justsimi

[justsimi]

frty

[justsimi]

Lightroom Edit: 001, Portrait Edit Timelapse

[justsimi]

I met this gentleman through Craigslist. Even though this site brings out an overwhelming sense apprehension in most individuals, including myself at times, it's a fantastic place to capitalize lightly used photography and videography gear. Since I've been shooting I can't recall ever purchasing anything brand-new, as I'd prefer to purchase said items refurbished/used on Amazon which often includes a warranty, or in person which affords me the opportunity to get hands-on before purchasing. Anyhow, while online searching for a new, I stumbled upon his ad that listed one of the latest in greatest cameras in production at that time. Truth be told it seemed a little bit too good to true, however I still reached out to him. After exchanging a few discrete text over multiple conversations one afternoon I received one that said "hey simi" from him. Speechless, I was a bit trepidatious to text back as I purposely communicated with him through a third-party messaging app and I hadn't previously mentioned my name. Long story short he had been following me on Twitter for a few months, and recognized one of the photos I had sent him, in addition to the fact he was friends with somebody I was well acquainted with. By the end of it all I end up purchasing his camera and unintentionally made a pretty cool friend in the process. Cheers. Sony a7rii with Canon 50mm f/1.4 USM( by way of the Metabones Speedbooter adapter)

Instagram: @justsimi

[justsimi]

June 23, 2015

I recently sold my RX1(with the external EVF), to fund the purchase of a refurbished Sony A7II with a FE 55mm f/1.8 lens. Due to the simple fact that I’ve only shot with the 55mm a handful of times, I must admit don’t I feel qualified enough to provide a full comprehensive review. With that being said my initial thoughts regarding this lens are primarily positive.

From a purely aesthetic standpoint, Sony ZA lenses are by far my favorite with their remarkable matte black finish, metal focus rings, and conspicuous zen blue Zeiss badges. As expected the 55mm continues the holistic tradition with its gorgeous utilitarian build, whilst being only a few millimeters longer than the Canon 50mm f/1.8 II.

In regards to image quality there isn’t much I can say that hasn’t already been said by countless more reputable sources. This lens is just flat out outstanding. DxOMark(the industry leader in comprehensive image quality evaluation) has it rated as the sharpest lens in current production, besting both the OTUS 55mm($4000) & 85mm($4500).

As for focus speed and accuracy, I generally shoot this lens wide open yet it always hits its mark, but admittedly it isn’t the fastest.

My sole grievance with this lens has to be its price. Though it yields industry-leading performance, I often find myself asking if it was worth its initial price tag of $1000. This is likely due to the fact that it’s my least utilized lens. Having said that I don’t mean to deter anyone from purchasing this phenomenal piece of glass, it’s just that for my style of shooting I sometimes feel as that my money would have been better spent on the FE 35mm f/2.8 or FE 16-35mm f/4. Anyway, thank you for reading this and I hope you enjoy the photos.

[justsimi]

January 10, 2015

Yesterday marked a milestone in my life where I thought all my hard work these past few years would pay dividends, but honestly I was left feeling overwhelmingly disappointed; so much so that I couldn't sleep last night. Trying to pass the time, I logged into twitter(@simitometi). The first post on my timeline was a scripture reading, "Jesus replied, "You don’t understand what I’m doing now, but you will understand later." (‭John‬ ‭13‬:‭7‬ CEB)". I really needed to hear that, just to remind myself the everything will work itself out. I just need to stay in my own lane and continue doing me. He's yet to fail me, so why should I doubt him now? 

Pictured above is my friend Danny. We've come a long way. Initially Danny and I got off on the wrong foot because of my deplorable behavior which consisted of me berating him( and others) because of my adopted preconceived notion that went something along the lines of "better them than me." When considering our love for video games, comics, comedy, sharing similar taste in music, participating in the same sports, and having virtually the same friend group,  it's puzzling that we didn't become better friends earlier.

*Shot with a Sony RX1.

[justsimi]

07-09-2015

Beauty can manifest itself in various forms, from the untainted innocence of children as they play, ignorant to the problems of the world, to the awe-inspiring lamentations of Kid Cudi that comprise the masterpieces that are Man on the Moon I & II.

A few summers ago, the men in my family and I took a road trip to White Sands National Monument, in New Mexico. Admittedly this location was the latest "it" spot to photograph amongst the Dallas Instagram community, and I couldn't help but follow the trend as it appeared to be something of an enigma. From first glance it's very apparent White Sands lacks numerous attributes found then more conventional desserts, for example, it’s missing the usual indigenous ecology( scorpions, snakes, cacti, etc), climate extremes and of course the golden brown sand.

As cool the White Sands was, I found that beauty was in the journey rather than the actual destination. The entirety of the trip was just under 3 full days, consisting just over 1200 miles, and $200 worth of food from Chili's, McDonald's, and numerous gas stations. 

