Picture Stories by Stephen Alvarez

Transit of Venus 2012

I don't know about where you live, but the Transit of Venus was a pretty big deal in my little town. Maybe it is because we have professors who are happy to set up telescopes and explain things. Going into the transit I knew I didn't want to try and take photos of the the sun. I figured that is what NASA is for. Instead I wanted to make an image or two about how amazing it is to see something so rare so clearly.

Panasonic GF-2 still going strong after year

My sister married a wonderful man this past weekend. Congratulations Katherine and Paul. It was a wonderful celebration. I am always nervous about which camera to take to a wedding. The temptation is to just take the IPhone, but lets face it IPhone's don't perform well in the dark and that is when things at a wedding, or any party really, get interesting. I decided to take my GF-2, it is not much bigger than an IPhone and works a whole lot better when things get dark.

Look at the photo above from the Panasonic. ISO 1250 looks great. Yes I know the camera has been replaced with a much newer and I assume better version. But the camera in your hand is always much better than the camera than the camera still at the store. I've been shooting the GF-2 for a year now and I still think it is a super impressive machine. Also since you can buy it with a lens for under $400 (DMC-GF2 ) it is even more impressive.

Stephen Alvarez

Sewanee, TN

High Line, NYC

I'm on vacation this week with my family in New York. We -and the rest of the city- are enjoying exceptionally wonderful weather. I shot this on the High Line yesterday with my trusty GF-2. Of all the compact cameras I've owned this one is by far the best.

Stephen Alvarez

NYC

kissing in Florence

Paris is the most romantic city in the world, but Florence has to be a close second. The art, the light, the food, the architecture are all so moving -particularly with good company. Even with all the tourists the best sight is the city itself from the Piazzale Michelangelo. 

Stephen Alvarez

Sewanee, TN

Inexplicable pictures

Inexplicable pictures, we all have them. Pictures that for reasons we can't define speak to us. The roadside photo above from outside Tehran is one of those inexplicable photos for me. I can't say a thing about why I like it, just that it said something about how I felt at the time. I've written in the past that it is important for photographers to keep a visual diary. This photo is definitely part of mine.

Anyone care to share and explicable photo?

Stephen Alvarez

Sewanee, TN