Hanging Rock

©2009 Ivan Gonzalez

I went to Hanging Rock this past weekend, in a somewhat chilly day that ended up making me used to the weather. It was a pretty long walk but I must say that once we hiked that long distance it was well worth the views from up there. At one point i got to the very edge of one of the rocks to observe the view and it was just plain awesome! i’m ready to start Rock climbing soon!

While i was there i met some really interesting people that were surprisingly from Greensboro and are part of the RENT Cast – Bryn, Will, Lewis and Molli. We sat and just enjoyed the view as I also photographed a bit of the interaction.  I am definitely going back very soon and this time take some food and relax while I am up there. Of corse i took my camera with me and here’s some of the images captured.

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(Hanging Rock State Park – Website) - Not far from the cities of the Triad area, off the four-lane highways there’s another North Carolina to be discovered—sheer cliffs and peaks of bare rock, quiet forests and cascading waterfalls, views of the piedmont plateau that stretch for miles.

Hike the trails of Hanging Rock State Park and let nature put life’s hectic pace in perspective. Rent a vacation cabin and fall asleep to the lullabies of spring peepers and chorus frogs. Join an interpretive program and discover something new about nature’s bounty. Nestled in the hills is a cool mountain lake that beckons to swimmers and fishermen. Picnic areas and campgrounds lend themselves to time spent with family and friends. Hanging Rock State Park awaits you.

©2009 Ivan Gonzalez

©2009 Ivan Gonzalez

©2009 Ivan Gonzalez

©2009 Ivan Gonzalez

©2009 Ivan Gonzalez

©2009 Ivan Gonzalez

©2009 Ivan Gonzalez

©2009 Ivan Gonzalez

©2009 Ivan Gonzalez

©2009 Ivan Gonzalez

©2009 Ivan Gonzalez

©2009 Ivan Gonzalez

©2009 Ivan Gonzalez

©2009 Ivan Gonzalez

©2009 Ivan Gonzalez

©2009 Ivan Gonzalez

 

River Street – Savannah GA

River Street – Savannah GA by: Ivan Gonzalez

These are images from July 2009 while I took a drive to Savannah GA – I must admit I was impressed with how I felt while being at River Street that one night, If felt as if i was in a different country with the roads made from  rocks, long tall concrete stairs, and interesting alleys in between buildings. In my point of view – I would recommend this spot to go to just have a great night out and enjoy live music, local food and a great outdoor ambience.  It was awesome fun and i would definitely go back again – it’s documented with photos and shown here –  River street, my way – How I remember it being.

On the bluff facing the Savannah River are nine blocks of renovated cotton warehouses that house about 80 restaurants, pubs, night spots, hotels, shops, galleries, and boutiques. Adding to the sight-seeing is a working harbor of huge, building-size cargo ships, tug boats, and sailing ships that are seen plowing the murky waters of the Savannah River. During the day, families stroll alongside the river, eating ice cream cones and browsing in gift shops. At suppertime, people are seen feasting on seafood and steaks in some of Savannah’s best restaurants. Come sundown, Savannah’s night life kicks in, and people amble through the streets as live music reverberates out of pubs and nightclubs. (http://www.sherpaguides.com/georgia/coast/northern_coast/riverstreet.html)

©2009 Ivan Gonzalez

©2009 Ivan Gonzalez

©2009 Ivan Gonzalez

©2009 Ivan Gonzalez

©2009 Ivan Gonzalez

©2009 Ivan Gonzalez

©2009 Ivan Gonzalez

©2009 Ivan Gonzalez

©2009 Ivan Gonzalez

©2009 Ivan Gonzalez

©2009 Ivan Gonzalez

©2009 Ivan Gonzalez

©2009 Ivan Gonzalez

©2009 Ivan Gonzalez

©2009 Ivan Gonzalez

©2009 Ivan Gonzalez

 

Stretch your Dollar

Stretch a dollar - © 2009 Ivan Gonzalez

This is an assignment i did for my portfolio; i thought it would be a challenge to make it work and actually emphasize “Stretch your Dollar” visually. It wasn’t as easy as i thought, but i did end up with exactly what I wanted. I also shot other photos dealing with currency just to have and to fit with that one image.