Instagram: @justsimi

*The photographs pictured were taken with a Canon EOS 6D (w/ either a Canon EF 16-35 f/2.8 ii or Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 ii.) or a Sony a7ii (w/ a Sony FE 16-35mm f/4 ZA OSS, Sony FE 35mm f/2.8 ZA or Sony FE 55mm f/1.8 ZA) from

@sony @landroverusa

[justsimi]

06-01-2016

As we grow older our taste pallet changes over time. As a child, my parents saw it fit that we eat at home as often as possible, consuming traditional African dishes comprised of various ratios of rice, beans, meat, fruits and vegetables. At that point of my life I was unaware of the nutritional benefits attained from such a low fat, high protein diet, that still encompasses metabolically efficient simple, and complex carbohydrates. however, this presented an unforeseen dilemma once I reached high school.

With me no longer having to depend on my parents for money or a ride to restaurants I became addicted to fast food, most notably McDonald's where I found myself regularly consuming high sodium/saturated fat items loaded with preservatives and other industrial compounds.

Luckily by my senior year/ first year in college I began to branch out and dine at non-franchise establishments when I discovered how much variation there is amongst locations, how poor the overall food quality is to begin with, and how the detrimental it is to one's health. These photos are from a burger joint in Dallas, Texas by the name of Twisted Root (Deep Ellum location). I had heard about them for quite some time and finally decided to pull the trigger with my friend AG and to my surprise, it did not disappoint. Since then I've been there a handful times, and my only gripe being that they removed chili cheese fries from the menu because the owner wasn't satisfied with the chill equality. Oh well. 

When taking into consideration how much "better" privately owned restaurants are then that of traditional franchise, it was pretty easy for me remove them from my diet. I understand this is a bit of an unorthodox way to go about remedying such a predicament but...... YOLO I guess, so you might as well make the most of it ... until next time.

Instagram: @justsimi

*The photographs pictured were taken with a Canon EOS 6D with a Canon EF 35mm IS USM.

[justsimi]

September 26, 2014

The Internet, or technology rather as a whole, never ceases to amaze me. With it we have the ability to communicate with virtually anyone around the world at any given moment. On September 26th, 2014, I found myself atop of one of the tallest structures in Dallas, enjoying the company of numerous photographers who I admire.  Earlier that week I had met a videographer by the name of Lenox (IG: @lenoxii) at a gas station. I noticed his camera and proceeded to spark up a conversation with him and by the end, we made plans to meet up in Dallas later that week. With that in mind, I saw this as an opportunity to meet up with other photographers who frequently shoot that area as well. Throughout the week, I ended up messaging a few up and coming photographers (IG: @javier_boselli @josephdalcour), most notably a street photographer by the name of Gabe (IG: @slowdownhomie). I’m not sure exactly why but made the quickest connection with Gabe, immediately having multiple in-depth conversations over religion, aspirations, and music. On the evening of the 24th Lenox and I met up with everyone on the 32nd of the building. I was immediately discouraged as that was the highest the elevator could go, however undenounced to me Gabe had already contacted others in advanced about assisting me up the last few flights of stairs. 

When we arrived at the top, I was left speechless. Even though I could see as far as AT&T Stadium (Arlington, TX (19.8 miles, 31.86 km)), Finding a new appreciation for the area regardless of the drastically varying socioeconomic landscape, I spent the first few moments analyzing components that comprise downtown. Even though these photos were well received from the few people I’ve shared them with, I really feel as though I wasn’t able to do justice to this view. Possibly because of the limitations of my gear or more likely my lack of skill at the time. O’well Enjoy!

[justsimi]

Back to reality. Took a brief hiatus from the gram this summer. Weird seeing how much it's changed in such a short amount of time.. (at Engineering Research Building)

[justsimi]

4/18/15 Sony A7ii w/ 55mm f1.8 ZA

Instagram: @justsimi

[justsimi]

5/27/15 

IG: @justsimi

[justsimi]

This is my brother Steven, and I love him to death. Where I am overly methodical and impatient, he is far more easy-going prefers to deal with problems as they arise as opposed to worrying about them in advance like me. As his older brother, I can't help it take credit for teaching him things that I didn't know as age, often finding myself basking in my own pretentiousness. However, as I grow older it's become more and more apparent that he's taught just as much as I’ve taught him, and that in itself is an invaluable gift. Family (immediate or extended) is everything, so show your appreciation as often as possible, because "people rarely get the flowers while they can still smell them (Kanye West - Big Brother (2007))".

[justsimi]

7/12/14

[justsimi]

[justsimi]

07/12/14 11:06:57 AM

[justsimi]

7/11/14

[justsimi]

A Fresh Start.

I decided to purge my tumblr because I didn’t feel it was an accurate representation of my photography and what I wanted it to be. I started this blog with the intention of connecting with other photographers and displaying/archiving my favorite photos throughout the years. At some point I realized I had wavered, finding myself uploading quantity over quality, so… well… yea…