September 1, 2011

Life at F/5.6 and 1/125 of a Second

Me and my childhood dog Coco, at left.

I’m not sure I could even begin to describe how fast life has felt lately. In the past month I have rented my house in Austin, become a landlord, rented an apartment in NYC, picked through the entire contents of my house, donated 70 % of it and then put the rest in storage. Partitioned a few items to take with me to my new apartment in NYC and finally this Sunday I pack all my stuff up and begin my journey to my new home on Monday. Oh yeah and in the middle of all that I’ve had 1 international travel assignment and 3 domestic travel assignments. Whew…

While I was going through boxes and boxes of childhood, college and adult memories, trying to determine what should be saved, recycled or donated I found this photograph. It’s a picture of me as a kid with my favorite childhood dog Coco, on the left.

I remember this moment so perfectly. I remember when my dad took this picture with his big, clunky 35mm Yashika camera. I remember hearing the shutter as he pushed it and I remember him taking just one picture in that moment, just one. And it was perfect, look at it, what a moment. (Although for the life of me I cannot remember who the woman is in the kickin’ bell-bottoms behind me, maybe my aunt or my babysitter…that part is a blur). Man I loved that dog Coco, he was my best friend, I swear that dog could read real human emotions and for me at that age, I had some serious emotions to express. (My dad reminds me of this all the time)

Finding this picture and a handful of others brought back a wave of memories and emotions for me, and that right there is the power of photography. The capturing of a moment, F5.6 at 1/125 of a second can reveal so much about life in any photograph: joy, love, pain, the human condition. Photographs have the power to transport us anywhere. It’s like a massive emotional opening of the floodgates.

That’s what I appreciate most about a single photographic image, it’s meaning and it’s interpretation; it’s potential is endless for every single viewer. That is pretty incredible when you stop and think about it.

As I tape up the last box, toast one final time with my dearest of friends and reach for one last hug I’m thinking about all those photographs of my past and the ones that will be in my future, in New York City all at F5.6 at 1/125 of a second or pretty close to it. The potential is endless.

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August 3, 2011

“On Assignment With Penny” Video: Austin Food Trailers

On Assignment with Penny De Los Santos: Austin Food Trailers from Penny De Los Santos on Vimeo.

This week is the launch of the second on assignment video. It’s an especially personal one for me because it’s about the city I live in, Austin and how I connect with my hometown once back from an assignment.

But even larger than that I think of it as my goodbye kiss to this special city that has captivated my heart since 2003 when I moved here from San Francisco. (If you missed my earlier post, I am moving my photography business to New York City in September)

The food trailer scene here in Austin is pretty exciting, like many food progressive cities in the US some of the most interesting and unusual food happens there. But what I love most about food trailers in Austin is just how simple, casual and good they are. Serving foods that feel like home to me, when I was a little girl, scooping guacamole with diced jalapenos, onion and tomato into soft warm corn tortillas and feeling like it was the best food I’d ever eaten. That’s home, that’s my Austin.

One of my favorite things to do when I get back from a location shoot is grab my bicycle and just ride it everywhere and especially to some of my favorite taco trucks. And that’s just what we did for this video, I invited some out-of-town food obsessed blogger/twitter friends: Gaby WhatsGabyCooking.com , Georgia GeorgiaPellegrini.com , Elise SimplyRecipes.com  and Kathleen KathleenFlinn.com  along for a Saturday evening biking food trailer tour. We have a blast, despite the heat, eating, drinking and just riding our bikes. For me, it’s the perfect Austin evening.

Thank you so much for watching the video and for supporting us as we journey across the country telling about food moments from people we believe have wonderful stories. A few weeks ago we premiered our  first episode of On Assignment with Penny with Boston Chef Joanne Chang of Myers + Chang, Flour Bakeries, if you haven’t seen it, check it out, you are sure to fall in love with Joanne.

Next week I head to San Diego for BlogHer where I am giving the keynote address and then I’m off to LA where I meet up with “On Assignment with Penny” co-producers Diane Cu and Todd Porter again and we continue shooting our video series. Stay tuned for the next release sometime in September. And please tell us your ideas, suggestions and comments. We love them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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July 18, 2011

Dream Big and Leap: Moving to NYC

A few weeks ago I started tweeting with this hastag #dreambigandleap. It said everything for me; I’ve continued to use it as a source of inspiration for myself.

