ROLL #4. COLD PHOTOS.

7 de abril de 2016 by fateuser.com Leave a comment

(Pictures taken in Lithuania)

These photos were shot with a Zenit E (1975) with an Industar-50-2 3.5/50 lens and Fujifilm Superia 200 film. Developed at my old and local film lab back in Kaunas (Lithuania) as the previous rolls I’ve already developed.

I shot this film in December 2015 between Lithuania, Estonia and Finland.

(Fotos hechas en Lituania)

Estas fotos fueron tomadas con una Zenit E (1975) con un objetivo Industar-50-2 3.5/50 y un carrete Fujifilm Superia 200. Lo revelé en el laboratorio fotográfico donde he llevado mis anteriores carretes en Kaunas (Lituania).

Disparé estas fotos en Diciembre del 2015 entre Lituania, Estonia y Finlandia.

(These pictures were taken in Estonia)

Little by little and shot after shot I’m getting more used to the analogue photography. Still is a whole different world. You need to have in mind everything. Is like shooting on manual mode with a digital camera but you can’t see what’s the result just after you shot it.

You have to trust your instinct. Also, I think that by shooting more with analogue and a bit less with digital I am becoming a better photographer. I think more the shots. I just don’t shoot like crazy, instead I take my time to look for what exactly I’d like to capture.

(Éstas fotos fueron tomadas en Estonia)

Poco a poco y disparo tras disparo me voy acostumbrando cada vez más a la fotografía analógica. Aún y así, es un mundo completamente diferente. Tienes que tener en mente todo. Es como disparar en modo manual con una cámara digital pero que no puedes ver el resultado justo despues de hacer la foto.

Tienes que confiar en tu instinto. También, creo que al hacer más fotos analógicas y un poco menos con la cámara digital me estoy convirtiendo en mejor fotógrafo. Pienso más en la foto. No hago fotos a lo loco, en cambio me tomo mi tiempo para ver qué es lo que realmente quiero capturar.

(These pictures were taken in Finland)
I am really happy about how these pictures turned out. You need to have in mind that when shooting in Finland we had temperatures of -15ºC, and I was quite worried that the Zenit E couldn’t stand such low temperatures. But once again I had to remember that it’s a Soviet Camera, and where it was built it was really really nasty cold. So it all went good.

(Éstas fotos fueron hechas en Finlandia)
Realmente estoy contento de como han salido las fotos. Ten en mente que cuando estuve haciendo fotos en FInlandia teníamos temperaturas de -15ºC y estuve bastante mosca con la idea de que la Zenit E no pudiera soportar temperaturas tan bajas. Pero, claro, tuve que recordar que es una Cámara Soviética, y donde fue construida hace mucho mucho frío. Así que todo fue genial.

MEDTROTTERS

13 Things you should never do to an Italian

10 de marzo de 2016 by fateuser.com Leave a comment

1. Mess around with their food.

Italians feel passionate about their food. Sometime ago I tried to make the comparison between Spanish and Italian food. Well, mistake.

2. Skip the two kisses part.

See, that’s a funny thing. After living for 5.5 years in Lithuania I got used to not kiss anyone. They find it disrespectful. And oh, first cheek is the left one. In Spain we put first the right one. This can lead to quite awkward situations. Or not. 🙂

3. Drive slow.

Recently I had the wonderful chance to be back in Italy. I also got the «wonderful» chance to be allowed to drive. Holy molly! You better speed up. They don’t just simply drive, they fly. And if you go to the normal (within legal limits) speed, they will show you their lights and the sound of their honks! Get ready!

4. Over-gesticulate with hands.

Italians are world-wide known for being people who speak with hands. They might not realise it but they do it a lot. See, the problem comes when you try to «mimic» them. They will end up telling you «Ma che cazzo stai facendo?» which in english means something like «dude, drop it».

5. Over cook Pasta.

Probably you’ve heard of this expression: «Al dente» which means still «firm to bite» but not soft. If an Italian ever encounters an over cooked pasta, or how they call it «scotta» they probably will throw it to the toilet. Which brings me to the next point.

