Sky pictures

Actually, taking pictures of the sky is one thing that brings few benefits. If selling landscape pictures was already complicated, the thing became even worse since we see during the TV forecast, photos they have asked viewers to send. Often the pics are good but they have never paid a single euro for them. So they keep asking: thousands of photos at no cost,. When you consider the cost of a minute of alternatives contents in television -for instance, a minute of Game of Thrones or Doctor Who-, those pics are an absolute bargain. So I have no intention of ever sending them. In fact, from my point of view, it seems unethical to engage in begging photos with the excuse that “people will see your pics and you’ll be popular,” because none of the photographers who are sending get any material benefits.

On the other hand, a pro photographer want his pics seen, so I have them here and in my Flickr account: https://www.flickr.com/photos/archerphoto/ .

Sky pictures

Professional photographer in Spain — Valencia at dawn

Sky pictures - Archerphoto, professional photographer in Valencia, Spain — Dusk it’s usually great

Sky pictures - Archerphoto, commercial photographer in Spain — Sky pictures, dramatic look

Sky pictures - Archerphoto, pro photography in Spain — Sky pictures

Now you’ve seen a few of my pictures of skies. Valencia, mainly.

If you want to hire a professional photographer, you can contact me:

sergi@archerphoto.eu, 644459753

I usually work in Valencia, but also in other parts of Spain and Europe. Although I’m sure at some point I will be taking pictures in America, specifically in Mexico. Working for companies, individuals and NGOs.

October 2, 2014March 16, 2015

Valencia Central Market Neighborhood: Barri del Mercat

One of the neighborhoods in central Valencia. The Barri del Mercat, or Market Neighborhood , is the nearest to the Central Market, which itself is a remarkable piece of modernist architecture. The neighborhood is not like that, but are rather humble dwellings mixed with occasional palaces. This space was an extramural suburb in the Arab Valencia, which had its wall in the current Caballeros street, where some parts of the wall remain integrated within existing buildings . Until the fourteenth century the neighborhood remained outside Valencia, but became integrated with the construction of the outer city wall. Next to the current Central there was a mosque, which gave way around 1240 to Santos Juanes church. That same church was rebuilt some centuries after.

Valencia Central Market Neighborhood: Barri del Mercat

The neighborhood also houses the Llotja Mercaders or Lonja de la Seda, world’s greatest example of civil Gothic. Declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco, was started to be built by Pere Compte on the very concept of Llotja de Mallorca, and it is an indicative of the commercial revolution during the late Middle Age in the city of Valencia.

Both the Central Mercat as Llotja deserve its own post, but for now, we will release some detail.

More info about the Llotja: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Llotja_de_la_Seda

Sergi Albir.

Copyright Sergi Albir 2014. If you need a professional photographer in Spain, feel free to contact me: sergi@archerphoto.eu

September 22, 2014September 22, 2014

Armin Van Buuren in Valencia

They say that he is one of the biggest DJ in the world. According to some classifications, the best one. It is not a subject I master, but it he is certainly a well-known trance music producer and also an outstanding star who gets public attention. So if he came to Valencia and I had the opportunity to shoot some pictures of him and some on his show, well, it did not sound bad.

Armin Van Buuren in Valencia

He came to present a product in which he has been involved in the design: Philips M1-XDJ, an invention that allows iPad or iPhone using the full working DJ, providing mixers and including three speakers with a power Total 80W RMS, which is a respectable power for a small party. The device features a plug, but if what you like is getting lost in places that have no outlet, you can use batteries. And if your friends have a some other M1-XDJ, you can stack the speakers for adding output power.

All this had Armin Van Buuren in Valencia, in the Mercat Central, an event that served as appetizer for his night show, Armin Only Intense. The event was somewhat marred by technical problems that prevented the Dutch had a minmally spectacular lighting system, so it was all as a presentation rather unspectacular but very sincere and direct, with Van Buuren explaining details of the system and teaching it with great interest and vehemence. If you want more info, here: http://www.philips.co.in/c/audio-system/m1x-dj-sound-system-ds8900_10/prd/;jsessionid=358448819A185A74FAB4133123C049E8.app101-drp2

Later at night I assisted to his show. The tickets they gave me were subject to the general access rules so it was strictly forbidden to enter the event with an SLR or interchangeable lens camera, so I had to make do with a Canon Ixus 120 which have to, well, because I love the Ixus and go. You can not configure speed priority or aperture, so good, I managed as best I could.

Sergi Albir.

