Osocarras Photography & Travel Blog

Sundays on the Green Photos

2012-02-04T22:27:00.003-05:00

I know I have been missing in action lately with the photography blog, but you can check out the busy side over at the food blog. (Where I have been hiding so to say)

Here are a few photos from a festival this past Sunday.

New Food Blog

2011-12-17T12:45:00.003-05:00

If you looking for more food to tickle your taste buds and satisfy your stomach, don't worry I just moved the food to our dedicated food blog at The Hungry Photographer. My very own take on good food to satisfy your stomach!

Food Truck Wednesdays on 107th & Bird

2011-12-14T22:12:00.012-05:00

Go check it out Every Wednesday from 5pm to 10:30pm @ 10660 SW 40. St. Miami, FL.

We did tonight, first stop on the food truck list was Papa's Tapas, We saw these guys cook up some good churrasco's at Latin Spice Food Festival on Dec. 10. Tonight we tried the Colombian Ceviche, Chipotle rubbed pulled pork, & the Satay skewers with a side of Colombian coleslaw. First off lets talk about the Colombian Ceviche; a tomato based ceviche with small shrimp, bay scallops, red onions & green peppers. This ceviche is fresh with a unique and delicious taste with a "yummy' side of plantain chips. If you're a Ceviche eater, this is one to try for sure.

The chipotle rubbed pulled pork was inside a crunchy tortilla topped with crisp coleslaw, the pork was tender & juicy with a the bite of chipotle; not too over powering, it was just right. Now for the skewers, presentation was probably the best it came served up with a side of Colombian coleslaw. The chicken skewer was well cooked but a bit well done on one side yet perfectly seasoned and complemented well with a green herb sauce.

Next on the food truck stop was Smoothie operator by JC, Sandy tried the Danie's Dreamsicle, which contains Vanilla ice cream, OJ, Sugar, & powered creamer. If you ever had a dream bar or orange creamsicle (where ever you may be from) when you were a child, then your defiantly going to love this smoothie. Its a cool treat on a hot summer day or night.

Okay! Now for the burgers at Okay! Extreme Burgers, we tried the Italian burger topped with grilled onions, mushrooms, & mayo and possibly pink sauce (ketchup & mayo). This was an over sized burger but not to the point where you cant fit in your mouth. If you love burgers, you will truly enjoy this one. The first bite will have you hooked. This burger was not just Okay! it was fantastic. Special thanks to Gus for the delivery.

The last truck of the night was Perros Express, a Colombian Hot Dog truck, cooking up deluxe perros and burgers. I ate the Don Monterrey Perro, topped with melted Monterey jack cheese, bacon, jalapeno peppers, mayo, ketchup and mustard. The bun was toasty with a soft inside, holding all the toppings firmly on the perro. Far from a simple hot dog but definitely a whole lot of taste.

We didn't have time to continue on to 4 other trucks but we will be back next week on Wednesday at the same time and the same place.

Here's the Links to the Trucks on location:
Like Food Truck Invasion on facebook or follow @foodtrkinvasion

Like Smoothie Operator by JC on facebook or follow @smoothiesbyjc
Like Papa's Tapas on facebook or follow @PapasTapasMIA

Like Okay! Burger on facebook or follow @okayburger

Like Perros Express on facebook or follow @PerrosExpress

Like Que Pinche Taco on facebook or follow @quepinchetaco

Like Los Chamos food Truck on facebook or @LosChamosTruck

If I missed any others please let me know and I will add them, Thanks.

Like Latin food or music? Then go check out...

2011-12-09T11:48:00.004-05:00

LATIN SPICE FOOD FESTIVAL
Saturday, December 10th
Starts @ 12:00pm!

Date: Saturday, December 10, 2011
Time: Festival: 12:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Dance Show: 6:30 p.m.
Evening Concert: 8:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Admission: Festival: $5

Head over to Pinecrest Gardens to sample food & wine from Latin America, the Caribbean, Portugal and Spain. All the fun includes music, dancing, dominoes, cigar rolling, & a market place. There is also an evening concert featuring Grammy Award Winner
Chino Nunez.

