Today is BlogDay, a fun exercise where bloggers around the world post an entry recommending 5 blogs. A great way to share new experiences.

Here are 5 of my favorites:

I love Stop Motion (ilovestopmotion.org): Simple and clean way to watch some of the greatest Stop Motion videos created out there.

Robert Scoble’s Blog (scobleizer.com): One of the most informative sources of technology and entrepreneurship activity out there, especially in the Silicon Valley area.

Smashing Magazine (smashingmagazine.com): Are you a digital designer looking for inspiration? This one’s for you.

37Signals’ Blog (37signals.com/svn): 37Signals is a Web company from Chicago with a very focused point of view, always making the Web a better place by sharing ideas and experiences on their blog.

Toni Mascaró’s Blog (tonimascaro.com): Innovation, marketing, and so much more from this entrepreneur in Barcelona.

One more thing… if you are in Palma de Mallorca or plan to visit soon, check out Cafe y Más (cafeymas.net) to find out about some of the best hidden cafe spots in the city. You won’t regret it.

Happy Blog Day!

I’m glad I was able to get her permission to post it here, because nothing excites me more than the opportunity to show you how united and loving this family is on this special night.

Special thanks to Veronica and her loving family for what I’ll always recall as one of the best ways to start a new year: Surrounded by yours!

I’d like to thank Andreu Llabrés for the invitation to take part in a swimming event organized by the Balearic Association for Multiple Esclerosis (ABDEM) on the pool of Hotel Horizonte in Palma de Mallorca on July 11th.

It was an excellent opportunity to both become aware of a disease that affects over 2,000,000 people, and to support (even in the smallest of ways) a great cause. A superb event by the people behind ABDEM, the hotel’s staff, and everyone who came to get wet! And thanks to everyone who participated in similar events across the pools and beaches of the island.

I can guarantee you that this summer alone, there are tons of events and activities in your town organized in support of a great cause. And thanks to the great work of all the volunteers, organizers and sponsors, that number is only increasing every year. You don’t need to know anyone personally to take part or feel like getting involved (I didn’t before this event). So please get out there and take part in one of hundreds of events happening this summer!

Can you think of a better way to enjoy your favorite activity than by supporting a great cause in the process?

Here’s a great video put together in support of Multiple Esclerosis with an inspiring song by U2:

When IB3 first contacted me about recording this we needed to come up with a location, and I’d like to thank Andreu Llabrés for letting us borrow the very same room where we first recorded the 24 hour Timelapse of Palma de Mallorca’s Bay video. What better location to talk about timelapse than this one (it certainly beats the views from my office).

Big thanks to Maribel Rincón for some great photos from the interview.

Thank you Spain! For many things, but above all, for making me feel like a child again.

These images were filmed during the celebration of the World Cup in the Cafeteria Mistic in Arenal, Mallorca, Spain. I simply don’t have words to describe the emotion and feeling of having seen first hands how people from all backgrounds came together to celebrate such a special night.

Special thanks to Noelia and Pedro, to everyone who came out to celebrate the World Cup, and to the National Spanish Team for making history.

The song:
The previous day I had the pleasure to watch David Bisbal sing the song “Wavin’ Flag” from K’NAAN, in a concert in the middle of the Plaza de Toros (bullfighting ring) of Palma de Mallorca, as hundreds of flags were waved, and in that moment I knew I wanted to make something special with this song.

As I edited the video (and tried to hold back tears of emotion), this song kept playing in my head as it described best the feeling we all experienced together on this special night.

Thank you Spain for an unforgettable experience,

-Franklin

Big thanks to Pau Bori for hosting us at the hotel and to Jaime Izquierdo for letting us know about this hidden gem on the island.

Big Yuyu Blues Band Web: www.bigyuyu.net, and their page on Facebook.

You can find this Trio playing every tuesday night at Porto Sóller Hotel.

It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them.  Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you, and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle.  ~Ernest Hemingway

Most people that know me personally have heard me speak about cycling in some way or another.  Whether it was about some grueling hills ride I discovered during the weekend, or in relation to my other business venture Orange Velo, at some point or another always end up boring my friends with what cycling means to me and what I’ve learned from it.

Every year I pick a couple of cycling races to cover as a sports photographer for either printed or online publishing companies, and ever since I’ve lived in Mallorca, I’ve done the Mallorca Challenge, a 5-day tour over the entire island that marks the start of the European professional cycling season.  This year was no different, and I’d like to share some of the images taken during the race, while covering the event for CyclingNews.com.

Why I these races?  I found myself asking the very same question at the beginning of the year when I was asked to do it by the media.  Besides the obvious reason that it helps me to add content to my business in OrangeVelo.com, I believe the real reasons have more to do with how cleansing, clarifying and sharpening the whole experience can be.  Imagine going down a mountain descent at 90km/h and from the back of a motorcycle photographing the action that the cycling peloton plays out as it nears the finish line.  Seeing up close the palette of colors streaking by some of the most beautiful and historic towns in Europe.

No matter how busy things get, I hope to continue adding a couple of these experiences every year.  And if you haven’t had a chance to see a cycling race up close, I strongly suggest you give it a go.  It will surprise you how entertaining the chess match played by the cyclists and their teams can be.  Here are some of the photos from all 5 stages from the Mallorca Challenge this year:

This year since I couldn’t make the trip to visit them in Toronto, Canada, I was invited by my good friend Carlos Bon to spend it with his loving family on the island of Mallorca in Spain.

This video captures some of the warmth felt in the air.

Special thanks to the Bon family for being so kind and welcoming me for a special night.

Filmed on a Canon DSLR 7D, using both a Canon 50mm and a Tamron 10-24mm (for Timelapse) lens, and a LCD ViewFinder to hold focus.

-Franklin