Category : Photography

Dear TTC: Bus Stops. You Are Doing It Wrong

Dear TTC: Bus Stops. You Are Doing It Wrong

MOBILE EYE: Our Toronto Transit Commission At Work!!

Taken on Sunday, May 5th. Bay and King Street. A bus, while trying to make a very wrong turn ended up getting stuck and holding up traffic. We never found the mysterious reason for the attempt. Only that it blocked traffic in both directions for about 10 minutes.

Mauricio Alas | Photography

Mauricio Alas | Photography Facebook Fan Page

Tomorrow will be my first real photoshot after my car-hit-my-bike-then-fell-on-my-bike accident and I am excited. It will be a portrait shot for a professional violinist who wants to update her portfolio

Now regarding my broken leg, I am certain to attest, last time I fractured my leg, it did not take two months for the darn thing to heal. By now, a decade ago, I would sure be getting ready to walk across town to hunt down my brunch on a crisp Fall morning. Instead, I am heading down to the pool downstairs for my daily physiotherapy.

Sigh… three more weeks to go for ultimum health. Patience…

In the mid-time I am updating my Facebook fan page which I neglected a bit due to not having new photos to put since I have been homebound. Even though I have kept myself busy in other way, it is good to get the proverbial lens refocusing back into what matters.

On a positive note, I think I need the break. Obvious pun, not intended. So I am proudly presenting my new page, so by all means feel free to take a look, check the photography and, if you don’t mind, don’t forget to ‘like’ it!.

PIXOTO AWARDS

PIXOTO AWARDS

Pixoto AwardsI must admit it,  ever since I broke my leg (more on that later) I have become a bit of a hermit. I generally only go out when truly needed and to host a few of my Speak Spanish To Me language events. Aside from that, I have sadly spent most of the time indoors, healing and trying to come up with ways to keep myself busy.

On a positive note a few friends have dropped by and joined me for overpriced coffee at the Starbucks adjacent to my building. Also, I have taken the time to do some reading on craft of photography, sharpen my HTML and CMS skills and looked into creating a new online community here in Toronto. A metamorphosis if you will of the already existing Toronto’s 25-40 Social. So I have tried to keep myself busy, plus looking for a part-time job once the cast comes off next week. Can’t wait!

Now, since I have not been able to do a lot of photography lately, I began to surf the web to check out new and interesting photography websites, which lead me to Pixoto. A interesting startup where photographers upload their work so it can compete on ‘Image Duels’ where two photos are clashed against each other and you as the judge decides who wins. It is interesting as generally the photo with the most gravitas tends to win.  But is it biased? Totally. It all depends on who the judge is. Do I like photos of puppies over kittens, well, guess who is likely to win the next pet photo match.

Is the website doing well? As of last time I checked, over 2556 photographers have uploaded photos. Are they all good? No. However from what I can see, the quality in the top percentile are merited and it serves as a good barometer of where the quality of your photography lies in the tapestry of public opinion. Some of the work of the top ten photographers is outright amazing and top notch!

So how did I do? Check the email they sent me at the end of my first week! I looked into it and I stand at 76th out of 2556 photographers!  Basically I am in the top 3% according to their votes! Not bad. Not bad at all! A little bump to the ego never hurt anyone…

My Pixoto profile is here and I will be linking this page to my ‘Photography Dossier’ under Projects and Initiatives, so even though I am mostly stuck in a cast jail for yet another week, it doesn’t mean I cannot go out there and learn a few bits more about photography and heck, get a bit recognition too. Now, if only they started giving out cash prices…