Nan Palmero, MBA

Thirteen Photos from Honduras

Mike Sharrow, Josh Salmons and Nan Palmero traveled to Honduras on a mission trip to IMC and visited Orphanage Emmanuel. Photos were taken with the Samsung NX300 Smart Camera.

In March 2014, @mikesharrow, @salemonz and I traveled to Honduras on a mission trip. We worked with Moises Chino Murillo and his church, IMC to help them develop new leaders in their church. We shared creative communication strategies in presentation, shared with them a framework in growing young leaders and I gave the sermon, in Español on Sunday. It was an incredible journey of growth for all of us, in a dangerous and wonderful place. Here are thirteen photos from the adventure.

School Bus at Internacional Mision De Cristo

Santos' Barber Shop in Colonia El Pedregal Tegucigalpa, Honduras

Tegucigalpa, Honduras Long Exposure from Humuya Inn

Tortilla Maker in Colonia El Pedregal Tegucigalpa, Honduras

Mountain Lookout in Parque Naciones Unidas El Picacho

Jesus Christ Statue in Parque Naciones Unidas El Picacho

Mike and Josh on a Swing at a Pulperia Outside Guiamaca, Honduras

Sunset in Tegucigalpa, Honduras at Cafemania

Nan Reading the Book of Complaints at the Dentist University

The rest of the story…

Photos were taken with the Samsung NX300 Smart Camera.

Thirteen Photos from SXSW 2014

Photos of SXSW 2014 in Downtown Austin, Texas by Nan Palmero photographed with the Samsung NX30 Smart Camera.

The annual SXSW Festival in Downtown Austin, Texas always brings a gazillion people who want to mix, learn, drink, eat and party together from all parts of the world. These were my first photos with the new Samsung NX30 Smart Camera!

Flowers in Jars with Rain at the SXSW Chevy Tweethouse

Nan Wearing Oculus Rift at the Samsung Blogger Lounge

Roi Koi Wearing an LED Helmet at Fogo De Chao Entrepreneur's Lounge Party

Applauze Party Sign Hell X Hell Yeah SXSW Poster

Ben, Deya and Nan at the SXSW Samsung Galaxy Experience

Jesus Saves Street Prophet on 6th Street SXSW

Allison+Partners Dominique Ansel Cronut and Chocolate Chip Cookie Milk Shots SXSW

The rest of the story…

Thirteen Photos from South Congress Austin

Photography of South Congress in Austin, Texas photographed by Nan Palmero using a Samsung Galaxy NX Android camera.

One of the exciting parts of having a girlfriend who loves to shoot photos is the frequent “yes” to the invitation to go on a photowalk. Of course, a tasty drink and a bite at a fun restaurant is in order as well. Here are thirteen photos of quirky South Congress in Austin, Texas.

Leather Chair with Red Legs at Hotel San Jose

Deya in a Hammock at Hotel Saint Cecilia

Skeleton with an Umbrella Street Art on South Congress Austin

The whole batch…

All photos shot on the Samsung Galaxy NX, the first camera to have Android and interchangeable lenses (referral link).

Thirteen Photos from Corpus Christi

A brick oven is a magical device where no matter what you cook in it, your food tastes 10,258,647x more delicious than any other heating element can provide. Once our bellies were full of delicious pizzas, we strolled around downtown Corpus Christi in nooks and crannies to find parts we hadn’t ever seen.

Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church Doors

The rest of the story…

Thirteen Photos from Malaga & Marbella Spain

Nan Palmero | Samsung Camera USA Imagelogger of the Year 2013

January was an interesting month of travel. I was honored and amazed to be chosen by Samsung and Getty Images as the National Imagelogger of the Year 2013 for the United States. The Samsung Imagelogger program shares Samsung cameras, lenses and gear for photographers from amateurs to pros to photograph the world any way they see fit. Imagelogger of the Year for each participating country was sent to Spain for the award ceremony with Samsung and Getty Images executives. We ate delicious food, saw gorgeous sites, took a Jeep Safari and most importantly, connected with other wonderful people from around the world. It was a humbling and fun experience. Here are my thirteen shots from the adventure. My photos were shot with the Samsung Galaxy NX camera.

The rest of the story…

Thirteen Photos from Los Angeles, Las Vegas and The Grand Canyon

Samsung created the Imagelogger program, putting their newest cameras in the hands of amateur and professional photographers. From time to time, they have photo adventures where a few of us are selected and flown to fun locations to take pictures. In January 2014, I was invited to join the talented team from around the world for a photo trip to Los Angeles/Hollywood, Las Vegas and Grand Canyon National Park. Here are my 13 photos from the trip, shot with the Samsung Galaxy NX Smart Camera. You can learn more by following Samsung Camera USA on Twitter – @samsungcameraus and Facebook.

Valley of Fire Nevada State Park Shot with a Samsung 10mm Fisheye Lens

Mountain Bike Riders Looking at the Grand Canyon

The full set from Flickr:

Tiny Blessings for Others

Family Reunion

When I was about 10 years old, my grandma came to visit from Wisconsin. She and I went shopping at the now defunct Winns Department Store. As we were walking out of the store, I stepped over a stuffed animal on the floor. Not noticing, grandma stopped at the toy and called me back to it. Confused and ready for a session of Excitebike, I shuffled back. “Yeah, grandma?” She looked at me and said “Please pick up this toy and put it on the shelf.” I was confused. “Why? I didn’t put it there.” She changed me when she said “Hernan, when you pick something up or you do something nice for someone else, even when they don’t know you did it, you’re blessing them – even when they don’t know it.” Annoyed, I put the toy away. My Nintendo was calling…or paging…or whatever happened back then.

