How I use Notion to Curate Content for my Newsletter

Leonardo Mascaro April 20, 2021

I've been using Notion to collect and curate most of the content I've been sharing in my weekly newsletter, and I'm finally in a comfortable place with my workflow. Thought I'd share here in case it may inspire someone to do something similar. My workflow basically happens in 4 steps:

1: Daily Journal

My daily journal pages are directly connected to my content databases, through the use of relations, and every day I am tracking the things I'm watching, listening to, reading, or playing. Note that I use one separate database for each type of media. Some people prefer one database for all, it's just a personal preference here.

2: Recent Content

About once a week I visit a dashboard I call "Recent Content", which shows me all the content I consumed within the past month, all contained in toggles organized by type of content. It serves two purposes: a reminder of things I consumed, and a chance to mark the content as "to share", meaning that it's something I may want to share in a future issue of the newsletter.

3: Content to Share

Similar to the one above, "Content to Share" is another dashboard that shows me content I consumed organized in categories, but this time filtered to show me only content that I previously marked as "to share" and have not yet shared in any issue before. Being able to look at all the content in a visual way, on one single page, allows me to notice possible themes, ideas, connections, that otherwise may not happen.

4: The Newsletter Template

Inside my newsletter dashboard, I have a database that stores all the ideas, upcoming issues, and the archive. As part of my housekeeping routine, the day after I publish the latest issue, I go back to its page and make sure I link all the content shared in the respective fields, again through the use of relations, since all my content databases are also related to my newsletter database. This not only makes it easier for me to remember what I shared on past issues but also ensures that this content won't be visible on the "Content to Share" dashboard.

I hope this was helpful! Let me know if you have any questions or even ideas on how to improve the system!

4 ways to get creative with Music Photography

Leonardo Mascaro October 27, 2020

Music Photography has been my bread and butter for the past 8 years or so, and over this time I experimented with a lot of different styles and techniques, in order to get away from ending up with the same images over and over. So here are 4 of my favorite ones that I try to incorporate into my work as much as I can:

1. In-Camera Multiple Exposures

Obviously, there’s no other way to start this list without mentioning Multiple Exposures, a technique that I like to use pretty much in any type of Photography I do, and for which I became known. These images planned on the spot and created in-camera (read a tutorial here), making it for always intriguing and interesting images:

Jessica Meyer (live at BAM Café, NYC 2017)

Rosemary Minkler (live at Bowery Electric, NYC 2018)

Choro das 3 (live at Sheen Center, NYC 2019)

2. Slow Shutter

Music Photography is almost always associated with faster shutter speed to freeze the moment and create timeless images. But rules are meant to be broken and sometimes all you gotta do is be ready to think outside the box:

Backup Planet (live at Brooklyn Bowl, NYC 2017)

3. Narrow Aperture

And speaking of rules, another common one is to keep your aperture as wide as possible, since you’re (most of the time) photographing in low light situations and need as much light to get to your sensor. But hey, who said that you cant bump up your aperture once in a while?

Raye Zaragoza (lleve at Irving Plaza, NYC 2019)

Mars Motel (live at Knitting Factory, NYC 2017)

4. Using a Prism Filter

More recently I began to experiment with using prisms in front of my lens, and the results are so incredible (when shooting a visually interesting artist and background) that it becomes almost impossible not to use it all the time. These were taken with Fractal Filters.

LGBAC Symphonic Band (live at Symphony Space, NYC 219)

Emily King (live at Central Park SummerStage, NYC 2019)

Corinne Bailey Rae (live at Central Park SummerStage, NYC 2019)

A Quick Guide to Long-Exposure Photography

Leonardo Mascaro August 20, 2020

The Long Exposure is a very popular Photographic technique vastly explored especially by Landscape and Architectural Photographers, but that can be utilized in many other situations as well. By definition, “a long-exposure (or slow-shutter photography) involves using long-duration shutter speed to sharply capture the stationary elements of images while blurring, smearing, or obscuring the moving elements. Long-exposure photography captures one element that conventional photography does not: an extended period of time.”

