• Photos - Slide Show - Solange

    Brookgreen Gardens

    12/14/2011 - By 

    When in Rio, my good old Panasonic Lumix camera broke. It really made me sad, because I was just figuring out how to compose a decent photograph. So as soon as I got back to the United States, I bought a new camera. I decided to upgrade a bit and I purchased the new Sony NEX-5N which is a new type of camera that gives SLR style photos but the camera has no mirror. It is also is a lot smaller and lighter than the big honking SLR’s that we see people carrying around.

    So this is my first photo shoot with the new camera. I am still getting used to it, because it is a very sophisticated camera. We went to Brookgreen Gardens which is a beautiful and elaborate garden just south of Myrtle Beach. It was a beautiful fall day and I have always wanted to do a photo shoot of my beautiful wife, Solange. I also think she was curious to see if she could model for the camera. So this is her first attempt at being a model, and my first attempt with my new camera. Some of the shots are a little over exposed but over all I think it turned out not too bad for a first effort. Leave us a comment particularly if you know a lot about photography. As always, the photos look much better in full screen mode.

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  • Brazil - Photos - Rio de Janeiro - Slide Show

    Gay and Lesbian Parade

    10/12/2011 - By 

    On Sunday, August 9th, 2011, we went to the gay parade here in Rio de Janeiro. In the last few years, the mayor of Rio de Janeiro has made a concerted effort to attract gays and lesbians to Rio de Janeiro. He actually has gone on record as stating that the wants Rio de Janeiro to be the most gay friendly city in the whole world. They want to attracts gays and lesbians throughout Brazil and the rest of the world as well. In Ipanema, they actually have a beach that is primarily for people of alternate life styles.

    This year was truly spectacular. The estimate that over 1.5 million people participated in this year’s parade. That is a lot of people. We were so lucky. We arrived about a half hour before the parade began, and there was a small platform that was built by the city. No one was on the platform, and we were the first on the platform. It is great because we had a great view and more importantly as the crowd filled up, we got pushed and shoved a lot less than the others. It was a cloudy day but even with my point and shoot camera, I was able to get some decent photos.

    The city did an awesome job of preparation. There were tons of portopotties and there was rarely a long wait for the facilities despite the fact that there was a lot of people drinking heavily. By the end of the show, the place was a mess, but immediately hundreds of men and dozens of street cleaning machines trailed the parade. In a short time, the streets were pristine again.

    Having lived in both Rio de Janeiro and the United States, it is safe to say that the two locations are the polar opposite on the issues of gay and lesbian people. In Rio, it is encouraged and in the United States it is thought to be an untreatable disease such as cancer. As I watched millions of these peoples marching proudly and happily, I realized that it is not possible for society to restrict the desires and passions of these people. I live in Rio de Janeiro, and the impact on my family of these people is NADA – ZERO. Maybe some

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  • Brazil - Jesse - Photos - Slide Show - Teddy

    Lagoa Park Photos

    10/11/2011 - By 

    Having lived in both Rio de Janeiro and the United States, it is safe to say that the two locations are the polar opposite on the issues of gay and lesbian people. In Rio, it is encouraged and in the United States it is thought to be an untreatable disease such as cancer. As I watched millions of these peoples marching proudly and happily, I realized that it is not possible for society to restrict the desires and passions of these people. I live in Rio de Janeiro, and the impact on my family of these people is NADA – ZERO. Maybe some Americans should come down here to analyse the impact on families.

    This week is the first day of a very unusual vacation for me. Historically, I have always travelled somewhere for my vacations. That’s for more than 30 years, but this time, I have decided to stay at home here in Rio de Janeiro, which is really one of the most beautiful places on earth.

    Today was a beautiful day here in Rio. It is getting a little hotter since October is the first month of spring, and there was not a cloud in the sky. We live on a very large lake that is called Lagoa. The lake is exactly 7500 meters around (4.7 miles), and is surrounded by the famous beaches of Leblon, Ipanema, and Copacabana. There is also a small but very popular park about 1/2 mile from our apartment. I run by it every day.

    Since it was so sunny, I took the kids to the park. A sunny day is absolutely the best time to take photos. You have much more options with a lot of light than not enough. So I took out my camera and put it in manual mode and started shooting the kids playing around. After looking at the photos, it gives a nice flavour how nice a view the park has.

    I am still amazed at the quality of photos that I can take with my cheap little Panasonic camera. I plan to buy another high end camera sometime next year but I want to learn more about my current camera first. Most of the photos are taken with a shutter speed of 1/1300th of a second and the ISO ranged from 100 to 300. I was able to do that because it was such a nice sunny day! I could never have pulled off these photos on a cloudy day with my camera.

    I am also trying to use the Rule of 3’s which I learned from my photography class but also numerous of my photographically inclined friends told about. It is essentially to NOT put your subjects in the centre of the picture. This gives the photo more context about what the subject is doing, or what they are seeing.

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  • Brazil - Photos - Rio de Janeiro - Slide Show - Teddy

    From the Eyes of a Four Year Old

    10/7/2011 - By 

    The last time I was in the United States, I decided to buy Teddy a cheap camera at Best Buy. It was certainly a gamble because the odds were either that he would love the camera or it would be broken in the first 30 minutes of use. After 2.5 months, I am happy to say that the camera is function well. We bought Teddy the cheapest camera we could find which was a Fuji that cost about $100.

    About a week ago, I dumped all of the photos from his camera to my computer. I made two discoveries. Camera technology is such that even a 4 year old can take pretty decent photos. Also, photos are a lot different and more interesting from the point of view of a 4 year old. It is also a pretty accurate slice of life of what our lives are like in Rio de Janeiro. Note: neither Solange nor I told him which photos to take. These were all from his little 4 year old point of view.

    Here are some notes to help understand the photos:

    1. * When we returned from the China and the US, Solange’s mother, Maria, and sister, Sandra were visiting us.
    2. * My good friend, Mike Brotherton, came down to Rio for his bachelor party shortly after our return.
    3. * Our maid, Cida, is very prominent in Teddy and Jesse’s lives and also in the photos.
    4. * Teddy loves playing with his jig saw puzzles.
    5. * Teddy’s favorite subject is his little brother, Jesse.

    Solange and I have just finished a photography class, and I am amazed at how many of the basics elements of photography that I struggle with and Teddy seems to get right. Maybe it’s luck, or maybe kids have a better natural sense for photography.

    One comment on “From the Eyes of a Four Year Old”

    1. That is impressive! I’m not sure I even realized he was taking photos of me, either.

      Reply

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  • Brazil - Photos - Rio de Janeiro - Slide Show

    Ativa-Idade

    9/2/2011 - By 

    One of the best things that we did for our kids here in Rio de Janeiro was to put them in a day care. We searched for the best and we finally found a place called Ativa-Idade, which means Active Age. Another huge benefit is that it is only about 1/2 a mile from our apartment so it is a quick and simple exercise to drop them off and pick them up.

    Since going to the school, they get along better with each other and they talk a lot more. Although it is preschool, we get detailed reports on the kids progress. Or the best they can estimate given their age.

    They have also made a deal with a professional photography firm that takes tons of photos of the kids events and they make them available on the web site for the parents and the kids. Here are bunch of photos from that web site. There are three events. Mother Day, a day in the park, and then something called Festa Julina. It happens every July and they try and dress the kids to look like little adults. Not sure why but that explains a lot of the photos. Check them out.

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