ART|BASEL

2011-12-01T12:04:00.007-05:00

Kicking off today December 1 through 4, Miami Beach, Florida, will host the 10th edition of Art Basel Miami Beach. More than 260 leading galleries & more than 2,000 artists showcasing works along much of Miami beach. Much of the talks and seminars will be taking place at Miami Beach Convention Center. We drove around downtown last night and it looks like there may be something going on at Bayfront and most likely near Wynwood Art District. Go check it out! More info at Art Basel, & Wynwood Art District

St. Thomas, USVI

2011-11-26T14:09:00.001-05:00

Ft. Pierce & Sebastian Surf Nov 4, 2011

2011-11-26T11:32:00.000-05:00

Ft. Pierce & Sebastian Surf Nov 23, 2011

2011-11-25T08:50:00.004-05:00

Travel & Updates

2011-11-24T19:57:00.010-05:00

An update before we get into it. Please welcome my wife Sandy to Osocarras Photography, shes going to keep track of appointments and assisting me on photo shoots for now, until I train her on my basic editing for some photos.

Our honeymoon consisted of a beautiful cruise to the Eastern Carribean, unfortunately the weather wasn't the best and we had a total of 4 days at sea (7 day cruise), not a whole lot of fun. One thing was for sure, we were going to enjoy each port of call to the fullest no matter what the weather was like. After departing on Sunday & spending 3 days at sea, we arrived at St. Thomas, USVI on Wednesday. We decided to get the best view of St. Thomas & Charlotte Amalie harbor; only a short walk to a cable car ride (skyride) 700 feet up Flag Hill to the top of Paradise Point. At the top there's a nature trail, restaurant and gift shops. After walking around the nature trails & having lunch at the restaurant it was onward to some tourist shopping on the other side of

Charlotte Amalie harbor. Overall it was a great day off the ship with great food. Only downside was that the city is busy, coming from Miami and expecting to be an island paradise; I was a bit thrown off but none the less a fun day with new experiences.

Day 4-6 in another post.

EPE (Emergency Photo Excursion)

2011-10-26T13:49:00.007-04:00

I'm going to coin this term. Going out on an #EPE (Emergency Photo Excursion), found a beautiful location (tree) in/around South Miami.

You may ask why a tree? It happened a few days ago. Right around the time I was driving around Coral Gables, scouting a few locations for a project. I was on my way back home and decided to take the back roads through South Miami. On the corner of San Remo Ave & Yumuri Street there is a lonesome tree, no leaves just pink flowers. It's amazing & perfect for October! I'm not sure the kind of tree but I have to go today before all the flowers fall off and I miss the opportunity to photograph it. Taking Kimmi & my assistant. Hopefully I'm not too late, wish me luck.

Photo complete! Full Gallery at osocarras.com/epe_102611

MAD HATTER ARTS FESTIVAL

2011-10-18T16:41:00.003-04:00

When: October 29-30, 2011

Where: The Barnacle Historic State Park

3485 Main Highway
Coconut Grove, FL 33133

This is a Art Festival / Mad Hatter Party all around. It takes place at The Barnacle and along the sidewalks of Main Highway. Features artists of all types of media. 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

If you go I would advise you to take a camera, this might get interesting.

Full info @ http://www.madhatterartsfestival.com

The First-Ever Miami & The Beaches Environmental Film Festival

2011-10-13T17:34:00.003-04:00

October 20-23

Thursday, Oct. 20: Opening Night at The Colony Theater, featuring student film competition, special performance, and screening ofRevenge of the Electric Car

Friday, Oct. 21: Free public WallCast of Koyaanisqatsi: Life Out of Balance (celebrating the upcoming 30th Year anniversary of its release) at the SoundScape Theater at New World Center (open seating in the park)

Friday through Sunday screenings (Oct. 21 –23) of award-winning films at the Miami Beach Cinematheque ($10 each)

Tickets:
305.534.3825
Www.mbenvironmentalfilmfestival.org

If you cant wait till next week, check out tonight's screening of The Light Bulb Conspiracy sponsered by MBEFF/Surfrider Foundation.

