Results tagged “puerto rico” from The Daily Nugget

While in Puerto Rico I experimented with HDR photography by taking a few exposure bracketed shots on my tripod at night. After getting home, I found that I didn't like the HDR composite images of any of the night photographs that I had taken. The Puerto Rico HDR set was a bust.

It turns out that the best HDR shot that I took was done under duress and without a tripod. I ran out onto the middle of the street and set the camera on the floor to take three shots of La Fortaleza (the governor's mansion). I almost got hit by another car in the process. I thought for sure that there would be no way that those shots would amount to a good HDR composite. I guess I was wrong.

It just goes to show that some of the best photographs come spontaneously out of instinct and not from over-analyzing and setting up artificial shots or angles. This photo is worth me almost getting hit by a car if you ask me.

I just posted the photos from our Puerto Rico trip for all to see.

Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez were on hand for the premiere of El Cantante at the Toronto International Film Festival earlier this week.

The film was produced by Lopez and stars Anthony in the leading role as Hector Lavoe, the legendary salsa singer, and Lopez as his hot-headed wife Puchi. While the film did not win the top prize at the festival, Picturehouse, an independent distributor co-owned by HBO and New Line Cinema, paid just under $6 million for North American distribution rights to the drug-fuelled story of the late salsa pioneer.

The film is a biopic of Hector Lavoe, a Puerto Rican salsa singer who became crazy famous in the late 1960s and in the 1970s. However, despite his incredible success, Hector sought alcohol and drugs as a refuge from his own fame and pain. He survived the death of his brother in a car crash, the murder of his mother-in-law, the death of his father, and the accidental death of his son with his wife Puchi at his side. The weight of these tragedies, in addition to the alcohol and drug abuse, lead him to jump off the ninth floor of a hotel room in an apparent attempted suicide. Those closest to him later claimed that he saw a vision of his son outside the window asking him to come outside. Although he survived the fall he would never be the same from that day forward. He died four years later from complications related to AIDS, which he probably contracted through his extensive intravenous drug use. Also, even though he was wildly successful, due to his excesses he died penniless.

The tragic story of a man that made amazing music. I just can't wait to see this film.

Miss Puerto Rico Zuleyka Rivera Mendoza was crowned Miss Universe tonight. Tonight's win is Puerto Rico's fifth crown in this prestigious event. Miss Japan Kurara Chibana, was first runner-up, followed by Miss Switzerland Lauriane Gillieron, Miss Paraguay Lourdes Arevalos, and Miss U.S.A. Tara Conner.

Amazingly, Miss Japan grew up in the city of Naha, on the island of Okinawa, very close to where Melissa's mom currently lives, and Miss Puerto Rico is from Salinas, which is only a couple of miles from where my mom was born in Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico. Of course, my mom sees the first and second place finish as some omen for us having a baby. But then again the wind blowing is an omen for us having a baby lately.

But I digress. Big ups to Miss Puerto Rico on her win and to Miss Japan for the runner-up. Also, if you can read Japanese you may want to check out Miss Japan's blog for some cool commentary on the Miss Universe Pageant experience. If you can't read Japanese, just check out the pictures. That's what I did.

Why does AI look like he's going to cry in this picture? Well, I'll tell you why. Led by Carlos Arroyo, Puerto Rico beat the U.S. men's Olympic basketball team in a decisive 92-73 victory earlier today. It was the U.S. men's basketball team's first Olympic loss since losing in Seoul in 1988. Puerto Rico outscored the U.S. 28-7 in the second quarter of the game while shooting a scorching 55 percent from the field. I can't believe that the U.S. team, led by Allen Iverson and Tim Duncan, suffered a humiliating Internationally-broadcast beatdown at the hands of my peeps. It's proof positive that basketball is a game won by those with the most heart! Big ups to the Puerto Rican team!