Basic Camera Settings:

On a Long Exposure photograph, the most important camera setting is your shutter speed, and that is the first thing you should worry about. There’s not an exact number that characterizes a “long exposure”, so that number will change accordingly with the scene you’re photographing and the results you are trying to achieve. If you want to do a panning holding the camera with your hands, 1/15th may do it, but if you are photographing a landscape and want the clouds to blur out, you will want to put the camera on a tripod and expect to let it open for a few seconds, at least. So once you figure out the shutter speed, the other two elements (aperture and ISO) will adapt accordingly. You will probably want to keep your ISO as low as possible, to avoid noise, and the aperture will vary depending on the lens you are using and which part of the scene you want in focus. But remember that every time you change one element, you must adjust the other two to keep your exposure balanced. In order to have full control of all the elements individually, you will want to be shooting in manual mode.

Here’s an image that perfectly illustrates how different shutter speeds can affect the same subject or scene:

The Classic Look:

The sunset (and beyond) is probably the preferred time of the day for Photographers attempting to do long exposures, the reason I like to call this “The Classic Look”. That’s when you normally see the clouds moving, the water looking very silky, and sometimes a light trail here and there:

© Leonardo Mascaro • Fujifilm X-T2 + Fujinon XF16-55mm (13s / f 22 / ISO 100)

© Leonardo Mascaro • Fujifilm X-T2 + Fujinon XF16-55mm (60s / f 22 / ISO 100)

Here is another example captured at night, but notice how much faster the shutter speed was, compared to the other images. That’s because bridges are structures that move a lot without us realizing, so a much longer exposure would end up being shaky. In this case, there’s nothing moving on the images, but a longer exposure helped me to capture more light keeping the ISO pretty low and avoiding noise in the photograph:

© Leonardo Mascaro • Fujifilm X-T2 + Fujinon XF16-55mm (1s / f4 / ISO 200)

© Leonardo Mascaro • Canon 6D + Canon 16/35mm (3.2s / f 5.6 / ISO 100)

Zooming In and Out:

For this series, I used the technique of zooming the lens in or out, while the shutter remains open, but in this case, I was holding the camera with my hands and had a much faster shutter speed. Because I couldn’t use a much longer shutter speed, I had to use a wider aperture and much higher ISO, to keep the exposure balanced:

© Leonardo Mascaro • Fujifilm X-T2 + Fujinon XF16-55mm (1/30 / f 2.8 / ISO 800)

Here are two very different shots taken with the same camera settings from the exact same spot. I always like to show these two together as an example of how the exact same scene, with the exact same camera settings, can offer you such diverse results. It’s all a matter of being creative and trying different things:

© Leonardo Mascaro • Fujifilm X-T2 + Fujinon XF16-55mmF2.8 (10s / f 16 / ISO 200)

Double Exposures:

By now you probably know how much I love Double Exposures, right? So, of course, I’ll take the opportunity to use it anywhere I can. Here are two examples combining Long Exposures with Double Exposures, in the first case blurring the second shot, and in the second image zooming out during the second shot:

© Leonardo Mascaro • Canon 6D + Canon 16/35mm (30s / f 22 / ISO 100) — © Leonardo Mascaro • Canon 6D + Canon EF 70-200 2.8 (30s / f 22 / ISO 100)

© Leonardo Mascaro • Canon 6D + Canon 16-35mm (1s / f 22 / ISO 100)

Light Painting:

This is my first and only attempt of doing “light painting”, which consists of using handheld lights to paint and/or draw in a scene while the shutter of a camera is left open during a long exposure. Back then I didn’t have a remote control or an app on my phone to control the settings, so the longest I could keep my shutter open was 1 second, which was enough to capture some of the action in a decent way.

© Leonardo Mascaro • (1s / f 4.5 / ISO 100)

Infra-Red:

These next two shots were taken using an effect called Infrared, which it’s basically the ability of your camera to see light in a much longer range than our eyes can see. This can be obtained by using infrared film, infrared filters (attached to digital cameras), or by converting the sensor of a camera to be always seeing light like this. These were taken using an infrared filter in front of the lens, and because the filter cuts all the usual lighting, you are forced to do very long exposures to be able to capture enough lighting passing through the sensor. The final results are timeless black and white images, or the more dreamy ones, sometimes referred to as “false-color”:

© Leonardo Mascaro • Fujifilm X-T2 + Fujinon XF16-55mm (30s / f 11 / ISO 200) with an infrared filter.

You can see more examples of Infra-Red Photography by clicking here.

