Shots and Thoughts

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.

Looking Up

I never get tired of this type shot, can’t help but shoot it!

Pro tip: I should move on from these shots or at least stop posting, but I just dig the look and vibe!

Honolulu

Always great to get back to Honolulu.

iPhone 8+

Strong Foreground

After the typhoon passed, the Kamo river was running fast and wide. Trying to capture an interesting image, I positioned this guy in the immediate foreground to help anchor the viewer. I shot 20+ frames to get the right composition. I posted this to IG but sadly the limits of photo size cut off a lot of the image.

Pro tip: I need to take this strong foreground approach more often as I think it really makes an image pop as it sets it apart from a "snapshot".

Fishing

I saw this cool scene in Kyoto with the merging lines and wet streets, with the 28mm lens I knew it would be an interesting image. The "fishing" starts with light and scene, then waiting for it to develop.

Pro tip: The human element, a sense of gesture all help make an image standout for me. Waiting for the scene to develop, then shoot a lot!

Street Portraits

With my love of studio portraits and passion around street photography, I shot some street portraits in Kyoto. For each of these I spent a few minutes with the subject, a lot of fun.

Pro tip: Having a personal connection sets these shots apart, unlike a quick street snap. I think it shows in the image.

Typhoon Arrives

Heavy rain and strong winds arrived in Kyoto last night as the typhoon made shore. Hopefully little damage as there was much warning, but flooding and mudslides are inevitable.

The rain makes for a fun photography stage, although you have to be prepared to get wet. Color seemed to be the play today.

Pro tip: People are completely pre occupied in the rain with getting to/from, so feel free to get close on shooting.

iPhone Shots

Sometimes the shot appears and the iPhone is the answer.

Pro tip: All the above shot, edited and uploaded to the blog via mobile app on phone. Some obvious limits, including sequencing of photos as I don't see how to reorder them. The image quality from the iPhone 6 is fine for this format.

Family Shots for the Holidays

It's holiday portrait time and a delight to shoot this Bay Area family again. This year was a studio session along with some great images captured on the studio deck. The had great creative ideas including costumes for the kids!

Pro tip: We scheduled holiday photos but also captured some super individual portraits of both the kids and parents. A little out of scope for the shoot but I am delighted to support long term clients.

Creative Portraits

I had a fun time this week shooting marketing/promotional material for a local musician. The fundamental portrait set up along with a creative twist made for a cool set of shots. It didn't hurt that Mitchell was laid back, handsome and a delight to work with.

Pro tip: This shoot went well as I had a capable assistant to help with the lights and creative design. Shooting tethered works so well in the studio. We did three set ups in the studio and two location shots, all good. Having a variety of shots is important when shooting creatively.

Gesture

Trying to shoot more gesture, this senior was soaking up the sun in the afternoon outside our local coffee shop.

Pro tip: Nothing special here, but a favorite of mine as I shot it with the Leica MD, 28mm 5.6 lens. This Leica is unique as it is digital with no digital display on the back. So you can't see what you shoot, much like film. This image was taken with zone focusing and it worked! All the above make it a memorable image for me, but unremarkable to any one else. That's OK!

Slice of Light

Working the light at Kyoto Station today, just a slice coming across the commuters leaving the train.

Pro tip: This image works from a color and light perspective, but overall fails as there is no gesture. Not a compelling shot without some emotion or gesture.

Matt Stuart in Kyoto

A fun evening at Leica Kyoto last night as Matt Stuart held a student review of the images taken during his five day Japan workshop. Eight students with all shots from Kyoto except one day in Osaka. Matt also took the audience of about 50 through some of his best photos.

At the end he took questions from the audience and the best one was last: What is the most important thing in street photography?

Matt had a direct answer: Be relaxed, being on no time frame as you are shooting, which makes him happy. This state lets him blend into the scene with no drama and he can shoot away. Great advice I think, as I notice a similar vibe when in the zone shooting. Happy, chilled and relaxed.

When I look at Matt's work, it seems fun and light, just like him. His color work is really super but it is the capture of gesture that really makes his shots come alive. Reminds me of Jay Maisel: color, light and gesture.

Matt also talked about editing, sequencing and selecting photos to be sent to Magnum, as he applied for membership. When asked about how to do this his advice was to make sure the portfolio flows together, shot to shot. How to do this: by gut feel. 50 shots submitted.

As a bonus Matt signed his book for me and I got to see Chloe again from the Magnum Tokyo office, nice!

Pro tip: I need to get back into shooting more gesture. As I have been in the black and white world for a year + it is easy just to look for light, contrast, shadows, etc. Adding some color and gesture to this light work would be good.

Framed

I enjoy seeing how colors and textures are presented in window frames, especially in the small houses around Kyoto. I imagine they look beautiful inside the homes also.

Kyoto | 2017

Pro tip: I try to shoot a tight shot and also a wide shot to share the contexts of these city images.

Window Portraits

Window light is often good for a simple portrait. When you are shooting with a wide 28m lens it can be tough to get a "standard" look due to the distortion.

Pro tip: Go wide, low and tight for the portrait work with the 28mm. Put some creativity into the composition and framing, push it. Watch the edges and shoot a lot.

Expression

As I interact with subjects there is often a smile that appears when the camera is raised. I get that shot but then keep shooting until another emotion or expression shows up.

Pro tip: Shoot till it feels a little awkward, then take three more shots.

Laughter

One of the reasons I love shooting in Kyoto is that the people are so friendly. Even the out of town tourists that come and rent a kimono for the day love to be photographed.

Pro tip: About 75% of the time I have some level of interaction with my subjects, from a few seconds to spending time together. Emotional photos can come through emotional connections.

Wabi Sabi

Shooting through screens, gels, dirty windows, etc can be fun and lets the visual artist have some expression.

Pro tip: It helps the viewer if you can put the frame into context, show the larger photo along with the best tight image.

Kyoto | 2017 The morning baker

Portraits And Visual Art

My original love of photography centered around portraits, then expanded to street style and on into visual art images. Sometimes you can combine all three.

Pro tip: Make a portrait count. Here I moved the couple to cool light and a clean background. This 20 second adjustment let me focus on the emotional connection between us.

Gear Up

My photo gear selection is pretty boring and standard, a 28mm size lens and what ever body I have in my bag. But using the flash at night in the rain (or snow) can make an image pop.

Pro tip: I use the flash in manual not TTL mode, experiment a little to get it dial in. This lets me get the light balance right with the rain drops and background.

Challenge

I like to push myself to see if I can make a unique image of iconic locations, here is my shot of Kyoto Tower in high contrast B/W.

But I have been pulled into color on this trip!

Pro tip: I enjoy this exercise, it pushes my creativity, especially my pre visualization. A lot of misses but sometimes a cool result.