After I did creativeLIVE in May something changed for me. I had a serious internal shift (I know this sounds crazy but I did) After opening my heart and being completely vulnerable to 200,000 people online and many of you I was forever changed. The act of opening myself up like that gave me the most incredible gift. It emboldened me; it actually made me more courageous and brave. Like Eve Ensler says, “the big door inside of me flew open.” For me it flew so open it made me brave enough to see myself and to see what my next step needed to be to reach my own dreams. But more importantly, it gave me the courage to say them out loud and actually do something about it.

We all wake up at different times and over the years some of my mentors have told me that I needed to be in New York for many reasons. I never really heard them or considered it. But when I was in Boston last month, after a serious conversation with someone I respect in the industry I finally heard it. I woke up.

I realized that if I wanted to push myself- my career- even further it was time for me to go back to New York City and throw my name in the ring again at an entirely different level.

Years ago, I started my career there after graduating from college. Full of enthusiasm, hard work, and ready to sweat I pounded the pavement as a photographer. I was at the bottom of the bottom. Assisting commercial and magazine photographers in New York. Barely making a living, squeaking by to pay my rent and bills while sharing a 2-bedroom apartment with 2 friends on the edge of Alphabet City and the East Side in Manhattan. My parents, convinced that I couldn’t get good tortillas and salsa in New York City would send me monthly care packages filled with corn and flour tortillas from their favorite tortilleria and there would always be homemade salsa. A little bit of home.

After a few years doing that I left the city and photography for a small period, maybe 6 months. I travelled to Central America, wrote a lot and thought really hard about what it was I wanted. In the end, well… we know how it turns out. I came back to photography.

And so, here I am. Having hard but beautiful conversations with my loved ones, family and friends about being inspired, creatively growing- dreams- and reaching for them.

I am moving to New York City as a professional photographer, but this time the game is different. I’m established with years of experience under my belt and working relationships with some of the top editors and publishers in the industry.

I say to all of you, whatever it is you want to do, let that big door inside of you fly open, be brave enough to hear it, see it and have the courage to actually do it.

Come with me on this journey, dream big and leap.

 

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July 12, 2011

Video Premiere “On Assignment with Penny” and Chef Joanne Chang

On Assignment with Penny De Los Santos: Myers and Chang, Boston, MA from Penny De Los Santos on Vimeo.

People – mainly friends- beg to come on assignment with me. While it is often fun to consider, I have been able to make it happen rarely. It usually works out when I’m in another country and can use an extra pair of hands on a particular shoot. I guess it happens out of a certain desperation paired with excellent planning.

Late one night in a quiet hotel room, after having a long day on location, I realized that maybe there was a way to actually cause this: to take people with me on assignment, give them an idea of how I work, why I love it, how interesting and engaging the subjects can be, and most importantly how I find inspiration. Or how it finds me. The subject is paramount- the story about the subject – and searching for those moments that make us think and find photographs is very important. For me it is necessary, with every subject, to bring a sense of curiosity and engagement, it’s the best place to find the photographs that transport people to exactly where I am.

But beyond all this I wanted to help people see that being a photographer isn’t about ego or location but more about being open, enthusiastic and a good person, this is where I operate.

I approached producers Diane Cu and Todd Porter (@whiteonricecouple) with this idea; through video we could take people on assignment with me. I wanted it to be gorilla style and totally organic. We would be guided by simplicity and not make it a big production… Could it all be done on iphones? “Let’s find these beautiful subjects and quietly tell their stories as a way to take people on the assignment”, I wrote Diane in a text message. On a shoestring budget we started mapping out our schedules and locations over the next few months.

In Boston a few weeks ago the three of us fell in love with Chef Joanne Chang of Flour Bakery and Myers & Chang Restaurant. After a few meals and meeting her, we decided she needed to be a subject. Our subject. We found that her energy, grace and incredible food inspired us. By the end of our shoot we didn’t want to leave. I personally wanted to spend the rest of my days in a bowl of her wok-roasted mussels. Wow!

