WE HAVE SPROUTS!
“Spray and pray” is a phrase you don't want to be associated with in the photography world. When it comes to orchards, and farming of fruits and vegetables, it’s quite necessary to ensure a good crop. We've only had two days this week when the weather was good enough to start spraying the trees. It has either rained, or was too windy, for spraying, and if this doesn't get done early in the season, it could ruin a lot of fruit once harvest comes around. Thankfully, we had a gap in all the bad weather. We had little-to-no rain on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Despite the fact that it was a holiday weekend, for those who celebrate it, the guys that handle spraying were more than willing to work and help us get a jump on getting this done.
“Spray and pray” is a phrase you don't want to be associated with in the photography world. When it comes to orchards, and farming of fruits and vegetables, it’s quite necessary to ensure a good crop. We've only had two days this week when the weather was good enough to start spraying the trees. It has either rained, or was too windy, for spraying, and if this doesn't get done early in the season, it could ruin a lot of fruit once harvest comes around. Thankfully, we had a gap in all the bad weather. We had little-to-no rain on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Despite the fact that it was a holiday weekend, for those who celebrate it, the guys that handle spraying were more than willing to work and help us get a jump on getting this done.
Aside from spraying all the trees, in all three orchards, there are a few things that need to be cleared up, to ensure a good crop: First, pruning and straightening of all the trees had to be done. We had a group of people with a tractor loaded full of big and small stakes. Placing stakes onto the tree trunks helps prevent them from leaning over and shading other trees in the summertime. Smaller stakes are then placed on tree branches to encourage them to branch outward, and not straight up. My grandfather told me you end up with more fruit or buds that way.
We also started burning all the dead branches and debris that has been cleaned up all across the orchard. This is something that also needs to be done during the rainy season. Once we hit a certain point in the summer, all burning is illegal. I'm sure you can imagine how easy a forest fire can start out here once it starts to get extremely dry! That’s all I've got for now. This coming week, I'm on clean-up duty to prepare for inspection. I need to complete a check list of all the safety and cleanliness of the orchards. I hope you enjoy the images I've made so far!
Manifesto of a Documentary photographer
If you were to tell me 10 years ago that i'd be living in a small remote rural town doing a self funded project with no intention of making a dime on said project. I'd would have probably thought you were crazy, but then secretly steal your idea and shelve it for a long long time.
I can't quite remember when i first started taking pictures, but i do know i've had a camera with me since i was 7 or 8 years old. I started with those little disposable cameras and eventually started playing with my parents old Polaroid SX-70( i wish i knew what happened to that camera). As soon as the digital age of photography became more affordable, I jumped right into a point and shoot. Then there was camera phones which i think is one of the most revolutionary advancements in photography. Making cameras available for the masses is right up there next to the invention of pizza. At some point everyone that likes taking pictures starts to think about buying a DLSR and so i did. I went through G.A.S. (Gear acquisition syndrome) for quite a few years. i bought a giant pro body, lenses, flashes and modifiers and so much more. I kind of got lost in the gear and forgot about making photographs for awhile.
If you were to tell me 10 years ago that i'd be living in a small remote rural town doing a self funded project with no intention of making a dime on said project. I'd would have probably thought you were crazy, but then secretly steal your idea and shelve it for a long long time.
I can't quite remember when i first started taking pictures, but i do know i've had a camera with me since i was 7 or 8 years old. I started with those little disposable cameras and eventually started playing with my parents old Polaroid SX-70( i wish i knew what happened to that camera). As soon as the digital age of photography became more affordable, I jumped right into a point and shoot. Then there was camera phones which i think is one of the most revolutionary advancements in photography. Making cameras available for the masses is right up there next to the invention of pizza. At some point everyone that likes taking pictures starts to think about buying a DLSR and so i did. I went through G.A.S. (Gear acquisition syndrome) for quite a few years. i bought a giant pro body, lenses, flashes and modifiers and so much more. I kind of got lost in the gear and forgot about making photographs for awhile.
So lets get back to what i did when i was just starting to get serious about photography, I started reading everything i could about the technical aspects of photography. I couldn't even begin to count how many blogs,vlogs, online tutorials i went through in the first few years. I will tell you that it was well worth the time. When i think back on it now, all the hours spent on learning the exposure triangle like the back of my hand gives you a ton of confidence when faced with difficult lighting situations. Although this step in becoming a good photographer is VERY important, it wasn't the most difficult part for me. So off i went armed with way more knowledge than i started with. I made photographs of everything! I started photographing My pets, family, friends, the food i was about to eat. you name it i probably have a photograph of it. This is where it started to get hard as is with anything that is done in a repetition. I ran out of stuff to photograph, I lost inspiration for it for awhile. So i started reading again and looking at gear as well. I came across a lot of blogs. I watched more online classes from pros in the business. One thing that hit me and sort of just clicked in my head was about finding your "Voice" so to speak. Going back to how accessible photography has become, It is a very much a double edged sword. There are a plethora of people who bought a DSLR, found some pretty girls or guys and made some portraits of them. I mean check out Instagram, Facebook, Flickr. (insert popular social media platform here). It's in every corner of the interwebs. I'm not saying this in any disrespect, Heck I've done it myself. I just wanted to point out how over saturated photography has become in the last few years.
