Grain is Good.

Photography means many different things to many people.  Whether it is just a hobby, a profession or an art-form, it’s very much a part of the Human Culture.  I consider it to be my craft.  This blog is just one of the many ways that I try to contribute to the culture.  I do this for the love of Photography.  If you'd like to support this blog, check out my photo book and zine on Magcloud. 

Malasimbo: The First 8 years is a photobook nearly a decade in the making.  There was a point in my life that I wanted to pursue photography as a career.  Around that same time, relatives from half-way 'round the world in the Philippines were organizing a music festival and knowing that I had an interest in photography, I was invited to document the festivities.  I didn't have any inkling at the time that I would be going back and forth every year just for this pokey little music festival.  For practical constraints, Malasimbo has recently changed venues.  So I thought what better way to honor it as well as contribute to the zeitgeist by putting together a photo book of the first 8 years in its original location.

LAG TIME is a zine I started.  The premise is to do a photo walk over the course of a long layover or a weekend trip in a city that I've never been to or have always wanted to go.  The aesthetic is pure Street Photography.  I don't have a real destination in mind but it's more about documenting the journey along the way.

All publications are available in both print and digital formats but as a Photographer, I cannot stress the importance of being able to hold your work in your own hands.  It's one thing to tag someone on Social Media but it's something completely different and more personal to hold a physically tangible artifact that doesn't need battery life or a screen to view.

 

Malasimbo: The First 8 Years.

By Renato Valenzuela in Photo Books

154 pages, published 12/17/2019

Something I've been working on that had me going back and forth to the Philippines for the better part of a decade, Malasimbo Music and Arts Festival is one that is truly unique. Situated just outside the municipality of Puerto Galera on the island of Mindoro, Malasimbo has played host to musical acts both local and international and was the first of its kind in the region. I'm very proud to have helped document this festival and hoped to have…

 

LAG TIME: 14 Hours in Hong Kong

By Renato Valenzuela in Lag Time

28 pages, published 6/24/2017

About 3 years ago after having been back and forth to the Philippines from the United States for the 5th year in a row, I had the bright idea to search for the longest layover possible since there are no direct flights to Manila from New York. Last Year I visited Tokyo. This past March, I found myself in Hong Kong for 14 hours. I wasn't going to let it go to waste.
LAG TIME: 36 Hours in San Francisco

By Renato Valenzuela in Lag Time

38 pages, published 12/17/2019

A short trip I took to San Francisco a couple years back. Only now did I finally get around to turning it into a Zine.

 

 

But if none of these interest you, I'm saving up to build a Time Machine and I'm going to need a lot of coffee to work it all out.

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