A recent trip took me to the Alor Archipelago in Indonesia for a week of scuba diving. Yes, I know there are going to be questions about why there aren’t any images from the dives and I’ll be the first to admit, I don’t shoot underwater. At least not yet. Diving is about flow and meditation for me and the last thing I’ve wanted to to do when I’ve been underwater is to think about f,stops and exposure and composition That being said, it has been creeping into my mind lately, and I may…. maaaaaaay try to get into some underwater photography the future. No promises though. In any event, this little bit of paradise is just as stunning above water as it is below water, so during the times between
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Recent Work: John Lyle Design
in Product
Recently, the good people at John Lyle Design tapped us to make some images of their incredible furniture. After a visit to their workshop and watching the artisans craft these pieces, we knew we had to make some super clean images to showcase them the way they deserved. We had two looks - one on a white background and one with a bit more mood to it to differentiate for the multiple channels they’d be used. We opted for pretty simple lighting setups with a single key and a fill to carve out the angles. We bounced some light with some white cards and cut some light with a flag or two, but nothing super complicated as far as lighting is concerned. To achieve the two different looks, we adjusted ratios for the, but kept light placement the same to maximise the efficiency of the shoot.
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Live Music Recap: The Black Lips and Skeleton Goode
in music
Last week, Atlanta hometown heroes, The Black Lips played a small one off show here in Saigon after their gig at Coracle Music Fest up in Mui Ne. It was all a bit surreal as I’ve seen The Black Lips more times than I can probably count and it brought back memories of beer soaked ridiculous shenanigans years ago when I lived in the A. It was so good being able to hang out and relive some nostalgia while partying with the Saigon homies. Skeleton Goode opened up with their take on Psych rock and absolutely killed it. I only took my Fuji x100x anticipating maybe a few beers flying and wanted to avoid cleaning the Sony kit after night of rocking out, but it turns out Saigon has a bit more manners than Atlanta used to so everything stayed dry. Shooting with the Fuji was ….. not ideal. While this little camera is completely capable in travel and most everyday situations, it is not exactly fluent in autofocusing in low light situations. That being said, I loved the rawness of these frames and it matched the vibes of the show. It felt like the DIY punk shows I grew up going to nearly every week. I wish more of these type shows happened in Saigon. Based on some info I heard though, this may be changing in the near future. Fingers crossed. Now onto the images!
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Travel Diary: Siem Reap and the Temples of Angkor
in travel
Recently, I had the opportunity to hop over to Siem Reap to revisit the temples of Angkor for the first time in 9 years. My previous visit was my first to Cambodia and within 6 months of moving back to Southeast Asia. Needless to say, it was an incredible trip to an absolutely magical place. The temples of Angkor are out of a storybook to say the least. It was a lesson in very early rises to avoid the crowds and to see the temples at their very best. Moments of stillness as the sun peaked through the jungle burned some truly unforgettable memories into my mind. So, when the time came to take a weekender, I was quick to jump at the chance. I wondered how Siem Reap, the city just a few kilometers outside of the temple complex, had changed over the last decade. Had it fallen victim to overdevelopment and lost its charm? Had it survived the pandemic? Would the magic I experienced exploring the temples still be there years later? I had so many questions. One way to find out, right?
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Travel Diary : ¡Viva Mexico!
in travel
In previous musings, I mentioned the 8 hour layover in Japan on the way to Mexico. If you haven’t checked that one out, have a gander. In any event, the warmer winds of Mexico were a wonderful reprise from the cold and rainy Tokyo. While a bit chilly at night, the crisp air in the morning followed by the midday heat is right up my alley. Sayulita and San Pancho lie just a short drive north of the perennial tourist outpost of Puerto Vallarta. Both surfer hangouts, Sayulita has grown into a fiesta filled destination with quiet beaches just short little jaunts from the center of town. Getting back to Mexico was incredible and how i’ve missed Latin culture. Music, food, fiery blood… give it to me. Here are a few of my favourite frames from what was far too short a stay. A return is definitely high on the list of travel priorities for the foreseeable future. And as always go give me a follow over on IG if you like these types of images.
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Travel Diary : 8 hours in Japan
in travel
During the Tet holiday, countless city dwellers flock to their hometowns to reunite with their families to bring in the Lunar New Year. As an expat, it gives an opportunity to have a nice little break to regroup after the hectic holiday season. This year Mexico was on the docket for sand, waves and all the tacos. On the way, I had a 10 hour layover in Tokyo, so I had to take advantage and go wander through one of my favorite cities on the planet. I wasn’t quite prepared for the weather as the beach was on the agenda for the rest of the trip, but I bundled up and ventured out for Ramen, a few highballs, and of course shooting lots of street photography. While the weather was a bit drizzly and cold, I can’t get enough of Japan, so there wasn’t much that could dampen my spirits. The energy of Tokyo is incredible and I could wander that city in whatever weather mother nature could throw at me. Here are a few of my favorite images from this quick stop and be on the look out for all the Mexico images coming next week. As always, head over to my Instagram for more.
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Travel Diary: America Part 2 - El Paso, Texas
in travel
Growing up, stories of El Paso were often the topics of road trips as my father drove us from Georgia to Texas to visit my family in Dallas/Forth Worth. My father attended the University of Texas, El Paso for a time, so stories of Juarez, the desert, and the big skies of west Texas were spoken fondly of as I sat and listened in childlike awe of a place I had never seen until much later on in life. Perhaps some of the details of life in a border town during the 70’s were omitted, but I can just imagine the shenanigans he got into. I wish I could go back and speak to him as an adult (RIP Pops) and hear the more mature versions of these stories. Hell, maybe they’d be the same stories and I’ve had this idea of what it could have been like in my head and it’s nothing more than that. Maybe it was far wilder than I imagine it was. Either way, the lure of El Paso has been in my head from a very young age despite not ever really spending much time there.
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Travel Diary: America Part 1 - Georgia
in travel
Scheduled to head back home in March 2020, for obvious reasons I didn’t get to take that trip. After 6 years, I made the trip back to the States to visit friends and family. That feeling of a mixture of familiarity and, contrastingly, feeling like an outsider at the same time is a strange dichotomy I forgot about and was instantly greeted as the wheels hit the runway. Living overseas obviously changes you, but in ways that I’m not sure I ever anticipated. It’s like watching a movie you’ve seen before. You’re not a part of it, but it’s all so familiar…. Until those things pop up that you’ve not experienced since you left. The sudden overwhelming sense of comprehension of everyone’s small talk, social cues, and nuance…. It’s a lot. But on the other side of that coin, not knowing how to carry yourself because of the sensory overload. Shifts in social interactions, world views, etc…It’s a mental obstacle course.
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