I’m selling a bunch of gear, so I’ll be posting some of my fav images shot with that equipment, sort of as a farewell or a homage. This one is shot using the budget XC 50-230mm lens.  It is a very underrated lens, doubly so because it suffers the ignominity of being the mk I …

I love portraiture. It’s the kind of photography that I keep going back to, again and again — because people are endlessly fascinating. The flicker of emotion. The in-between moments. The quiet tension. The laughter right before it spills. But let’s get one thing straight: A portrait cannot capture someone’s soul. I know that’s the …

Let’s be real: if you’ve ever tried to earn a living as a photographer, you’ve basically signed up for your own version of Squid Game. You may not be wearing a green tracksuit (although, hey, comfy), and there may not be a giant robot doll shouting “Red Light, Green Light!” — but emotionally? It’s basically …

I was watching (something online, can’t remember) recently and I saw a very famous photographer saying something like:  “Oh, I’m not a technical photographer.” while palming off their $20,000 Phase One to one of their many assistants. And every time I hear a famous photographer I admire proclaim that they are “not technical”, a little …

Cameras are like pets — some are Labradors — loyal, helpful, but absolutely everywhere. Others are like cats — fussy, high-maintenance, and kind of judge you for existing. But the Fujifilm X-E3? It’s like a Schnoodle — small but sturdy, clever, quick and also very good looking. This little thing might just be my favorite …

I have a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Photography from the University of Washington. Four years of critique sessions, darkroom fumes, conceptual frameworks, and endlessly fascinating discussions about whether photography as art. And to be clear — I’m grateful for all of it. Those years shaped how I see, how I think, how I …

Portrait of Mr. Phua: Making Space Where There Is None — with the GF 50mm Some portraits stay with you long after the shutter clicks. This one — of SK Phua, the master craftsman carpenter in his impossibly packed workshop — is one of them. The space was tight. Every inch of wall, floor, and …

When people think of medium format photography, they usually imagine something big, heavy, and slow. A tripod kind of camera. A “set it up and wait” kind of experience. And sure — medium format can be all those things. (I have a Contax 645 that I love) But what if I told you there’s a …

Ode to the Pentax 645: The Quiet Romantic of Medium Format In the world of medium format photography, some names shout. Hasselblad — the status (or dare I say it, pretentious). Mamiya — the muscle, the dependable workhorse, all business. But then there’s Pentax.  Humble, earnest, quietly brilliant.  And among its creations, the Pentax 645 …

Portraits Through the X-Pro1: A Camera That Disappears I’ve used many cameras over the years, but few have felt as human as the Fujifilm X-Pro1. When it comes to portraiture, it’s not always about megapixels or high-speed tracking. It’s about presence — both mine and the subject’s. And in that quiet space between connection and …