometimes it’s hard to remember that often times, it’s in the details that the most awe-inspiring imagery can come from, and I think it’s due to the clash of the two different styles that my life has been recently oscillating between that context to such contrasts can be extracted.

On the one hand, I spend so much of my own personal time in the outdoors, looking to try to capture those landscapes that make us remember and appreciate the beauty that life and the world holds –

BIG.

Then, on the other hand, for work, I find myself photographing and editing photos of homes and properties, in which so much more is being said by the details – the textures in the concrete surrounding a marble fountain, the way the shadows of a lattice fall upon a watering can sitting alongside a charming wooden bungalow, the contrast of a purple wildflower growing alongside a yellow window frame –

SMALL.

And it’s these hidden gems of discovery that remind me that you can learn something from every job, from every situation, and take that, use it, and grow from it.

In this case, I’ve been learning to train myself to basically, yes, keep my eyes open for those cinematic sweeping scopes, but at the same time, not ignore what’s directly in front of me…those small quaint and charming additions and details. After all, it’s a culmination of all of those combined, piece by piece, that make up the whole.

cottage.

June 5, 2013