Photography Gear:

So here’s the basic gear that you’ll need to get started with Long Exposures:

A Camera that allows you to control the settings manually. This is the camera that I currently shoot with.
A Tripod, to keep your camera steady. You want every still object to remain still, and all the moving parts to be captured moving. This is the tripod that I currently use. Not the strongest or tallest one, but it gets very compact and light, perfect to carry around and bring with you when traveling. Make sure you get a tripod that will properly hold the weight of your camera + lens combo.
A Remote Control / a remote trigger / or even an app on your phone that can control your camera. Anything that you can use to avoid you having to press the shutter because even that can cause the camera to shake and ruin your picture. If you don’t have access to a remote or an app on your phone, you should at least use the timer on your camera to delay the shutter to go off a few seconds after you press the button.
A Neutral Density filter, known as “ND" - these are used to reduce the amount of light that gets to the camera, allowing you to do long exposures in bright sunny days. Think of it as putting sunglasses in front of your lens.
An Infra-Red filter, if you plan to experiment with that, this is what I use. Make sure to double-check the size of your lens before buying.
And a lot of Patience! Just imagine that you may be spending a couple of hours on the same spot, trying to nail the shot by repeating various long exposures until you get the perfect one.

Final Thoughts & Inspiration:

Whether you are a beginner, intermediate or advanced, a hobbyist or a professional, Long Exposures are still a great way to practice Photography and learn (even) more about your camera, as it constantly makes you think about all the different settings and forces you to slow down and think about all the aspects of your image. To finish things off, here are a few of the Photographers that inspire me every time I think about Long Exposures:

Bryan Minear, who has a very classic look but with GORGEOUS color processing, which I’m very attracted to.
Clive Carpenter, proving that you don’t always need a breathtaking landscape or intriguing architecture to create interesting long exposures.
Susan Magnano, who does incredible light paining on landscapes and urban environment;
Marc Koegel, with a dramatic black and white look, achieved a lot by very intense post-production;
And last but definitely not least, Reuben Wu, who does an extraordinary job mixing up Landscapes with Light Painting.

Before & After: Williamsburg Bridge

Leonardo Mascaro August 7, 2020

This is not going to be a post about why every Photographer should be always shooting in RAW mode, but to talk about a specific tool inside Lightroom instead: the Transform tool - which in my opinion, is one of the most powerful ones.

As an Architecture enthusiastic, I'm a huge fan of ultra-wide lenses, giving me the opportunity to fit much more of the subject in the frame without having to move that farther out. But one of the disadvantages of using a wide-lens is that, the closer you get to your subject, the more distorted it will look in the frame, especially on the perimeters. Unless you are using a tilt-shift lens (like a 24mm or a 17mm), of course, which wasn't my case.

When revisiting some photos I took of the Williamsburg Bridge (NYC) back in 2017, I came across this classic view under the bridge, from Manhattan looking towards Brooklyn. Before getting into any color correction and lighting adjustments, I focused on correcting the perspective of the bridge, wanting to achieve a more realistic look as opposed to all the distortion caused by the lens. On using the "Transform" panel (normally the third from the bottom), all I had to do in this case was to select the "guided" option and, using 2 lines to guide me, trace them in parallel to each side of the bridge. And just like magic, Lightroom brings back the original perspective that you'd see by standing at the location from where this picture was taken. From there, I manually adjusted the "Aspect" and "Scale" little by little until I got the results I was looking for.

Williamsburg Bridge, NYC | © Leonardo Mascaro

To finish up, I went through all the usual basic adjustments I normally do for all my work, to achieve the lighting and colors of my signature style. Here's a before and after of the process:

📸 • Equipment used to take this photograph: Canon 6D + Canon 16/35mm 2.8

🎙 • Soundtrack while writing this post: Partir, by Nuven

The DO’s and DON’Ts about being a Photographer’s Assistant, and why everybody should do it at least once!

Leonardo Mascaro August 5, 2020

Years ago, before Photography became something that anybody and everybody could do, mostly due to the advance of technology and social media, being an Assistant was one of the few ways to start a career in Photography. Being side by side with a working Photographer would give you not only the chance of learning the skills but also to navigate through different situations, from communicating with clients to set-up and break down equipment, to everything post-production related. It was also a way to establish relationships that could lead you to your first jobs down the road.