Heavy Euro - © 2009 Ivan Gonzalez

Empty Vases - © 2009 Ivan Gonzalez

 

Photoshop Wizard?

I am not that bad, i thought to myself after i accomplished this task; I edited this photograph that i shot in downtown Raleigh. They were doing construction around that building, and when i saw this shot i thought to myself: “I’ll just photoshop it”, Yeah Right!!! Well i actually went for it and gave it a try , as you’ll see in the before and After.

Before

After

 

John Dishwasher

I was sent out to scout all over Raleigh for skyline stock photos this past March, I went all over Raleigh, NC. I was walking right on Hillsborough street near NC State University when i saw this note that was posted on a light post. It’s content was kind of shocking due to that fact that it was a touchy subject, a subject to which i had been talking to to a friend just a day or two before i saw this.

I actually went on the site out of curiosity and i found a pretty interesting story, i’ll let you do it for yourself if you’re curious

(: Follow the white box at johndishwasher.org)

www.johndishwasher.org

 

Sombrero Verde

Bueno, si escribo esto es en espanol es porque no tiene caso escribirlo en Ingles. Sombrero Verde es lo que ahora en dia se Llama Mana, que es uno de los grupos mas famosos de todo latinoamerica, y del mundo entereo. Soy uno de los millones de fans de Mana, tanto que me he dedicado a coleccionar posters, camisetas, y porsupuesto Discos, y hasta ahorita tengo 3 Vinyls, uno que es de 1981, donde Sombrero Verde grabo, este vinyl tiene dos lados, con dos diferentes canciones (Lo Siento y U La La La) .Tambien tengo el Vinyl de Sombrero Verde “A Tiempo de Rock”, Los dos los voy a poner en mi pared como coleccion y tambien tengo el vinyl de Sombrero Verde  titulado “Sombrero Verde” que salio en 1981.

La Verdad es que este grupo Mana tiene mucha historia, se les conoce por todo el mundo, les gusta a los ninos, viejos y a los jovenes igual. Mana tiene mucha trajectoria y con mucho talento, Juan, Sergio, Alex y Fher: Miles respetos para ustedes. A seguir para adelante y espero que pronto sepamos algo de en nuevo projecto, se que en Febrero de este ano 2009, empezaron a trabajar.

Arriva Mexico!!!

This Article below is a wiki article from this band Sombreros Verde, who is now Mana. This article is for those of you who are interested in it. it’s in English

Early history

The history of Sombrero Verde (Green Hat) began in 1978, when a group of young men from Guadalajara decided to reunite and play various songs from groups that they admired. It was formed by José Fernando “Fher” Olvera (singer), Gustavo Orozco (electric guitar) and the Calleros Brothers: Juan Diego (bass), Ulises (electric guitar) and Abraham (Drums). Initially they had been called The Green Hat Spies, but soon after they shortened it to Green Hat. Soon after that, focusing on their Latin roots and repertoire to Spanish, they changed their name to Sombrero Verde (translated exactly as Green Hat).

In 1981 they managed to release their first album to the public: It was called “Sombrero Verde”, with Ariola; “Vampiro”, “Professor”, “Long Time”, and “Despiértate” were some of the songs found on the album. Later, in 1983 they released “A Tiempo de Rock” with Fonovisa; Laura, Hechos Nada Mas, and Me Voy al Mar were some of the songs found on this album.

 

Myrtle Beach

Shots of Myrtle Beach, with my POV.

 

Isle of Palms

These are some photos i took while i was at Isle of Palms, SC. After being there a full week and working on a photo shoot set; with almost no time to play, we managed to get out a bit and that gave me the opportunity to shoot some stuff,not much but some. I wish i had a different camera and a good lens.

 

Before and After

Here’s just a random post, a edited photo i did while i was being distracted and out of track.

Bmw Before and After retouching

 

Will Model Card

This is Will, also a model that came in to shoot with us, the commercial photography class of 09 at RCC. This was my first shot of the day in this really dark Alley, i had to really modify the light since even powered down it was bright. This was shot with a 24mm Canon Tilt shift lens, that’s why you can see select focus on some of the photos. I usually shoot with a telephoto lens and it was a bit challenging shooting wide for me, but i got used to it and got what i wanted.