The Pixels in Pete's World

A self-portrait: “Some days you’re the pigeon and on others, you’re the statue.”

Thanks for visiting and taking the time to comment. I feel I should explain my policy about comments you leave. I will edit your comments to remove typos and some grammatical errors without changing the “spirit” of your comments.

I would hope someone do the same for me. Sometimes we get so carried away by what we want to say, we don’t proof-read before we hit the “submit” button.

If I feel your comments are out of line because of your choice of language, they’ll be removed. That doesn’t mean I won’t allow dissenting opinions. It’s all in how you say it.

And one more thing… from time to time you might find an ad which is objectionable on the right sidebar. I make a concerted effort to monitor the kinds of ads. If one or two creeps in, I apologize.

With that said…

I haven’t been using a computer, specifically a Mac, for very long. I bought a G3 powerbook back in 2000. As one of the first staff photographers to shoot with a digital SLR at the newspaper I worked for, I had to jump in not knowing anything at all about Photoshop.

I wasn’t supplied any books or manuals, just the ones for the camera. It’s a wonder how I managed to even get pictures in the paper everyday back then. Nor was I given any time off to take any classes.

There was no re-training whatsoever. Typical of many newspapers, the higher-ups didn’t see the point in spending money like that.

It didn’t matter that most of my fellow photographers had no idea what photoshop was. Somehow we survived the transition from film to digital.

Needless to say, I ruined many an image because I didn’t know better.

When I left the newspaper in 2004, with only a shoestring budget, I bought a very used G4 1.25 GHz dual processor PowerMac.

I also bought books spent lots of time online, got involved with the local Mac user group and the result is my website.

Just about all the content you see on this site from videography, editing, compression, smattering of flash and of course the photography is mine.

Today, I freelance, shooting various events, a few weddings a year, and I also create portraits on location. I also teach photography part-time at Riverside Community College.

I’ve even been featured on tv by the local San Bernardino PBS station KVCR. This first piece was on a 97-year-old local community activist Eddie Dee Smith.

The second occasion was for a workshop called Pose, Spot, Pose Hosted by UC Riverside’s California Museum of Photography, my good friends Carlos Puma and John Welsh, organized a seminar on how to photograph pets.

Carlos, also a professional photographer, and I showed kids how to handle digital cameras while  John, public information officer for Riverside County Animal Services, provided the animals.

Feel free to comment or say hello. Thanks for visiting my blog and website.

[wpcf]