If you want to read this article in Spanish, http://www.archerphoto.eu/armin-van-buuren-en-valencia/

September 19, 2014September 19, 2014

Images with Samsung S4: short review

Images with Samsung S4

Everyone knows that Samsung makes great phones, and often people ask me about how good are their built-in cameras. Well, here is some data from S4, not the last phone the Korean company has launched in the market, but still a phone in the market.

Technically, the data are:

Backlit Sensor 13-megapixel
Lens: F2.2
ISO 50-1000 (100-800)
Image Ratio: 4: 3
2 Megapixel front camera
LED Flash
Video: 1080p 30fps
Simultaneous Dual Capture: front and rear cameras.
Filters and special modes
Digital Image Stabilization
4x Digital Zoom
Equivalent focal length on a 35mm camera: 31mm

I am not intending to write an S4 exhaustive review. It is true that the software used has some interesting features and some detail that I personally do not like it, However you can choose to install,among others, the implementation of Google for the camera so you can choose your favorite option.

The original application of the S4 allows manual selection of ISO and has other creative options: drama mode, which allows for multiple shots on the same picture, the dual mode, which triggers the front and rear camera simultaneously (null interest) Panorama mode (which itself is useful), Animated, which creates a GIF, Eraser mode, which is great for removing people is left in a picture, for example, to capture buildings when you are in tourist areas, night mode (do not ask me to explain it, come on), and finally the HDR mode, which allows fans of these photographs use it all the time. There is also a sport mode, which increases the shutter speed but, well, let’s just timely that improves outcomes.

There is a specific aspect of this camera is awkward: if by mistake you decided to activate vibration reduction, you won’t be able to choose the ISO value. It’s probably because the phone raises the ISO values when the algorithm considers it appropriate, so it has more speed available.

The camera quality is sufficient for the day and, as expected, much more loose at high ISOs: almost any compact will beat the Samsung S4 at night. The 13 megapixels are good, the optics are adequate, but the sensor size is still tiny.

The photos shown here have only been signed, without any further process, even levels, with the exception of the featured image (the pic with the lollipops was treated with LR).

I translated this post from the one in my Spanish website: http://www.archerphoto.eu/fotos-con-el-samsung-s4/

Images with Samsung S4

Samsung S4, modo HDR

Samsung S4, modo nocturno

If you need a photographer in Europe, please contact me: sergi@archerphoto.eu

August 26, 2014

VALENCIA DREAMHACK 2014

Telling the Dreamhack is an event of global significance, well, is something that probably does not surprise too many people. It is not a single event but it happens several times a year. Is said to be the largest LAN party in the world with eSports events and video games in general.

Dreamhack Valencia 2014

In Valencia it has been taking place from the summer of 2010 and comes to replace Campus Party that generally had much more interesting content from the point of view of science and technology. However, the Dreamhack has many followers in the international arena, but it has not had much impact in the city of Valencia as expected. Signs along the street and the like, but the public does not attend mass. Surprisingly, many people in the target group like local players, or amateur video gamers ( young people under 30 years), have no idea that this happens a few miles from home.

VALENCIA DREAMHACK 2014

From 17 to 20 July well-known casters as iNcontroL, ToD and Artosis, Tasteless or Smix flocked to submit the event to be broadcast live. We should highlight the games of Starcraft 2 and League of Legends, but this year they have also begun to be retransmitted other games like Hearthstone. In this competition Thalai, from Samsung Gaming eSports team, won his first major trophy, leading also the debut of the team in major competitions against Ek0p. TheFallen and Evangelion also qualified for the finals, but fell in the way: TheFallen was beaten by Ek0p and Evangelion against the other finalist, a member of his own team, and final winner, Thalai The tournament was like this: http://hearthstars.com/noticias/205-thalai-gana-la-dreamhack-valencia-2014

A little more information: Over Gaming took the trophy in League of Legends, MD | Luffy (Rose) to DIG | Ryan Hart Ultra Sagat in Street Fighter 4 and Starcraft 2 Sacscri beat MD. In CS: GO Epsilon Team LDLC defeated to clinch the win.

More pics in http://www.archerphoto.eu/dreamhack-valencia-2014/

May 1, 2014May 1, 2014

Train Stations

Train stations have always caught the attention of photographers and painters. There are a thousand reasons: reunions, farewells, huge machines, travel, video movies and series, comics or books … But, for me, a main reason is probably because of a schoolmate, who remember constantly drawing trains-I suppose he would be doing more things, of course, but my childhood memories are rather scarce, and I guess I ended up acquiring part of his interests somehow. So as stations are attracting me as buildings with a very specific purpose, which also tend to maintain an aesthetic taste that beats the crap airports, often designed far less visually.