Location:

Miami Beach Cinematheque

1130 Washington Avenue

Miami Beach, FL

Time: 10:oopm

Oktoberfest Miami

2011-10-13T14:29:00.002-04:00

Enjoy Ẅarsteiner Bier & Bratwürste at The German American Social Club of Greater Miami! They are hosting "Oktoberfest Miami" 2011

I'm looking forward to going as this will be my first year. Full info:

October 14, 15, 16 & 21, 22, 23, 2011
2011 at 11919 SW 56th, Street (Miller Dr) Miami
Entrance is $10.00 for adults, $1.00 for 13-20yrs. Free for Military and 13yrs and under.

Full info at http://www.germanamericanclub-miami.org/

Keep Miami Clean

2011-10-11T00:01:00.006-04:00

Beach Clean-up: Bringing Our Community Together for a Great Cause.

This is a great event, keep Miami clean! We all have a part in keeping our city magical, this is a great chance in doing our part to making the beaches enjoyable for everyone. Let's show our support and attend a beach clean up, down on sunny south beach, Fl.

For those who need a little motivation there will be great raffle prizes with all proceeds going to Keep Paddlin to help keep our beaches and ocean clean! For more info go to www.keeppaddlin.org. (All raffle items and donations are greatly accepted). Check out the even page on facebook!

If you have any questions or would like to make any donations for the raffles, refreshments, OR you have an extra event tent to lend us, please contact Kathryn @ KCareyMIA@gmail.com. (please no SPAM)

When: Sunday, October 16 · 8:00am - 11:00am

Where: 5th Street, South Beach, Miami, FL

Osocarras Photography & Travel Blog

2011-10-10T23:56:00.003-04:00

Welcome to Osocarras Photography & Travel Blog!

I will still be posting photos as well as travel info for our magic city of Miami! I will be traveling around South Florida looking for great eats & places to relax & have fun. I will be showing you all the real Magic City of Miami!

As a bonus I may chime in on a few other travel locales. I will be in the carib in Nov. Stay plugged to Osocarras Photography & Travel Blog.

South Beach Surf - Oct. 5, 2011

2011-10-09T00:24:00.002-04:00

BlackRapid RS-5 Strap Review

2011-10-04T11:20:00.001-04:00

If you or someone you know has a DSLR, you already know how heavy and uncomfortable it can be when wearing it around your neck all day. Well I have been doing that since I started shooting with SLR's.

I first found out about BlackRapid via a Zenfolio Zoom meetup in Orlando, back in August. I picked up some product material & checked out their site. Soon after that I found that WorldWide Foto sold it and went & bought the RS-5.

BlackRapid makes 8 different straps, 2 bags, 4 Add-Ons, & 5 Mods for men & women. The RS-5 is unlike any normal DSLR Strap. It's a shoulder sling strap with mesh padding on the underside for comfort & breathability, a magnetic clasp for silent operations, 2 concealed zippered pockets for memory cards or batteries, phone pocket (iPhone & Droid Galaxy S fit) & business card slot. Material is ripstop nylon. It brings a mounting screw for the tripod socket on the camera or lens & a locking clip for the strap. The strap is worn across your body from shoulder to hip. The camera hangs upside down at the hip or behind your back & slides along the strap.

The best thing about it, it's comfortable, keeps both hands free & the clip to the tripod socket has a screw lock!

BlackRapid sells the RS-5 for $69.95, a good price for the comfort and security of a pro strap.

I give the RS-5 5 Stars!

I will post some detailed photos soon.

Special Thanks to you!

2011-09-24T22:26:00.005-04:00

I would like to say Thank You to a few people I have met over the few months that have helped me with my photography. Thanks to everyone at Zenfolio for setting up national meet-ups (ZOOM TOUR, Zoom Orlando, FL 2011), without you I would not have met Laura Tillinghast. Thank You Laura for sending out a email to your contacts and helping me connect with other photographers. Thanks to Lew Long, you have much knowledge and I look forward to more lessons.