Fast forward a few decades when I’m waiting in line to pick up my SXSW badge with @lydialeavitt. I notice a pen on the ground. Without realizing, I pick it up, walk it over to the counter silently and come back in line. Lydia asks “What was that, Nan?” I didn’t have a clue what she was talking about. “The pen…why did you put it on the counter?” I responded with the story you read above and she nodded. Each time you do this, like anything else, it becomes a part of who you are. So, look for little opportunities to to give tiny blessings to others. Even if they don’t know, you’ve done something special for friends and strangers. You also help me honor my 95 year old grandma Lydia.

Do you have a fun story of how you’ve done this in your life? Share with us in the comments.

These Three Words Will Change Your Life

I’m a fixer. I’ve grown up that way, my friends have always looked to me for advice and answers and I kinda like it. The problem that we fixers encounter is that not everyone wants to be fixed. As my pal Kevin Joyce once told me “Nan, if there’s a fire, you’re the guy to get everyone out safely.” I smiled. He followed my smile by lovingly saying “…but, there isn’t always a fire.” UGH.

In Jason Headley’s “It’s Not About the Nail” video, he illustrates this perfectly. The nail is so obvious to the man, but the woman just wants to be heard. Dr. Mark Goulston’s brilliant book, which I read repeatedly, Just Listen helps the fixers in the room. I’ve found that I less frequently offer an opinion when one isn’t needed of me. Instead I use Mark’s three very powerful words – “TELL ME MORE.” Then I promptly shut up. Mark knows a thing or two about this stuff – he’s a former hostage negotiator trainer.

These three potent words help people calm down and, as Mark says, “identify the specific problems that usually are far short of catastrophic.” This statement tells people you care about what they have to say, what they think and how they feel, especially when you show them you’re genuinely listening by leaning in.

Using “tell me more” has lead to me being thanked. Not because I’ve offered great advice but because I simply listened to the person reason through their situation. Typically, people don’t need us to fix their issues, just be with them. In Chapter 1 of Bob Goff’s whimsical book, Love Does, he says “I used to want to fix people, but now I just want to be with them.” Thanks to these two caring guys, I’m getting closer to living life that way. Do you have something that you like to say to others to help show them how much you care?

Photo by Erik Darmstetter

Thirteen Photos from Idaho

Thirteen photos shot with the Samsung NX300 near Riggins Idaho in Hells Canyon on the Snake River during a hunting and fishing rafting trip with Mountain River Outfitters.

My dad and I did a beautiful Cast and Blast trip down Hells Canyon in Idaho for four days. We had an amazing adventure with the Mountain River Outfitters team from Riggins, Idaho. We cruised down the Snake River for 3 days in a raft with Jess, our outfitter and his dog, Fudge.

Check out the photos from the adventure, all shot with the Samsung NX300 SMART Camera!

You can see the rest of the photo set from the trip below:

Hey Boy…

harrell-2

Harrell Zeekie Browning was an amazing man. He scared the hell out of me when I first met him in 1997. I could hear him yelling at the credit card companies through the walls in the hall of the 600 Building on behalf of his bankruptcy clients. The 20th floor smelled like his cigars. Harrell was larger than life. That man had such wisdom, character and history. His deep and loud belly laughter was infectious and his stories would keep me engaged. He was so damn good at them, I’d listen to the same ones because he loved telling them as much as I loved hearing them. He was a damn hellion and we couldn’t get enough of him.

“Hey boy, did I ever tell you about the time we filled up our commander’s Ford with gas when he wasn’t looking then started syphoning it off later on? He thought he got the best gas mileage and he bragged about it, then he didn’t know what the hell was happening because it was the worst gas mileage. He swore he’d never buy one again.”

“Hey boy, did I ever tell you the time these big shot lawyers came to town and I found out where they were staying? I paid the front desk $100 bucks to call them every hour as their wake up call. They didn’t get a wink of sleep and were exhausted in court the next day.”

“Hey boy, did I ever tell you about my car, “The Vomit Comet?” It was the ugliest piece of shit green color you had ever seen, but goddammit it was fast.”

“Hey boy, did I ever tell you about the time I was a cabbage farmer and the crop price went to hell? Jim and I got out of the car to look at the crop, but I went to the trunk and shot that damn cabbage. Jim hit the deck, he was scared to death.”

“Hey boy, did I tell you about the time I worked for the mental health hospital in Austin? I had to get one of the guys escaped. He was enrolled at the barber college down the road with a straight blade near people’s necks.”

“Boy, there are two good things about sitting in your own shit. It’s warm and it’s yours…but you’ve got to get out of it some time.”

– HZB

Goodbye, friend. I loved you like a grandfather. You died once, but you truly lived.

Harrell Zeekie Browning’s Obituary in the Corpus Christi Caller-Times