So i started to think and read about a different aspect of photography. What could possibly separate me from the ocean of photographers? One thing that came up the most from other photographers is a sense of style or personal voice. This can come in many different variations. It could be a certain way you make your photographs or a certain way of processing/post editing your photos. I on the other hand wanted to take a deeper look at how i made photographs or more so what my photographs told me about myself. It took me maybe over a year to really figure it out and honestly i don't know if I've completely figured it out yet, but after going through tens of thousands of photos that I've made over the years i started to notice a few things. There were certain patterns in the images i liked the best. Out of the series of photos i went through i found a lot of myself in the images. I don't know how to better explain it other than all of my favorite images were very personal. I know there might be a lot of people out there that don't like the photographs i make and thats okay. This might sound pretentious but I only want to make something that makes me happy. I have to come to terms that i'm not out to satisfy other people, but on the flip side if my images intrigue or inspire even one person it makes it all even more worth it.
Now that I have the technical knowledge and what i consider my signature style, What next? Well after dabbling in so many different types of photography. I really wanted to do something important to me, something that i can hopefully leave behind for future generations. My grandparents have owned apple orchards out in northern Washington state for as long as i can remember. I've spent plenty of summers out there sometimes helping with work they did, but mostly it was just a summer get away with my uncles, aunts and cousins. I have so many fond memories of our time spent swimming in the lake or playing tag on ATV's in the orchards. So this brings me to today, I officially am back in Ellisford at my grandparents house. Why am i here you ask? Well its pretty straight forward. I wish i spent more time photographing my time here as a kid. I wish i kept whatever photos i did take when i was here as a kid. I wish i had something to share with the next generation of Del rosario's about our time here as kids. So i left my comfy life in the northern suburbs of chicago to live out here for at least a year. I bet you've heard someone say "get out of your comfort zone" once in a while. Thats exactly what i am doing. Anytime i've considered a job i go into it with the mind set of telling a story. Whether its photographing a wedding to the photographing the streets of Chicago. So i thought to my self, what is the best way to really capture my grandparents orchards? Well I have to immerse myself in the entirety of the experience. I decided that i need to be here day in day out for a full season. I need to see the apples trees bloom, experience harvests, Work and follow my grandfather around, even work with the other employees on the orchard and capture every day life out here.
I wish i could say i know exactly how this is going to go or I have an exact plan of the outcome, but i don't. Thats how it usually goes with anything i photograph. I usually like to work organically. I let images unfold before me and try to be at the right place at the right time. So this is what i'll be doing for the next 12 months. For everyone that would like to follow along with the story or see a few previews into my progress, I'll be posted up a blog post 1-2 times a week. I'll also be posting up images here and on instagram.
If you don't already follow me on social media i'd love it did.
Snapchat : @Chriiiissss
IG : @Chriiiissss
What did growing up in a Filipino family teach me?
I can't remember my very first birthday, but I'm almost certain it involved several dozen of family members. First cousins, second cousins and the rest of their families gathered around a dinner table full of food. It was almost always a lined up buffet style, with barbecue pork on skewers, pancit palabok, lechon kawali, and so much more, i'd rather not think about because I'm already hungry as it is. We didn't reserve these extravagant food arrangements for birthday parties. We'll get together for holidays, any sort of sporting event championships, karaoke night (when someone just so happens to have a magic mic). As I look back at all of the parties we had, I recently started to realize and appreciate the idea of having a strong supporting network.
I want to go back to the word family for a little bit. What does it mean really? Is "family" someone you have a traceable blood relation to? Sure, that's the most direct answer. The word "family" to me means a person you have built a long and meaningful relationship with. Anyone that quickly takes a look at my collection of photos will clearly see that my family is what is photographed the most in my life. It's kinda hard not to when you have such an eclectic bunch of friends from so many different backgrounds. You'll also notice how much they've gotten used to having a camera in their face at all times. I'm usually completely ignored now which is great for me. It's so much easier capturing all the genuine candid moment we have.
"the most important thing right now is self awareness...knowing your strengths and weakness(es)". So i sat down, thought about it and here we are. Writing a blog about something I consider a strength of mine. I know there is so much talk out on the interwebs about introverts and extroverts. I don't really know which side I live on. What do you call a half and half? (closet introvert?) Some days I'm perfectly fine sitting at home binging on Youtube videos while thinking if I should order an entire large pizza for myself. Other times I'm up and about networking and meeting new people. I can honestly say I've made it through the majority of my life by the help of friends and family. Anytime I've needed help or just needed people to talk to, friends and family have always been there. It kind of baffles me how someone can go through life with out this type support.
I don't want to sit here and say i got by in life using the connections i have, but i certainly would not be the person i am today without the people I've surrounded myself with. Isn't is just human nature to want to be around other human beings? Is it crazy to think some people out there find a better connection with Cats, dogs, manbearpigs? Whatever or whomever it may be that you deem as your inner circle of friends and family. I only hope they help you keep your sanity throughout your life. I know mine has so far.
“The more complex the network is, the more complex its pattern of interconnections, the more resilient it will be.” – Fritjof Capra
"the most important thing right now is self awareness...knowing your strengths and weakness(es)" - Gary Vaynerchuck