6. Have a bathroom without a Bidet.

Now, if you have never seen this, the «other white thing» next to the toilet is called a Bidet and it’s used for the hygiene of the genitalia, anus, inner buttocks and perineum (the part of no-one, between anus and balls or anus and vagina). See, Italians are quite hygienic people which means that about 97,857% of the population (totally invented number) use it. Going into a toilet, making poo, and realising that there’s not a Bidet next to clean up, means anti-hygienic apocalypse.

7. Say Expresso.

Before you shout, I know it’s written Espresso, I just wanted to mess around a bit. Italy is Passion. Italy is Coffee. They mastered the art of brewing coffee and they want you to appreciate it. Do not ask for an aberration like frappuccino, vanilla latte… in Italy, because, even though they sound Italian, they are definitely not. Actually here’s an interesting article of what coffees you should ask for in La città eterna.

8. Ask if they are part of La Mafia Italiana.

There’s such a misconception that relates the southern part of Italy with mafia. Well, let me rephrase that. There were (and still are) lots of problems with the Maff, but they only represent a ridiculously small percentage of the population. Chances are that if you know an Italian person probably they will know someone close to them that has been affected by any of these Organised Crime Groups. So, be careful, it’s a quite sensitive topic.

9. Ask if the belong to Lega Nord.

Similar to the point above, there are few radical ultra nationalistic and right wing people living in the north of the country. But, unfortunately, this happens in almost all the countries in the world. If you never heard about Lega Nord then it’s okay, but if you have and you happen to know some Northern Italian, asking them if they belong to that group is like asking a German if he’s a nazi. Of course, like in all the scenarios, there’s a small possibility. Be careful my friend.

10. Talk about Hawaiian Pizza.

Who in seven hells invented this aberration? Oh yeah Canadians, not Italians. If you ever suggest an Italian to ask a pizza with Pineapple, they might kick you out of La Patria.

11. Say that Christopher Columbus was not Italian.

Cristoforo Colombo, was a «presumed» Italian born in the Republic of Genoa, who sailed from Europe to «discover» America. You better don’t get into this fight of «but was he really Italian»? There’s not an easy way out of there. Talking from my own experience.

12. Do you eat only Pizza and Pasta?

Of course! And they only drive vespas and everyone lives in Rome or Milan. Duh… Italy is a world known country for its absolutely magnificent cuisine; Risotto, Minestrone, Zuppe, Tiramisù, Polenta… and many more!

13. Are you all gay?

In Italy, and especially in the north (Milan) they give much importance to the appearance and fashion. There are many men who would be considered as metrosexual (a usually urban heterosexual male given to enhancing his personal appearance by fastidious grooming, beauty treatments, and fashionable clothes) which often is mistaken by homosexuality. There are lots of gay people too, but not EVERYONE is gay :).

*Disclaimer: I’m not Italian, just a Spaniard that loves my neighbouring country. If you think I should add something else on this list, let me know on the comment section down below! 🙂

*Extra:

Here’s my first video speaking in broken Italiano! Hope you like it! 🙂

Visit PoliLingua for high quality italian translations and other professional language services.

MEDTROTTERS

11ª Carrera Enoturismo Aldeanueva de Ebro

9 de marzo de 2016 by fateuser.com Leave a comment

Following the preparation for my First ever full Marathon, I saw that there was one race between wineyards, the 11ª Carrera del Enoturismo in Aldeanueva de Ebro, happening very close to where I live. It’s 11,4km and, even though I’m not supposed yet to run such long distances (yesterday I did run that distance though) I can’t wait to participate in another race.

The race looks nice, great sightseeings and there will be no provisionings during the whole race, only at the very end. Well, it’s not something that worries me excessively since I’m used to train without drinking water nor taking any type of food suplements for such «short» distances.

Siguiendo la preparación a mi Primera Maratón, ví que había una carrera entre viñedos, la 11ª Carrera del Enoturismo en Aldeanueva de Ebro, no muy lejos de donde vivo yo. Son 11,4km y, aunque teóricamente no debería correr distancias tan largas aún (ayer corrí esa distancia de todas maneras para probar) tengo muchas ganas de participar en otra carrera popular.

