Photos and comments as I explore my passion for photography. Written to and for myself as a journal to track major moments and minor observations as I continue to evolve my visual art.
I am really enjoying the creative pop from pairing up photos together, then posting on my IG story line. The process of sequencing around composition, content, vibe, etc. to make a short story has been so fun, delightful.
Tokyo | 2018
Pro tip: Keeping my post processing consistent over the last few years helps maximize the pairing opportunities. Good practice for the next book or zine.
I shoot a lot, almost everyday so the camera is on/off, in/out of the bag, etc. Inevitably a setting will get tweaked and it takes me a little while to reset as needed. This time something happened on the settings that I had never seen and could not figure out how to delete, so I just keep shooting.
Kyoto | 2018
Pro tip: It was an in camera multi shot setting! How cool and creative, I have now added it to my skill set. Sometimes you just have to go with the mistakes.
They dart in and out of alleys and doorways, pros at avoiding the tourists and cameras.
Kyoto | 2018
Kyoto | 2018
Pro tip: Be ready for the shot, all camera stuff dialed in, including flash set up. Don’t forget fresh batteries to keep recycle time to a minimum. Then keep shooting!
Let’s see how this looks, ie field test!
San Jose | 2018
Pro Tip: if this looks good maybe there will be more blog posts? Post review from desktop, looks fine for blog post, lets do more.
As I look back on my B/W "style" one of the attributes is having some degree of true black in each image.
Tokyo | 2018
Pro tip: I think this true black anchors the image and also makes multiple images hang together.
A fun night shooting the San Jose Obon festival last weekend. I think it was my 37th time to enjoy the day, food and evening dancing. Of course I wanted to shoot it, with the objective of making an image I have never made in the past.
San Jose | 2018
Pro tip: Keep shooting, don't stop. Over 1K images in 90 minutes, probably a dozen cool shots. And that is why I don't shoot film....
A fun flash workshop this weekend in SF. We worked on the basic technical settings and also practical use with street shooting. The last day had us shooting the Haight Ashbury Street Fair in SF. Definitely an old school hippy SF vibe, a welcome relief from all the political news in the US. The workshop was a good shot in the arm to push my creative process.
SF | 2018
Pro tip: ISO 400, 1/250, F16 flash 1/2 power as a good starting point. Use it off camera, held at chest height with claw style grip. The practice shots were interesting in color, I will need to tweak my post production if using black and white.
A fun night shooting in Tokyo. Actually I was tired, it was raining and frankly had to talk myself into going out to shoot. Glad I did as it was fun but also got some great shots.
Tokyo | 2018
Pro tip: When in doubt go shoot. The motion, the engagement is the real payoff. Some cool shots are just extra, but appreciated!
A fun shoot with Faith who is starting a cool, new sports fashion line. She wanted updated shots for web and promotional marketing as the business plans to launch soon. I was delighted she asked for b/w images with a grey backgound, my favorite!
San Jose | 2018 Japantown Studios
Pro tip: Vanessa assisted me on the shoot and we had dialed in all the lights and camera settings prior as expected. We shot on the Nikon, Fuji and Leica, all with unique renderings. We got some good vertical shots also.
Back to Kyoto, cold and clear weather. Maybe I will get lucky and it will snow as I have always wanted a set of b/w temple shots in the cold.
Kyoto | 2018
Pro tip: I have hat, gloves and scarf, ready to shoot.
I had a fun time teaching a high school photography class yesterday here in the SF Bay Area. The kids had a lot of questions and we also got to shoot using the ProPhoto studio lights. Here are some of the images shot by the students.
SF | 2018
SF | 2018
SF | 2018
SF | 2018
Pro tip: Teaching, sharing is a step on the path to mastery. And of course I learn something from every student.
A fun day shooting in San Francisco as I was attending a gallery show at SF Leica. Chinatown is close by so I often walk there for an hour and watch for interesting images. Here is a complex layered shot that I love.