Recently I set out to get some more information on how well my site osocarras.com fits among all the other sites on the web. At the time of this blog I am rated at 3,321,596 globally & 285,130 in the US. meaning that there are more than 3 million web pages ranked better than mine. None the less this is still a great number. So I would like to give a BIG Thank You! to all my fans & supporters!

Cocoa Beach & Smyrna Beach Surf - Sept. 14, 2011

2011-09-23T20:01:00.002-04:00

This week..

2011-09-23T11:54:00.004-04:00

I have a good review for the BlackRapid RS5 Strap and some new photos shot over the weekend. Check out my facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/OsocarrasPhotography I use that a bit more than blogger.

Updates are complete at osocarras.com, with a possible update in the future if I need to change anything.

Update II

2011-09-17T17:27:00.005-04:00

After a few lessons this week & some input; I revamped the site again. With all new updates there are Pro & Cons/ Good & Bad. A few good things are:

Less pages to navigate
More quality images
No Images deleted (all are still in the respected, possibly hidden galleries)

A bit about the new Galleries:

Surf & Sport - A look into the highlights of Surf, Paddle Boarding, Marathons, Triathlons, etc.
Florida & Beyond - A look into my travels from Florida & other locales.
Air & Sea - All things with Flight & Maritime Operations.
Life - A celebration of Life, all things fun together.
Flora & Fauna - Our Natural World.
Print - A Sample of my current Print work.

*I will have a new review for the BlackRapid RS-5 Camera Strap.

Thanks to Zenfolio for allowing the most in customizable galleries & photo hosting without having to delete any images.

If you need hosting or storage of your thousand images, please take a look at Zenfolio.com, ask me for more info or click on any of the Zenfolio banners to save %10 on your first year subscription.

Swell time pt 3

2011-09-09T22:49:00.003-04:00

With the tropics heating up some more, looks like another up coast trip is in store for this week. We will be keeping an eye on Mary as she builds up to send some swell. Lets check in with our weather corespondent..NOAA.

Wed. Sept 14, Mary will be a hurricane & will be positioned East of the Bahamas, sending some wind and possible waves into a small slot to SoFla.

Swell will be hitting the coast on Tuesday. On Monday the periods should be around 10sec. increasing up to 14 sec. by Wed & backing down to 10-12 sec. come Thursday. (Up coast)

Looks like it may just be a Tue - Wed. Event. We shall keep a closer eye on her.

Cocoa Beach Surf - Hurricane Katia swell - Sept. 7, 2011

2011-09-09T02:00:00.001-04:00

Osocarras swell forecast

2011-09-05T12:39:00.001-04:00

NOTE: Let me clear up that I do not work for noaa, news, or weather channel. I have been chasing waves since 2004 when I started surf photography & I have some inside knowledge on weather forecasting.Finally don't get mad because you got skunked & didnt do the homework yourself.

Let's get started!

Should start seeing some small waves coming in up coast by tuesday from palm beach north.

Gulf will be pumping 6-12ft.
That might translate to chest- head high+ at the beach.

Wed 9/7 - Thur 9/8 will be the peak time frame for Ft. Pierce N up to or past Sebastian or Cocoa. The key will be a location that can hold 13-16sec periods.

Friday looks like the peaks will be smaller but still fun. Take some boards & get out there, if it's flat use the SUP.

All new $3, $4, $5!!!

2011-09-03T16:49:00.005-04:00

Just added new products to the all the galleries.

3.5" x 5" small prints or postcards for $3.00
4" x 8" Greeting cards with envelopes $4.00
2 x 3.5" Magnets with round edges (set of 2) $5.00

Check out all the galleries at www.osocarras.com/galleries

Looking for something I don't currently have? Contact Me.

How far would you go..

2011-08-31T18:00:00.001-04:00

..to get the best shot?

What if it was illegal?

What if it meant jail time if caught?

What if you could potentially get hurt?

All these things have gone through my mind in the past few weeks, seeing an image but unable to take it. It's in a busy location, it would be a long-exposure night shot, it could be EPIC! I have always wanted the image but had no idea how I could capture it, now there is a way but..I would have to be quick about it. Stay tuned for the image, I will capture it soon & add it to my collection. You can try to guess via my Labels..