When I started my career in Photography, about a decade ago, being an Assistant wasn’t something that everybody wanted to do, unless you were specifically looking to get your feet through the door on working in a studio shooting more commercial jobs. In my case, I was coming from a Graphic Design and Video background, so my first experiences as an assistant came from assisting DPs on small film sets, mainly keeping an eye on the gear and helping the cinematographer changing lenses, setting up lighting, backup footage from memory cards, etc. From the start, one of my favorite things about doing that was simply being present and ready to help in any way that was within my expertise (or sometimes not). From there, I assisted a couple of different Wedding Photographers and a couple of studio portrait sessions. But after that, I ended up moving forward with my own shoots, back then almost exclusive in the Music Photography spectrum.

NYC | © Leonardo Mascaro • Equipment used: Fujifilm X-T2 + Fujinon XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR

Until about 6 years ago, already living in NYC, when I started to help out assisting other Photographers, more towards studio/portraits/commercial shoots. In parallel to spending most of my time shooting Music, I then started to slowly explore the world of Architectural Photography and, once I realized I was truly interested in the subject, the natural path was to connect with more stabilized Photographers in the field and go back to assisting, which I’ve been doing for the past 3 years or so. But to my surprise, the more I did that, the more I realized how much I enjoyed being the assistant and wasn’t necessarily rushing to get my own clients.

→ So here are 6 reasons why every Photographer should consider being an Assistant:

You will slowly learn the skills and specifics for that type of Photography;
Even if you already consider yourself good, you will still end up learning a lot, since us Photographers tend to do things differently from one another;
More importantly, you will learn how to navigate through different situations during the Photoshoot;
It’s an opportunity to step back, be helpful and absorb as much as you can about everything that’s happening around you;
It’s one of the best ways to create a good impression and connect with other people in that field you are interested in;
At the end of the day, you get to go home and don’t have to worry about post-production, communicating with the client, etc, unless you are also responsible for that, of course, which is not always the case.

→ The DO’s when assisting on any type of shoot:

Always be humble and prompt to help;

Don’t go out of your way trying to give suggestions or teach anything to the Photographer, unless you feel you are welcome or (even better) if you’re being asked to do so;
Have a “problem-solving” frame of mind;
Act like the Photographer’s second pair of eyes and make sure everything is running smoothly;
Stay positive and enjoy the experience!

→ The DON’Ts when assisting on any type of shoot:

Don’t use your cellphone during the shoot! Unless (obviously) you are asked to make a phone call, check something online, etc. Otherwise, don’t keep checking your notifications every 5 seconds, seriously.

Don’t engage in conversations with the client, unless they are directed to you. Remember that they are the Photographer’s client, not yours.
Never (I said NEVER) use the opportunity to network, thinking you’ll get jobs out of it. If the opportunity is ever there, the Photographer (you are assisting) will remember and refer you, considering you do a great job, of course.
Bonus Tip: if you have a bag with you, even something small like a fanny pack, keep your keys, wallet, and cellphone there at all times, you’ll be way less distracted and tempted to check all the time.

→ Here is a list of things that may be helpful to have with you in most situations when assisting, because every assistant should carry a few useful tools and save the day:

Lens Pocket: this is especially handy if you are working outdoors, moving around quickly, and assisting a Photographer that needs to constantly change in between a couple of lenses. This way you won't have to reach inside the camera back all the time. Just make sure you get the one that will fit the lens(es) you will need to carry, of course;
Gaffers Tape: This is a super strong and versatile tape that is easy to use and to remove it (depending on the surface). You've probably seen it and didn't know the name;

Multi-Plier: A multi-tool that folds nicely and you can carry all-around with you. You may not use it all the time, but you'll be thankful to have one when the day comes;
Sharpies: Always good to have a couple (or more) around, to be able to mark and label diverse things;
Utility Knife: Another one that you may not use all the time, but can come useful on occasion;
iPhone Charger: who doesn't want to be the popular person on the set always ready to save the day when someone needs to charge their phone?
Multi-Card Reader: this can be handy especially if you're working on a set where pictures will be downloaded on the go;
Lens Care Kit: extremely useful to have in your kit and be able to quickly clean a lens or a screen;
Hex Key Set: as the multi-tool, you may not use this one all the time, but it's nice to have with you;
A small bag: and in case you don't want to bring all of this loose inside a backpack, you can use a smaller bag like this, or even smaller, depending on the kit you are planning to carry around. You can get creative here, based on your style and size you need.

