let it snow
Originally uploaded by Luis Reyes.

The snow started a few days ago while the drinking water advisory wasn't even finished. Off to the nearest park we went ( http://reyeslp.smugmug.com/gallery/2179040 ). The slopes if you can call them that wasn't very steep but for us wus' it was just right. Even Yolly got into it. The following days didn't snow but it was so much fun to see the city so white. ( http://reyeslp.smugmug.com/gallery/2182185 ; http://reyeslp.smugmug.com/gallery/2182161 ). And while it was kind of gloomy/quiet for the first 2 days the sun came out and it was even more beautiful ( http://reyeslp.smugmug.com/gallery/2186942 ). I had to hang around Granville Island when Ashley was dancing so I took an hour to shoot some night pictures. It was freezing but it was invigorating. And it was beautiful ( http://reyeslp.smugmug.com/gallery/2187800 ).

boiled or bottled

boiled or bottled
Originally uploaded by Luis Reyes.

An advisory was issued 2 days ago. Apparently all the rain and storms had caused turbidity in the water system and was deemed unsafe for the Vancouver Mainland. People rushed to the stores and it wasn't long before all the bottled water supplies had run out. We found some at a Staples Store but retail price was kind of steep. We eventually found the Simply H2O store on Main and Marine which I remembered from times I have passed it. I bought the last water bottle at the store and had to come back 4 hours later to pick up the filled bottle. A storm is forecast for tomorrow and could mean that it will be like this until the end of next week. Yesterday by the way was horrible. Starbucks and other coffee shops were not equipped for this situation so we had to go without coffee for an entire day. It was terrific to be able to get some coffee at Starbucks this morning.

Saturday Soccer

Saturday Soccer
Originally uploaded by Luis Reyes.

Soccer in Canada come rain or shine. Soccer leagues for the girls are in the fall and winter. The schools play in the spring. I suppose it's because of the lack of facilities since the boys play opposite. The weather isn't really suited per se as the nicest time for the weather is the summer (June, July and August) but of course the kids are off then. So the game goes on except when there is snow. When it rains, the game moves from the grass fields to the gravel fields. And us parents watch come rain or shine. I shoot all the games that my girls are in and I shoot all the players so the whole team look forward to the pictures after games.

birthday lady
Originally uploaded by Luis Reyes.

Happy Birthday Yo. Have a great day. Oh yeah, here's a video of the dinner party: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7UYGHIUFwI .

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forecast - wet conditions
Originally uploaded by Luis Reyes.

It doesn't look good for the weekend. It will be a soggy weekend for soccer...One hand on the umbrella and one on the camera. November is the month for rain for Vancouver and it's shaping up to be so. We had a couple of days where the sun and the rain have been struggling for control but the rain won out. At least it isn't as cold, the last few days have been bitterly cold.

wedding story

wedding story
Originally uploaded by Luis Reyes.

I was the main photographer at my nephew's wedding. A week later I am still PP. Digital has its disadvantages...you take a lot since it doesn't cost anything. And a lot can be fixed depending on your PP skills. I liked the original image but I have been playing around with b/w which saves a lot of pics that are blurred, incorrect exposure. Problem is that just about anything can be saved but it does chew up a lot of time.

I had a terrific time. In a way sort of since I was so stressed from being the main photographer. What made it a great experience was that my mom and all my brothers and sisters were all there. While I was officially the main man, my brother Jun and brother-in-law Sal also took photos. That made me more confident that between the 3 of us, we would get just about every shot possible and we did, almost, although I think we still missed a few here and there...sigh. My brother Joey I also discovered knew just about every trick there is when doing photo shoots. This was from his time when he was an art director. He saw things that I normally overlook. I wish he was around to do more shoots with, along with Jun and Sal. Colleen, my sister-in-law, also helped with some of the setups. We did a great job.

I wanted to go straight

I wanted to go straight
Originally uploaded by Luis Reyes.

I have gotten sidetracked since I shot a wedding in February. The wedding was held in the worst possible weather and lighting conditions. I basically shot the entire wedding with flash. On top of it I did not assert my right as the photographer to get the shots which needed to get done. I did the best under the conditions but with very little light is was so-so. I have learned a lot since then and I think I could do better but still it demoralized me to the point that I stopped. I did another wedding recently and I have regained some of my confidence. I am now trying to get re-organized. The past few days have been spent exploring blogs, youtube and dotPhoto and although it has been fun, I am not getting anywhere. I have also reverted to playing with Ashley's camera (Sony DSC P52), a point and shoot, and though it is a fun camera I am not sure it will get me where I need to be. I have to regain my singlemindedness.

Private Garden

Private Garden
Originally uploaded by Luis Reyes.

I stumbled on this garden a few weeks ago and I wanted to include this in my blog. I go by this house all the time and I've always noticed the garden in the front yard. I decided to stop and shoot the trees in the front yard and when I saw a man working on the garden I made a remark that the garden was beautiful. A few minutes later he led me to the backyard to view this wonderful garden. Other pictures are here: http://flickr.com/photos/reyeslp/sets/72157594344133372/

I never really noticed the Japanese maple until a few weeks ago when I was taking pictures of one and got to talking to the owner of the house who then showed me his back garden (http://flickr.com/photos/reyeslp/sets/72157594344133372/ ). With autumn in full swing, the red colors of the leaves really stand out. It wasn't until this morning when I took a picture of one of the trees in the neighborhood and then drove around a little bit more did I realize that there are quite a few in the neighborhood. I assume it is all over the city. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_Maple

Scrounged up all the cameras that appear to be more useful for blogging than the DSLR that I have been using everyday. The Sony DSC-P52 is a nice little point and shoot. It is light and with the big LCD screen it is much easier to shoot with. Specially when I am in the car trying to take pics while I am at a stop light or an intersection. LOL. The video camera will provide better video than the P52 will so I will try to use it when I want to do video.

Youtube, Blogs and Flickr

Youtube, Blogs and Flickr
Originally uploaded by Luis Reyes.

Rain, rain and more rain. So why not try something new. Off I went to YouTube to load a video. Took forever but finally loaded at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GU8SKi26tB4. Then off to blogger.com to start a blog. That led me to create this blog: http://reyeslp.blogspot.com/. Now to post this pic to the blog and off I go.