2008 was a crazy busy year.

During 2008 i had the privilege and pleassure of working for people from USA, Canada, Scotland, England, Irak, Austria, Japan, Italy, France, Phillipines, Malaysia, and of course, Mexico. I shot weddings in Queretaro, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico City, Pachuca, Merida, Houston, Cancun, Tulum, Ixtapa, Toluca, Ixtapan de la Sal, Puerto Morelos, Puebla, Guadalajara, Cuernavaca and Cuautla. I won a couple of awards at the WPJA. I have experienced traditions, customs, outfits, and food that i have never seen before. Most importantly, I have witnessed the endearing connections, love and passion that bound people together. The fact that those traits are shared by all people in earth is never more evident than in a wedding.

Also, i hold very dear to my heart the following facts:
- The stars at night in the Yucatan jungle not only shine brighter, they also whisper to you.
- Most people from Phillipines speak also enlgish, and they understand spanish perfectly.
- If you stand inadvertedly in an ant hole in Puerto Morelos, you can get 25 ant bites in 10 seconds (yes, i learned that the hard way)
- A wedding reception in Tulum with a rock band in the beach, while the moon rises from the sea, is a sight you’ll never forget.
- You can catch the most dreadful cold if you go from 32º at Toluca to 96º at Cancun, to 36º at Puebla, to 88º at Cuernavaca in one week (another hard-learned fact)

I once dreamed of photography taking me this far. The dream is in full action. And for that I’m really greatful. The future seems even brighter.

Thanks to all of my clients, for this really fun ride.

Big changes for the new year. I finally force myself to find the time to tackle the definition of a new brand. This change involved people and design studios form Mexico and USA, and tens of hours of work. I have new identity and logo, new stationery, new blog and new website. I have to thank Valeria Degregorio, the head of the art department for a top publisher house in Mexico, for really understanding what my work is about. She came up with my new logo, colors and overall minimalistic design. My very dear friend and colleague Monica Olvera is still helping me with new stationery and some very needed constructive criticism. She’s also a wonderful graphic design artist. The new blog and website are the result of many sleepless nights from my part (i was a software engineer and web developer in a past life

Please, check out every little corner of this blog and the new website, i’m sure you’ll find it very interesting. I have packed a lot of goodies for you! If you have an iPod Touch or iPhone, you’ll be taken automatically to a version of the website where you can navigate the new site with all the functionality.

Also, if you’re on Twitter, we can stay in touch! Hover your mouse over the Twittin’ link at the top menu for some instant Twitter updates.

Ok, that’s it. Enjoy!

Hay un proyecto muy generoso en marcha, se llama “Giving is Awesome” y aunque se lleva a cabo mayoritariamente en USA y Canada, decidí aportar mi granito de arena. Espero que otros colegas se sumen a la causa. Este es el mecanismo:

Seguramente conoces a alguien (una persona, familia, organización) que merezca una sesión de fotografía pero que no pueda pagarla. Nomínalo para recibir servicios y productos de fotografía grátis con un valor de 750 USD. Si tu nominado gana, tú ganarás servicios fotográficos con valor de 250 USD. Fácil.

La fecha límite para enviar tus nominaciones es el 8 de marzo de 2009. El ganador se anunciará el 30 de marzo del 2009.

Para nominar a alguien, usa la forma de contacto en el menú superior de esta página, o manda un email a sl@samuelluna.com incluyendo toda la información necesaria para contactar al nominado, y una pequeña historia acerca de él (o ella, o ellos). Gracias de antemano por participar.

Si quieres saber más del proyecto, visita Giving is Awesome.

Those who know me knows that this change has some time in the making, and we’re proud of the result! Hope you enjoy the new blog.

Algunos de ustedes saben que este nuevo diseño ya tenía un tiempo en desarrollo, y estoy muy contento con el resultado. Espero que lo disfruten!