In-Camera Multiple Exposure With the Fujifilm X-T2

Leonardo Mascaro July 22, 2019

Multiple Exposure in Photography is not a new technique by any means, but it’s definitely still very enjoyable and, surprisingly, not explored by that many Photographers.

In a film camera, a ‘multiple exposure” consisted in pressing the shutter to take a photograph, but instead of advancing the film to the next frame, you would recompose, press the shutter again, and that second image would superimpose the first one, creating the most various effects depending on the lighting conditions and subject matter. Later on, with the advent of Photoshop, people started experimenting the same effects in the digital world, by simply layering different photographs on top of one another and playing with opacity, masks, bleeding modes, etc.

But what most people don’t realize is that a lot of the current digital cameras are also capable of creating the same ‘multiple exposure’ effect natively, without the need of a post processing software. I remember when I upgraded my DSLR from an entry level to a full-frame model, the one key feature that I knew my next camera would absolutely have to have it was a multiple exposure setting. I haven’t looked back since then, and it’s something that I am constantly experimenting with, on my personal projects, and also for some of my clients that are also attracted by that look.

(© Leonardo Mascaro - 1/200 sec at f/3.2, ISO 1600 - 70mm (EF 70-200mm f/2.8)

The difference between DSLR and Mirrorless system for Multiple Exposures:

I always loved shooting multiple exposures on a DSLR camera, but there’s one thing on the mirrorless system that makes it even more enjoyable: the electronic viewfinder! When you’re shooting multiple exposures on a DSLR with an optical viewfinder, you have no idea how both images will blend, unless you are looking at the back at the camera, instead of the viewfinder, which is not always a good idea. With a mirrorless camera, like the Fujifilm X-T2, assuming that you are using the electronic viewfinder (highly recommended), once you take the first shot, you will be looking at it while framing the second one, until you fire the shutter for the second time. It’s magical to see the effect being created right in front of you even before you actually do it!

(© Leonardo Mascaro - 1/500 sec at f/16, ISO 800 - 55mm (XF16-55mm f/2.8)

The only minor issue, for me, is that the Fujifilm camera automatically converts your double exposure file into a JPEG (even if you camera is set to shoot RAW only), as with other DSLRs I tested, the camera maintains the file as RAW, allowing you have much more control in post processing later on. Hope they are able to change that in the near future.

“So where do I find the multiple exposures setting in my Fujifilm X-T2 camera?”, you may be asking… Well, they couldn’t make it easier than this:

All you need to do is turn the bottom of the left dial from S (single frame) to the icon right next to it with the two “overlapping” photos, and you are ready to start experimenting! Take your first shot, accept it or retry (if you’re not happy with your first frame), and look for the second shot to be combined.

Many people will say that it’s much easier to jump into Photoshop and combine as many layers as you want with endless possibilities, but I personally still think that it’s way more interesting and fun when you are in a location and create unique images with what you have available right there for you. Here are more images to inspire you to try and have fun next time you’re out photographing:

(© Leonardo Mascaro - 1/500 sec at f/16, ISO 800 - 16mm (XF16-55mm f/2.8)

(© Leonardo Mascaro - 1/500 sec at f/4, ISO 200 - 55mm (XF16-55mm f/2.8)

(© Leonardo Mascaro - 1/640 sec at f/8, ISO 100 - 55mm (XF16-55mm f/2.8)

Equipment used:

How To Take Double Exposure Photos Without Photoshop

Leonardo Mascaro June 23, 2017

I was recently featured on Format Magazine, where I could share a little bit of my process and approach when creating multiple exposures on camera, as you can see on my "California Exposed" series and many of my concert photos.

You can read the whole article in this link and find out how did I create some of these images below:

3 Brazilian movies on Netflix

Leonardo Mascaro June 12, 2017

If you’re into foreign films and are looking for something different to watch on Netflix, check it out this three great Brazilian movies available on the streaming service right now:

• Aquarius (Kleber Mendonça Filho), 2016

The final holdout in her historic beachside building in Brazil, a retired music critic refuses to sell her apartment to developers bent on demolition.

• The Way He Looks (Daniel Ribeiro), 2014

A new classmate transforms the daily life of a blind teenager who longs for independence and disrupts his relationship with his best friend.

• The Man From The Future (Cláudio Torres), 2011

Accidentally inventing a time machine, Zero returns to college to avoid losing his dream girl. But how many times will he have to change the past?