Finding Life in Photography

Introduction

Hey, my name is Tomas. This is my blog. I won’t promise that I’ll post here often, but I like to think that I would.

I’m a software developer and photographer based in Austin, Texas. I have a wife and a daughter. My daughter is currently four months old and I try to photograph around her schedule. It’s tough, but I get out as much as I can.

A little about me – I graduated from The University of North Texas in 2017 with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism (with an emphasis in photography). I have photographed for small publications, and by association have gotten published in larger pubs like The New York Times, The Dallas Morning News, and The San Antonio Express-News. I was a freelance photojournalist for about three-to-four years before Covid took over the world. At that time, I pawned off my cameras and I completely switched careers. I took the opportunity to attend a software engineering bootcamp, named Flatiron School. I graduated from bootcamp in 2020 and started working as a software engineer soon thereafter.

Fast forward four years, and I am now married and have a child. When my wife and I had our daughter, I decided to buy a camera to document her childhood and life. Little did I know, having a child was going to push me into my passion for photography deeper than I ever had been before.

Edisto Beach, South Carolina

July ‘24

Photography

My Camera Gear

Mirrorless Camera: FujiFilm X100V (I try to stick to the 50mm focal length)

Film Camera: Olympus OM-2n with a 50mm f/1.8

Filters: Tiffen Black Satin 1/8 and Tiffen Circular Polarizer

My Style

I shoot street and architecture photography in color. The times of day I shoot are typically early-morning, mid-afternoon, and early-evening. My photography tends to lean more toward the documentary side of shooting, therefore I stray away from interacting or posing my subjects. At times, I might interact if I’d like to be included in the shot somehow, but I find that’s not always my preferred way of shooting.

FujiFilm Recipe: Coastal Chrome or Cinematic Gold from fujifilmsimulations

Where I shoot

I really love photographing the neighborhoods around Austin in the early-morning light. There’s something so serene about how the light falls on the homes around the city. I told a friend of mine the other day, photographing homes in the early-morning light is like taking a slow sip of coffee on a Sunday morning while you lounge on your favorite couch – I love it.

Downtown Austin is also a favorite of mine. I usually start off on 8th and Congress. I head down Congress turn down 5th or 6th, then come back on 4th. On my way back, I usually stop at Houndstooth coffee shop in the Frost Bank building. When I’m downtown I usually like to shoot in the mid-afternoon (around lunch time) or in the early-evening (right after work). I find those times seem to be the busiest and the most fun to shoot. There’s so much life in the city and I absolutely love capturing odd moments.

Why I shoot

Having a job that pays me well allows me the freedom to shoot when and how I want. I’m not pressured by the daily grind of being a photojournalist anymore. I don’t have to pitch to publications to maybe, hopefully, possibly be published anymore.

With the pressures of making a living off of photography stripped away, I now have a sense of self in my photography. I get to marvel at the colors that come from the city, and I get to have fun in how I portray them. Photography has given me the opportunity to appreciate my own experiences in wherever place I might be, with whoever I’m with. Not only that, but the draw of lining up a composition, having a human element walk right through it, and having a moment that just comes together is an unbeatable feeling.