So, without further adieu, I give you our premiere “On Assignment With Penny “ video. Special thanks to Joanne Chang and the staff at Myers & Chang for trusting us and letting us be creative and crazy for a handful of hours in June. It was an honor to photograph you.

I want to thank my friends Diane Cu and Todd Porter for believing in this project and the importance of sharing and giving and being completely transparent about the craft of photography, the art of producing it and the daily struggle to be creative. I loved working with you both and look forward to our next location.

As we continue this series I would love input on potential subjects from you all. Our next location for the “On Assignment” series is Los Angeles in August. We have some incredible subjects lined up already but are looking for more. So please, follow us on twitter (@pennydelosantos, @whiteonrice and @riceonwhite) and let us know if you have a great food story that we need to explore.

Thanks so much for reading and watching.

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July 5, 2011

When There Are No Words…

Sunday afternoon, Boston, street photography, iphone image

To all of you that read my blog- I’ve been in the middle of life, finding my way through some big decisions and I haven’t been able to find words for my blog in the last few weeks. It happens I guess.

So when I don’t have words in my life I rely on the one thing I have always had, photographs. This is what I do. Making pictures has always been a way for me to figure out the world, where I fit in and what it is I’m trying to say about it. It’s funny I think sometimes my photographs say more about who I am, how I am, and where I am then I could ever verbally describe, at least that’s what I hope.

So I’m giving you all a few of my photographs in this post, they should say everything.

I’ll be back soon, with words and always more photographs.

self-portrait, me and Pot Roast, iphone image

 

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June 18, 2011

The Long Flight Home

I’ve had a semi-restful night of sleep, and I’m slowly recovering from the last eleven days of shooting in the interior of Mexico. There’s a lot that goes through my mind on the flight home from an assignment. Did I get what I needed? Did I make nice photographs? Did I see everything I could and say something with my pictures? And, finally, did I do the best I could?

It’s funny – as long as I’ve been doing this, those same questions are still always there at the end of every project. Always. Usually by the time I board the plane for my flight home, all I can do is collapse into my seat. For me, the period of intense rest that follows always evolves into a feeling of personal reflection and, with most assignments, gratitude.

This particular project certainly inspired a great deal of reflection and gratitude.  The morning after I got home, I sat down and wrote the client that contracted me for this book project a thank you note.
In the world out there that I work in, there are tons of great photographers. Every day, I find more of them. What makes someone choose one over the other varies, but I’ve learned over time that things happen the way they are supposed to.
I can’t control that decision-making process, but I can control me:  my effort in the field, my attitude about my work, the kind of person I am. None of these are easy, and trust me – when you’re tired and it’s day eight of a shoot, those all become really difficult.
Anyway, you can bet this next weekend will find me sleeping late, taking naps, and most of all, feeling exceptionally fortunate to be here, doing what I do.

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June 14, 2011

Interior of Mexico at Light Speed, III

meat mercado in Oaxaca, Mexico (iphone image)

As I write this post, I’m sitting in an airport about to board a flight to our final location on this photography shoot through the interior of Mexico. I’m en route to Merida, in the heart of the Yucatan.

This trek across five states has been so much more than a photography project for a client’s upcoming book. It’s been more than making photographs – so much more then that. I feel in many ways like I’m seeing Mexico for the first time. Maybe that’s how I feel every time I come to this country. It’s always different; there’s so much to see, taste, photograph, experience.

On so many occasions during this trip, my soul just welled up with pride as I photographed people working in markets, selling comida on the sidewalks, playing endless music in the Zocalos, selling their handmade goods one by one. These are such hard working people, hustling everyday to make a living and always with such sincerity and good nature.

fish market in Veracruz, Mexico (iphone image)

This country has always been a touchstone for me. Traveling the country with two Mexican chefs, assistants and a fixer is perhaps even more special. All of them have their very own personal connections to the people, the places, the food and the land. It’s a heartfelt place from which to work; One that leaves this photographer with so much to consider and contemplate as I quietly try to make photographs that capture the essence of all that I’m seeing and feeling.

