I love to connect with people in their everyday life. I do take pictures of famous landmarks and interesting things when I travel but the streets are really my focus. In the last few years, I have done a lot of work in Bangkok and Europe. Now, I have moved to New York City I will capture life here.
About me:
I've been interested in photography since I was in high school. I had a darkroom in my parents’ basement and a beautiful Exacta VX1000 camera, but photography really never clicked with me. I was an awkward kid, I didn't have much financial resources, and we lived in a suburb where at the time we didn't see much to photograph. Later on, I took a Saturday class at the Maryland Institute of Art (https://www.mica.edu), where we did black and white photography and developed it in their lab. My instructor meant well, but he was tough and critical. It really drove me away from picture-taking. Later, I even gave away my camera (a Nikkkormat FTN by then).
When digital cameras and camera phones came out, I still primarily did my shooting when I traveled, capturing the customary subjects. I wasn't really that interested. About five years ago, I got a notion to get a full frame camera. I bought a Sony A7II with a kit lens from Adorama (https://www.adorama.com), in New York. I still didn't do that much with it, just taking a few random images and travel shots.
In 2022, I went to South Africa on a safari trip. I bought a wonderful Tamron 20-200 millimeter lens, and I was ready to go. Two days before the safari, the camera stopped working. I took it to a camera shop and they said it needed to be repaired but it would take two weeks. Disheartened, I figured I would just have to use my iPhone and my friend's old Nikon DSLR. The shop had a new body, and they also offered me some non-Sony second hand cameras, but I passed them up. I rejoined my friends at the mall food court, having thought about it. Then, I told them I had an idea that the camera shop man might be able to straighten out my camera and I was going back to talk to him. I returned 1/2 hour later, telling my group that the camera was fixed. Later, we got back to my Airbnb condo, and my friends saw me unpacking something. When they asked what it was, I said it was the new camera body I bought. I got a new A7III, which seemed to have a much better sensor or something than my a A7II. The safari went great and we saw all the big 5 animals in the first two hours. We went on to Cape Town and I got some great shots of the quaint Old Town district. When I returned to Bangkok, where I lived then, I hit the streets. That's how my career as a street photographer began.
When I lived in Asia, many locals didn't appreciate my street work. They thought that it was intrusive to take candid shots of people, and my shots of old buildings, street food sellers, and motorcycles cast shame and disrepute on their country. I prefer to capture everyday life, rather than famous tourist landmarks. I've always thought of my work as a hobby mainly, but I love my pictures and I love my editing style which tends to be bold, colorful, and slightly oversaturated. I'd love to hear your feedback and if you'd like to support me by purchasing my work or allowing me to post a show in your gallery, coffee shop or restaurant, I'd love to hear from you.
I love to connect with people in their everyday life. I do take pictures of famous landmarks and interesting things when I travel but the streets are really my focus. In the last few years, I have done a lot of work in Bangkok and Europe. Now, I have moved to New York City I will capture life here.
About me:
I've been interested in photography since I was in high school. I had a darkroom in my parents’ basement and a beautiful Exacta VX1000 camera, but photography really never clicked with me. I was an awkward kid, I didn't have much financial resources, and we lived in a suburb where at the time we didn't see much to photograph. Later on, I took a Saturday class at the Maryland Institute of Art (https://www.mica.edu), where we did black and white photography and developed it in their lab. My instructor meant well, but he was tough and critical. It really drove me away from picture-taking. Later, I even gave away my camera (a Nikkkormat FTN by then).
In 2022, I went to South Africa on a safari trip. I bought a wonderful Tamron 20-200 millimeter lens, and I was ready to go. Two days before the safari, the camera stopped working. I took it to a camera shop and they said it needed to be repaired but it would take two weeks. Disheartened, I figured I would just have to use my iPhone and my friend's old Nikon DSLR. The shop had a new body, and they also offered me some non-Sony second hand cameras, but I passed them up. I rejoined my friends at the mall food court, having thought about it. Then, I told them I had an idea that the camera shop man might be able to straighten out my camera and I was going back to talk to him. I returned 1/2 hour later, telling my group that the camera was fixed. Later, we got back to my Airbnb condo, and my friends saw me unpacking something. When they asked what it was, I said it was the new camera body I bought. I got a new A7III, which seemed to have a much better sensor or something than my a A7II. The safari went great and we saw all the big 5 animals in the first two hours. We went on to Cape Town and I got some great shots of the quaint Old Town district. When I returned to Bangkok, where I lived then, I hit the streets. That's how my career as a street photographer began.
I was in New York, I bought a Koni-Omega Rapid, a medium format camera often used for weddings in the 70s and 80s. I spent a lot of money for repairs but never got it to make a single shot. My next try was an old the Soviet Lubitel 2¼ camera, really not much more than a box camera, that I got off eBay. Finally, I got a Minolta STR-101 on Ebay for $12 (lens and shipping made it about $100), and later a Minolta twin lens reflex (TLR). The TLR is hard to use-the image in the viewfinder is reversed and not bright, but the SLR is good and amazingly sharp. I've learned the basics of film photography. I bought an expensive light meter, only to find that it's mainly for incident light where you measure light from the source in a studio. I used the MyLightMeter app on the iPhone, the only trouble is that the phone quickly closes down and it takes two hands to get things open again. Often, I just used the sunny 16 formula where 100 speed film in bright sun is f.16 and calculated from there. Kodak films many years ago had an instruction sheet how to do this. I also learned that you don't have the exposure latitude of a digital camera, that if your highlights are washed out you will not get them back in post processing. Each film has its own characteristic. I want to thank the people at Sweet Film Bar (https://linktr.ee/sweetfilmbar) in Bangkok for helping me.
When I lived in Asia, many locals didn't appreciate my street work. They thought that it was intrusive to take candid shots of people, and some people told me my shots of old buildings, street food sellers, and motorcycles cast shame and disrepute on their country. I prefer to capture everyday life, rather than famous tourist landmarks. I've always thought of my work as a hobby mainly, but I love my pictures and I love my editing style which tends to be bold, colorful, and slightly oversaturated. I'd love to hear your feedback and if you'd like to support me by purchasing my work or allowing me to post a show in your gallery, coffee shop or restaurant, I'd love to hear from you.