La carrera tiene muy buena pinta, grandes paisajes y no habrá avituallamientos durante la carrera, sólo al final de la misma. Bueno, no es algo que me preocupe excesivamente ya que estoy acostumbrado a entrenar sin beber agua ni tomar ningún suplemento energético para distancias tan «cortas».

I’ll bring my GoPro and document the whole experience, so that if you weren’t able to participate you can live the race from «the inside».

Nevertheless, if you’d like to run that race in Aldeanueva de Ebro, La Rioja, Spain, you can inscribe on this link.

From the pictures that I saw, it sort of looks a bit like a trail run, lots of field and nothing urban. I like it. Reminds me of one race that I ran a couple of years ago.

Here’s the video 🙂

Me llevaré la GoPro y grabaré toda la experienca, ya que si no puedes particpar podrás vivir la carrara «desde dentro».

De todas maneras, si quieres correr la carrera en Aldeanueva de Ebro, La Rioja, España, puedes inscribirte en haciendo click aquí.

Por las fotos que he visto tiene bastante pinta de trail run, mucho campo y camino y poco urbano. Me gusta. Me recuerda a una carrera que corrí hace un par de años.

Aquí tienes el vídeo 🙂

MEDTROTTERS

#RoadToKaunasMarathon16 – 14 Weeks left.

7 de marzo de 2016 by fateuser.com Leave a comment

I started running on 2013. I got more and more into it and on the 15th of June 2014 I ran the longest distance ever (for me), a half marathon (21km).

The next year should have been the year where I would run the full marathon, but somehow I lost my motivation on the way.

But that ain’t going to happen this year, because on the 12th of June 2016 I’m planning and I will run the Kaunas Marathon, 42.195 km, which will be the longest and hardest race I’ve ever done in my life.

Empecé a correr en 2013. Cada vez me gustaba más y por eso, el 15 de Junio del 2014 corrí la distancia más larga hasta entonces, una media maratón (21km).

El año siguiente debería haber sido el año donde hubiese corrido la maratón entera, pero de alguna manera perdí mi motivación en el camino.

Pero no volverá a pasar este año, ya que, el 12 de Junio del 2016 correré la Maratón de Kaunas, 42.195 km, que será, sin lugar a duda, la carrera más dura que he hecho en mi vida.

I decided also to do as I did here a long time ago, share, week after week, my workouts and my feelings during the whole preparation, because in this way you will be able to follow how I prepare for my first marathon.

He decidido también, como hice por aquí hace tiempo, compartir mis entrenos semana tras semana y también mis sensaciones durante toda la preparación, porque de ésta manera podrás ver y seguir como me prepara para mi primera maratón.

I started with a couple of runs this week, 5k and 8k, trying to not go very fast (actually I should have run a bit slowlier hehe) so that my legs can remember what running is and I can start to get some muscles growing.

I’m feeling absolutely great about this. Didn’t feel tired while running but felt my legs heavy, especially after the first day and the 5k. I assume it’s only a matter of time, step by step, but happy with the workouts this week and even happier to start this project and share it with you!

Empecé con un par de carreras esta semana, 5k y 8k, intentando no ir demasiado rápido (aunque en realidad debería haber corrido más lento jeje) para que así mis piernas se puedan acordar de lo que es correr y de ésta manera pueda crecer algo de músculo.

Me siento realmente genial con esto. No me sentí para nada cansado mientras corría pero sí sentí mis piernas pesadas, sobre todo después del primer día con los 5k. Supongo que solo es cuestión de tiempo, paso a paso, pero estoy super contento con los entrenamientos de esta semana y más aún de empezar este proyecto y compartirlo contigo!

MEDTROTTERS

Postcards from Milan

28 de febrero de 2016 by fateuser.com Leave a comment

For the second time in this month of February, I came to Italy to visit my girlfriend. This time we had few days to explore the Northern part of the country. She lives very close to Milan, so staying there one nigh felt like a must. The best thing was to let myself go while exploring the city. She’s a local, she knows where to go and she knew exactly what I would love to see.

