Carranza Collective

Joel Carranza is a professional geek who enjoys making beautiful things. While the nature of that beauty varies from day to day, his passion always gravitates toward the intersection of art and technology. As a student at Caltech, he studied computer science with a emphasis on computer graphics and data visualization. After college, he worked as a research assistant at the Max Plank Institute in Saarbrücken Germany, studying the capture of human motion. He is currently working at Gatekeeper Systems, a small software company which develops mapping software for utility companies. In his free time, he craft simple tools related to web design, photography, writing, and cartography. On occasion, he designs web sites for good people.

Joel can often be found with a camera in hand. He shoots digital and film, hi-fi/lo-fi, and all manner of things in between. His favorite subjects include cityscapes, industrial infrastructure, eclectic junk, bicycles, and the occasional pet. When he's not slinging pixels or bits, he enjoys strong (black) coffee and good beer, as well as hiking in the california wilderness. In 2010, Joel completed the John Muir Trail, a 210 mile hike from sequoia to Mt. Whitney. Taking (too) many photos along the way, he is currently editing them for web publication.

Joel hails originally from the gulf coast of Mississippi but now lives in New Orleans, Louisiana with Toi, his delightful life partner, two cats, and a dog. He can be reached via email at joel.carranza@gmail.com or via twitter.