It’s an incredible place to work from, I just had to take a minute to try and communicate this to you all, so you knew that this isn’t just hustle, hustle, hustle. It’s definitely that, but I think of it more romantically.  Loving every second, every smell, every scene, all the bustling markets and bright faces and working very hard to try and get all that feeling translated into my photographs. I feel so lucky to be in this place right now, seeing what I’m seeing and doing what I’m doing. I’m so very grateful. Thanks to you all for travelling with me.

me, always looking for a new perspective, on a ladder in remote fishing village in Veracruz.

The line of words above me read oil and spark plugs which somehow seem so appropriate for me.

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June 11, 2011

Interior of Mexico at Light Speed, Part II

haunted, mansion hotel room in Puebla

On the second leg of this trek through the interior of Mexico we stopped in Puebla, Mexico.  I had 16 hours total to get the essence photographically of what this place is about. This felt pretty overwhelming but was a good challenge and a ton of fun. Here are two images, travel details that made this location extra special.

First detail is this haunted, creepy mansion hotel room, where I stayed, which felt more unsettling then comfortable. (Thankfully there were no fantasmas/ghosts)

Second, this incredible drink called a clamato.  It’s basically Clamato Juice, with spices (think Bloody Mary) habanera peppers and an ice-cold Corona beer mixed in. Throw that into a 16 hour day and you feel like you can do just about anything. Stay with me on this assignment, next stop, Oaxaca, Mexico.

Clamato Cubano with picante and Corona Beer and spicy shrimp,

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June 8, 2011

The Interior of Mexico at Light Speed

view from hotel in Centro Historico in Mexico City, D.F.

I’m currently in the interior of Mexico working on a ten-day photography shoot for a client. We are traveling to five states. Our first stop is Mexico City, one of my favorite places in the world. We are working at a pretty fast pace and trying to cover a ton of ground in a short amount of time. Cafe de olla, mezcal, a Mexican drink called Una Bandera, small naps in the car and cold showers are keeping me alert and ready.  I’ll check in with more details as this assignment continues; until then, here’s what I’m up to:

Monday June 5:

3 pm – Plane lands, arrive in Mexico City

4 pm – Meet driver, head to hotel

5 pm – Meet fixer and assistant and hit the ground running

5 – 11 pm – Start photographing book project with client

Tuesday June 6:

7:30 – 3:30 pm – Meet driver, fixer, assistant and client.  Head out to start photographing

3:30 – 5 pm – Lunch with crew

5 – 7 pm – Rest for a few hours in preparation for evening photography

7 pm – midnight – Photograph street scenes, light, people, places

Wednesday June 7:

Get up and do it all over again

Una Bandera, 3 shots consisting of sangrita or in this case neon colored tomato juice, tequila and lime juice…yes, this will get  your energy up and going

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June 1, 2011

On Assignment with Clara…I mean Penny

The image you see here is of Oscar, my driver on my most recent international assignment in Honduras. I know this may sound fancy, but after waking up at 2 a.m. to catch a 5 a.m. flight and then traveling three hours to get to the shoot location after landing, I decided that hiring a driver to meet me at the airport was perhaps one of the smartest decisions I’d make for this assignment. And, I have to admit; after landing in a strange new location, seeing Oscar standing there holding a piece of paper with the name my family gave me on it gave me a certain sense of relief and made me feel welcome.

For the record, my given name is Clara. And you’ve got to roll the “r” when you say it to do it properly. Here’s a trick: pretend that the letter “D” is in the middle of my name, as if it is spelled “Clada.” Now say it out loud: “Clada.” CONGRATULATIONS – you just rolled your “r”!

Clara is a family name, taken from one of my favorite Tias who is perhaps one of the funniest people I have ever met. Shout out to Tia Clara! Penny is a nickname give to me at birth. That’s another blog post for another time…maybe…

I’m in the middle of a crazy week; I have a cover shoot today, and I am speaking at the International Association of Culinary Professionals’ Annual Conference on tonight and again Friday to about 500 people. Then, I’m leaving on Monday for a ten-day photography project through the interior of Mexico. But I didn’t want to leave without sharing this little nugget about my life on the road. Hope you enjoyed.

Check in later this week; I’ll post some production images from this cover shoot.


 

 

 

 

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