Liverpool Street Station - Estaciones de tren — Liverpool Street Station, London

Interestingly, almost each time I’m in a big station I feel familiar with the site: trains sooth me, airports often bring me the feeling that if I’m wrong with whatever nonsense the plane depart without me. Tube stations do not cause me so many feelings (although here I have also placed some photos). I’m explaining this just for the uncanny case someone had a special interest to know how I feel about the Metropolitan Transportation …

Anyway, the train stations are, for me, quite attractive and I am not alone, so I’ve compiled some of my photos that item and / or location.

[slickr-flickr type=”gallery” search=”sets” set=”72157642336114225″]

February 25, 2014February 25, 2014

Zsuzsanna Toldi

I’m not particularly a mythomaniac, but I met Zsuzsanna Toldi at the Arnold Classic in Madrid in 2013. I was there in the Wingold stand with Julio Portet, who should have gone somewhere else, and in the next corridor, almost hidden, Zsuzsanna was letting her dye go dry and preparing for the competition, but far from the area which were the rest of the participants.

A little bit nervous. I talked a couple of seconds with her, I told her she looked gorgeous -quite easy to see- and after a while she went through the stage and won the competition. I was lucky to see her getting the trophy, because I might not have ever noticed that the nervous girl was proclaimed absolute body fitness champion in the Amateur competition.

In any case already although it would be an exaggeration to say that I know her, yes I can say to find such a woman hidden in a hallway and taking pictures just before proclaimed champion was a kind gift from this Hungarian competitor.

More pics from Arnold Classic 2013

February 20, 2014February 20, 2014

Two second hand photography shops I like

Recently I went to London because I am considering seriously having part of my work in United Kingdom. It’s a great place, really dynamic city and I’ve got no administrative problems to go, so, it’s a piece of cake. However, I decided to visit one small second hand store that’s really near of the British Museum. Find the place and asked for a second hand Canon EF 135 f2. The guy there, with a smile, handed me a lens from his colleague: “10 minutes old”, he said. Well, I was shocked and finally got my lens. Happy ending.

And while I was having a coffee there with my sis (they don’t call it Aperture Camera Café for nothing) came to me the idea of making a post of such a lovely story. So I thought “well, this it’s been happening to me frequently at home”, and, well, I can tell similar histories from Angel, that’s the name of the guy in Valencia store. Angel has a much-more-chaotic-much-less-charming store, and certainly, he lacks some of the brilliant material Lond0n guys had (really jawdropping stuff, not kidding), but it has tons of steel old cameras that keep you looking no matter how often you visit. And he has got me some great stuff, but most of all, he’s really reliable.

If he has a bad lens he will tell you: “it may be useful, but I don’t recommend you that. Wait and I will get something else”. It may pass some time, but when you come again, he really has the good stuff. I was somehow obsessed with a Canon 100-400 IS. Impressive lens. So expensive. He showed me a 200-400 from Tamron, great old lens that works impressively well with my EOS 5D Mark III for less than 1/6 of the price. I can tell you also about a Minolta 58mm F1.2 for less than 100 euros, and things like that. So when I decided to write about a shop, I had to write about both of them.

Two second hand photography shops I like

February 17, 2014February 17, 2014

Julio Portet Bodybuilding and Fitness Competition Team Video

Julio Portet Bodybuilding and Fitness Competition Team Video

Although photography is my main activity, videos are an important part of my job . Cameras today allow an important quality results , but they require , as it’s always happened, a later intense work editing . In fact , it is very common that the recording and production can take less than a day but the editing and postproduction require considerable additional work .
In the production of this video we were using just a little light. We chose a day with actual standard training team members . In some shots with the girls, we had a bit more planning and action , but overall it is a similar image to what you would see on any other Saturday: machinery and a meal with salad, rice and chicken.

In this video you can see members of the Julio Portet Competition Team in addition to himself: Sento Olombrada , Ana Maria Insa , María Herranz, Víctor García , Ricardo Alarcón , Jorge Calvo and David Alcázar . It is recorded in Fitnessland , Canet , Valencia, and the music is Summon The Rawk , Kevin MacLeod . The team won multiple titles during 2013 , highlighting Sento Olombrada Overall Spanish Champion and Ana Maria Insa, Spanish Champion in Fitness in AEFF Spanish National Championship in Antequera , Málaga .