Ahh Katia Where will you go?

2011-08-30T11:41:00.002-04:00

There are a lot of great sites in our wide web of ours, this next photo was from magicseaweed. click on the photo for larger view. Katia might make a move to the NE sooner than expected for us swell seekers in Fla. Swell in the water by at least Sept. 4, wed-sat of next week looks promising.

TD 12 update

2011-08-29T08:16:00.000-04:00

Here are some images, forecast for swell and wave height are for Sunday Sept. 4, 2011. I am not a forecaster but if I had a say, I would have to say this will probally come close enough to send swell our way. So look out in about a week and a half we (sofla) will have surf.

For full report go to www.nhc.noaa.gov.

Invest 92 : Computer Model Hurricane Forecasts : Weather Underground

2011-08-28T14:37:00.004-04:00

Invest 92 : Computer Model Hurricane Forecasts : Weather Underground Keep an eye on this one. I will keep you all posted on what happens with this.

Currently moving W @ 12 mph, max winds 30 mph.

Surf Photo Fun

2011-08-27T22:09:00.001-04:00

A teaser to the full galleries, these were going to be cover photos, now I think they may be too big.

Full Gallery

OSOCARRAS in one photo

2011-08-26T23:13:00.000-04:00

My first word cloud, check it out.

Hurricane Irene - Boynton Beach AM - Aug. 26, 2011

2011-08-26T21:29:00.000-04:00

Hurricane Irene - South Beach Aug. 25, 2011

2011-08-26T17:51:00.002-04:00

South Beach Surf Aug. 24, 2011

2011-08-24T23:03:00.002-04:00

Ban the Bag!

2011-08-23T23:31:00.001-04:00

We all know the plastic bag. There is company called ChicoBag that makes a wide array of reusable bags. I have seen some of their bags at Whole Foods, I usually go for the paper not plastic.

But anyhow..Fast forward to the good part, three of the largest plastic bag manufactures are suing ChicoBag for “irreparably harming” their business. "Sign the petition to say "YES" to the reusable bag movement by saying "NO" to needless wasteful litigation and bully tactics". (Surfrider Foundation)

Say YES to keeping plastic out of our landfills.
Say YES to reusable bags.

There's something about Irene..

2011-08-23T13:50:00.004-04:00

She does look nice in color.

New Gear

2011-08-23T11:00:00.000-04:00

So in anticipation for our stormy week, I decided to go over to my local photo supply store (worldwide foto). Instead of picking up just a simple rain/elements cover, I ended up getting a few other things that were needed.

First off I've never been over to worldwide foto, and the drive over to North downtown Miami/Biscayne Blvd wasn't half bad, it was all the traffic going the oposite direction that had me scrambling my brain for alt routes.They have been at the same location for 35 years, the store is a pretty good size, from first sight it looks like they still specialize in film cameras and film accessories. None the less they still had what I needed and a few other gadgets.

I decided to go with a simple rain cover from OP/TECH USA their rainsleeve is fully clear and formed for a camera body and lens. You pull it over your camera and lens, a draw sting hold the plastic to the front of the lens and there is a small opening for the viewfinder on the other side.There are 2 in a pack. Hopefully they put 2 for multiple cameras and not because of the way it was made or the material.

Second thing I saw was the Tenba wraps. I first saw this in a video somewhere (will post when I find it), it was a perfect wrap for me. I use a Sigma 50-500mm lens that is about 13 inches when not extended. Sigma also included a foam rectangular carrying case with strap. I have been transporting it in this since 2004. The Tenba wrap acts like a cover; inside its smooth nylon with Velcro on all 4 corners & the outside is soft knit for velcro attaching. I wraped my lens like I would a sandwich or maybe how I would make an envelope. Either way this thing forms around whatever you want to wrap.