SF | 2018
Pro Tip: This is probably one of my most layered complex shots with a clear foreground, middle and background focus. Interesting that it does not work in b/w as the lady in the back (red) does not stand out. I need to keep shooting these scenes as you don't know until you look at the edit how strong the image really is.
For 2017 I had a lot of fun shooting, mainly in Japan with 10 trips. My intention was to shoot the local neighborhood and people in Kyoto along with images from the short trips I made into Tokyo. A full day of shooting for me is 1,000+ digital images, a short day is 300-400 shots. Yes this is a lot (maybe why film does not work so well for me) but I learned this from my teacher Jacob Sobol who does this pretty consistently when in shooting mode.
Checking in with Lightroom it shows I took 46,561 photos in Japan during 2017 (probably an equivalent amount in the US including studio and work projects). I "three starred" 3,822 images and then worked this down to 828 "five star" shots, with maybe 50-60 strong photos. From this there are about a dozen I would add to my on going portfolio. A dozen shots I am delighted to have and show for years to come. For me the key is shooting a lot, lucky I find true joy in this process.
Kyoto | 2017 No filter
Pro tip: My intention was to have this focused shooting turn into a book or zine, but I am not sure there is a story line here yet. I may need to step back and look at these shots after some time has passed.
One of the aspects of photography that I find so delightful is the opportunity to not only learn new things, but to then practice them. This exercise of practice is effortless for me, actually brings me much joy. Part of this is that I give myself a lot of permission to fail, with no judgement.
Yesterday I went out open to possibilities in the street, but with a clear intention to practice foreground shooting. Taking it up a level I worked on shooting scenes that developed quickly and finding a way to put a foreground image in play. Not easy but fun to practice. Next level up was to find a gesture then add a quick foreground. This keeps your mind and eyes on alert!
After about an hour of shooting 100+ practice images, I came across this scene, uncropped.
Kyoto | 2917
Pro tip: I love the vibe of practicing and when it pays off, all bonus!
I was lucky enough to start my photography education seven years ago by spending a week with Jay Maisel in NYC. An amazing experience and helped me immensely in understanding not only how to shoot but also what makes a great photo: Light, Color and Gesture.
Palo Alto | 2017
Pro tip: Here is light was poor so we moved around in the house until we found a spot under the ceiling sunlight. ISO needed to be 3200 so the colors were pretty washed out. But the gesture was super! Just a reminder that gesture trumps all in photography.
Now 700+ B/W posts on IG. I have mostly dropped off of FB as the political and paid advertising is just too much for me. IG is much cleaner and full of awesome photographers (for now!)
Honolulu | 2017
Pro tip: I have been very conscious on keeping my IG feed consistent with content and post processing to maintain an integrated portfolio. All kinds of shots but proud of each of them!
I have been practicing shooting with a strong foreground, middle image and background to give the photo more depth.
SF | 2017
Pro tip: When starting off I find a stationary stable foreground object that is easier to work with. Set this up and see how the scene develops. Looking for foreground, middle and background.
It was a family holiday but I made some time to get in a few new images. Ruby ended up sick with a head cold for several days so I had some extra hours to shoot. Love the sunrise and sunset shots in Honolulu. I also caputred some awrsome B/W shots posted over on IG.
Honolulu | 2017
Honolulu | 2017
Pro tip: Go low, go wide, go early, stay late to help find unqiue images. Shot on the Fuji X100F this trip.
Kids and dogs are always a challenge to shoot, but this crew was easy and fun. New pup Rookie was adorable with beautiful coloring and fur.
Los Gatos | 2017
Pro tip: For any group shot take a lot of photos and use 5+ locations to get the best results. Keep it light and fun, but there is also a practical limit of about 30 minutes to keep everybody's energy and attention focused.
The new Polaroid OneStep Two is fun, a throwback to the original Polaroid instant camera.
Pro tip: Fun! Fun! Kids love it, seniors remember it, just plain fun.
