Fotos by Carlos

One of the great things about living in SoFla is that we're never very far from a beach. Miami Beach gets the attention, but I like Dania Beach, which is about an hour north and a lot less crowded. Below are some highlights. Not sure I want my camera around so much sand again, but at least there were some decent shots. Most of these were taken with a circular polarizing filter and all were taken with standard kit lens (I'm poor, guys). Dania Beach Pier Pelicans are some of my favorite birds. My girlfriend was very excited about the shells she found. I should take more vertical shots.

I've been to the Frost Museum twice now. That yearly membership has now paid for itself. Anyway, this time around, I got a few shots I was particularly pleased with. The more familiar I get with my D3400, the easier it becomes to get good shots. Find a camera with decent ergonomics and practice, practice, practice, people! I love candid shots. But asking for a smile is OK, too.  My sister liked whatever joke I was making. American Airlines Arena, Miami skyline, and Freedom Tower on the right. Threadfin Butterflyfish Sometimes you get lucky and a clownfish sits still for you.

Just a quick post to share some fotos from Independence Day with my girlfriend's family. Wish the background behind Manny's head was less busy, but I like action shots like this. Emilia is queen in her kitchen. Again, background is so-so. Really gotta work on this. Playing around with a tripod and an IR remote. Again with the remote. I'm between my sister and mother in this shot. My gorgeous girlfriend and her lovely mother. But really, she's a daddy's girl. Self portrait. #hammocklife The Portuguese know how to have fun. Caldo verde, a traditional Portuguese soup.

My girlfriend is a hairstylist, and a good one. After she cut her friend's hair, I wrangled said friend into letting me get some portrait shots. The incandescent lighting gives these a warmth that I enjoy, although for portfolio work, I'll need to use a whiter light. It was a great learning experience to work with someone, play with lighting, and get input from hairstylists on what they want in a shot.

I love shooting either in the city, where the buildings and the art (legal and illegal) make things interesting. It's also fun to shoot in places remote enough to find interesting plants and wildlife. Miramar, Fl, is neither of these things. It's a suburb filled with cookie-cutter houses in gated communities and strip malls with chain restaurants. I didn't expect much out of an evening stroll with my girlfriend and favorite model (who are the same person, to be clear). Boy, was I wrong. Exploring the weirder corners of the area as the sun went down led to some pleasing shots, taking advantage of interesting lighting. I'm also getting more confident with my camera settings, which leads to much less editing. None of these photos have been edited beyond a little cropping and straightening out. I was surprised to find that there are still a few houses left from a time before there was even a suburb. Florida is prone to flat, swampy landscapes like this, but that

As I work my way through National Geographic's Fundamentals of Photography course, I'm learning to be much more intentional in composing a shot. Below, some examples of shots that I feel are relatively well composed. Some are better than others, but all show something I was trying to make happen. This slash pine is small, and there's so much going on in the background that it's hard to get a sense of it. Changing my perspective lowers the horizon line, cleans up the background and lends drama to this small tree. Here again, a low horizon and lots of sky behind the royal palm communicates height and drama. The roofline and posts, along with railing and bars on the doors, all add structure and frame this shot nicely. This ended up being one of my fave shots from a recent Bahamas cruise. Wish I could have caught more of the goats, but I like the way the fencing frames the shot, and rule of thirds draws your eye to the girls, who were fascinated by a f