Last thing I checked out was a product I only learned about this past week at the Zenfolio Zoom in Orlando, FL. Its called the BlackRapid RS-5. I wasn't able to win it during the raffle in Orlando but it stayed with me on a wish list. Worldwide also carries these but were out of stock on this model. Its a shoulder sling harness for SLR's. It combines zippered pockets with a phone compartment & a magnetic clasp with additional pockets. I already plan on having some business cards in there full time. (no more looking for cards) You can store extra memory cards or batteries in the pockets also. The strap attaches to the camera with a hook to fastener for your tripod mount. The hook also locks. Looks similar to what the military use for their AR-15 shoulder slings. You can see photos of this on their site, I might just take a shot when I pick it up next week.

That's all I have for today, I will post when I try out the rainsleeve this week.

Brace for impact!

2011-08-22T11:27:00.001-04:00

We are still in the cone of confusion. Offshore winds are looking better for surf on Thursday & Friday. I have the batteries charging & I still plan on shooting wed-fri.

I will be out there as long as the weather permits.

Swell time for a swell

2011-08-21T01:01:00.002-04:00

Most of us in Florida already know about TS IRENE. Here is the details for Thursday via Magic Seaweed , The peak swell at south beach will be Thursday around 6pm, 16ft @ 9sec. (subject to change of course)

More detailed info comes from nhc.noaa.gov

You will find me on the beach, Wed - Friday.

Osocarras Toolbar

2011-08-20T21:12:00.002-04:00

Its finally here, One toolbar to track Osocarras Photography, compatible on IE & Firefox. Best part it's FREE! Check it out, download if you like if not thats ok, I will still be publishing great posts & photos.
Buttons it offers right now, Facebook (Become a Fan), Twitter (Follow Me), RSS feed (Read my Blog).

Yay the 90's are back again!

Download here.

Thanks!

Good thing I use a watermark..

2011-08-20T18:37:00.002-04:00

I was actually searching for something else with my name and found a link about a past surf Swell from last December. The story was ran on WPTV, channel 5 (somewhere in FL) about an epic Refraction Swell to hit Florida. I read the article and scrolled all the way to the bottom, there I found one of my photos, no credits but I did remember to use a watermark. The full story is found here. Its a good idea to always have a watermark on the images you post online. I can only guess who took the other photos above me, I'm not really sure.

Intros to me & my photography.

2011-08-20T18:03:00.000-04:00

I'm a floridian, born & raised and also a proud Zenfolian & Nikonian. I started to shoot seriously about a decade ago. Some may call me a pro but I dont consider myself a pro photographer. Why? There is always something new to learn and if your a pro then im going to think your around 100 yrs old sitting around or teaching all your knowledge. Point is that hopefully I will continue to learn about photography and in doing so will help me get closer to the " Pro " status.

I'm sure some read the first line and were baffled about Zenfolian or Nikonian. A bit about that.

- Zenfolian (me). I am part of the best photo hosting site that I have ever found. Which is Zenfolio! I have had many other photo hosting sites before, ( I will not talk about them, frankly because I can't remember) but when I found Zenfolio, they worked great during the 2 day trial period that I used them (out of 14 days). Their turn around times for customer service were within the hour or that same day. They offer different hosting options & they work with Mpix for printing. The company is located in San Francisco, CA., in a building that is almost under 100% solar power & also do the standard things like recycling and cutting down waste.

- Nikonian (me) User of Nikon camera's and lenses. I have used all camera brands, but what I am come to love is my Nikon. I also carry around my go to Lumix for all those other shots.

I primary take photos of Action Sports (surf, paddle boarding, triathlons, car racing, etc.) I just started getting into Portraits, head shots, and very limited engagements. And the rest of the photography: Landscapes, Nature, Events, Travel, B&W, I do in between. So I do just about everything.

You can check out all of the galleries HERE.

Enjoy,

First Post for Osocarras Photography!

2011-08-20T15:22:00.000-04:00

I'm new to the blogging world but I do have a lot on my mind. The purpose of my blog will be to show the rest of the world my photography, tell you more about myself, and also to interact with more of you. You can check out my full site at www.osocarras.com. I still have more to post but I will keep this one short for my first!