Por segunda vez en este mes de Febrero, he venido a Italia a ver a mi novia. Ésta vez teníamos varios días para explorar la zona norte del país. Ella vive muy cerca de Milán, por lo que quedarnos una noche en la capital Lombarda era prácticamente obligatorio. Lo mejor fue dejarse llevar mientras exploramos la ciudad. Ella es una local, sabe donde ir y supo exactamente qué me gustaría ver.

On the next morning, after having a quite chill and lovely night, we decided to go explore a bit more the city. Finally I could find the piece I needed for my camera gear, the Capture Clip which definitely helped me (and still will help me) to step up my photography level.

A la mañana siguiente, después de tener una noche relajada y agradable, decidimos salir a explorar un poco más la ciudad. Por fin pude encontrar la pieza que necesitaba para mi equipo fotográfico, el Capture Clip, que definitivamente me ayudó (y me seguirá ayudando) a mejorar mi nivel como fotógrafo.

MEDTROTTERS

POSTCARDS FROM MEXICO

19 de febrero de 2016 by fateuser.com Leave a comment

Even though it was 4 years ago, I still can remember it like if that happened yesterday. It was the very first time for me outside of Europe and the very first time traveling so far. An outstanding experience. The resort we stayed in was very similar to the one we stayed in the Dominican Republic.

Aunque fue hace 4 años, aún puedo recordarlo como si fuera ayer. Fue la pirmera vez que salía de Europa y sin lugar a dudas la primera vez que viajaba tan lejos. Una experiencia increíble. El resort en el que estuvimos fue muy similar al que estuvimos 4 años después en la República Dominicana.

MEDTROTTERS

MATKUSTAMINEN

18 de febrero de 2016 by fateuser.com Leave a comment

As you probably remember, on December 2015 I had the wonderful chance to spend a week with my friends traveling around the northern part of Europe, otherwise known as Lapland.

Seguramente recuerdes que en Diciembre del 2015 tuve la fantástica oportunidad de pasar una semana viajando con mis amigos por el norte de Europa, una zona conocida como Laponia.

It was by far one of the best experiences I had in my life. The nature, the cold, the company, the 4 nights spent on a bus… The Aurora Borealis!

Fue, sin lugar a dudas una de las mejores experiences que he tenido en la vida. La naturaleza, el frío, la compañía, las 4 noches que pasamos en el autobús… La Aurora Boreal!

That’s why (and due to the fact that I always film whenever I travel) I decided to put together a short film-documentary called Matkustaminen, which means journey in Finnish and it’s the final résumé of the journey I had. I hope you like it!

Por eso (y debido también al hecho de que siempre que viajo grabo) he decido editar un pequeño corto-documental llamado Matkustaminen, que significa viaje en Finés y que es el resumen final de mis aventuras. Espero que te guste!

MEDTROTTERS

Roll #3. Burnt.

20 de enero de 2016 by fateuser.com Leave a comment

I will remember this roll for a long long time. I gave my camera to Ginevra so that she could photograph her journey in Stockholm and Copenhagen. One day into her journey I get a message telling that the camera got stuck and there are no more pictures to be taken. «That’s weird – I told her. I only took 6 pictures with that roll, so, theoretically you should have 30 more shots.»

After she got back to Kaunas (where I lived at that time, I don’t live there anymore) I saw that there were still some pictures to be taken. So we did so.

Things got weird after I shot 50 times with a 36 shots roll. And worst of all, I couldn’t rewind it. I decided to open the camera (with the film still inside) to understand what was going on inside. Are you crazy?! (you might think), well, I had no other option. ~~Unfortunately~~ Fortunately there was still some film inside. So it got burnt.

I thought that everything got ruined but anyways I decided to give it a chance and bring it to my lab in Kaunas (which, if I can be honest, I miss a lot). Anyways, it was going to be 2€ to develop the film so, why not?

To my surprise many pictures came out. And with a wonderful burnt effect.

MEDTROTTERS

Instax mini 70 REVIEW.

18 de enero de 2016 by fateuser.com Leave a comment

Few weeks ago, I contacted the guys at @instaxEs asking for a collaboration. They were so nice and responsive and through Wonder Photo Shop Barcelona (the very first one in Europe) they sent me the brand new Instax Mini 70. Well, they also sent me an album and so many refills so that I could use it as much as I wanted.

I have to say that I had some previous experience with instant cameras. Last year I bought for myself (using the excuse that it was my birthday) an Instax 210. The older and bigger sister. Nothing to do one with the other. While the 210 is big and heavy to carry around, the new Mini 70 is probably the most versatile and easy to use instant camera in the market right now. In fact, when I was traveling around South East Asia during this last summer (2015) I carried it around (the 210) and it was most of the time a pain in the ass to have and way too bulky to travel on a minimal way (they way I love to do it so). I wish I would have had then my Instax Mini 70.

At the very beginning of this 2016 I had the chance to spend a 26 hours in Barcelona and I thought that it was the best destination to try out my brand new camera. Or that was the original plan. Since there was a girl that took it from my hands and was using it almost more than me!

The photographer photographed! #Barcelona #Catalonia #vsco

Una foto publicada por Pau Mateo (@fateuser) el 2 de Ene de 2016 a la(s) 9:17 PST

I remember the look on her eyes when we took the first selfie. She was amazed! And to tell the truth it’s a quite fun camera. Her favourite part was when you took the picture and a couple of minutes after you can see the result on paper and live!

If you are looking for a perfect and flawless picture perhaps you shouldn’t buy these type of instant cameras, since it is a bit harder to focus (but they are getting this way easier with the automatic mode on their new model) and to achieve a big quality photograph. If, on the other hand, you are looking for a camera to have fun, a device that you can use to make other people happy and something small and easy to carry around, well, that’s definitely your camera.

That was my best try on making the Review of the Instax Mini 70. If you still have doubts about this camera and you would like to read more «techy» stuff, I found this quite awesome and complete review that you should definitely check out.

MEDTROTTERS

That time I got stolen in Punta Cana.

11 de enero de 2016 by fateuser.com Leave a comment

*Spoiler alert: Be extremely careful, I got stolen at Punta Cana’s international airport.

On the summer of 2015 I got the wonderful chance to spend one week with my family in an all-included-with-cool-bracelet type of Resort. If I have to be sincere, I’m not an all included type of person, but hey, mum and dad were buying so hell yeah!

We spent a wonderful week by the seaside (we did some small trips too, more posts about that soon) where I could invest some time in reading a couple of books and enjoying the Dominican sun.

The last day, on our way back to the airport somehow I felt that something was wrong. Once we had to do the check in of our bags the guy working there asked ‘Where’s Pau Mateo’s bag?’ which I (silly me) said here. I was a bit weirded out by that question because all of us were going to the same destination and since I was doing the check in with my parents it really didn’t matter that my mother’s name for example would be on my bag.

So I left my bag on the belt and I just saw it again at Madrid’s airport. One thing that made me feel a bit suspicious was that the padlock was on the lower part of the bag, because I ALWAYS leave it on the upper part. See, I’m a bit obsessive with these type of things, but in a way it really helps me control my stuff.

Later on, when we put the bags in the car (ready to drive for 4 hours to go home and with the Jet Lag all over us) I realised that the zipper had a small opening, but since I was quite exhausted I didn’t overthink it and went home.

Once I started unpacking and I couldn’t find my laptop charger I started to really feel weird. I kept on thinking where I could have left it. I always double check the room to avoid loosing something and thankfully (knocks wood) I have never lost something of important value. After I saw that my small with extra batteries, chargers and SD cards were missing was when something clicked inside of me. I FUC*ING GOT STOLEN!!

I do spend much time watching YouTube videos. Suddenly it came to my head one video I saw of one guy opening a locked zipper and then I understood how it all happened.

Immediately I started screaming. I was so angry. I ran to the internet to see if it’s a popular place to get stolen and I unfortunately found over 200+ comments on different sites of people having stuff stolen just like me.

Fortunately I didn’t get any pictures stolen. I had my camera and laptop on my backpack. And luckily too we had a travel insurance which covered the expenses of my stolen stuff.

I have to say that it was a pain in the ass. Going to the police, calling the insurance company… but finally I got all my gear back (and new!). In the end it could have been way worse but it wasn’t.

Probably I won’t come back to that airport. I do want to come back to the Dominican Republic though.