Month: February 2016

You never know when a good photo opportunity will present itself to you.

Always be prepared.

I don’t know about you, but I love to look.

“The only thing we have to fear is…fear itself.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt

I genuinely feel that one of the worst diseases in the modern world is having a sense of “irrational fear.” We have been born with DNA which wires our brains to be “risk averse” — meaning that we prefer to avoid risks rather than to gain rewards.

in·spi·ra·tion: a divine influence or action on a person believed to qualify him or her to receive and communicate sacred revelation

Dear friend,

One of the things I am always hunting for is “inspiration” in my photography, life, and my writings. However before we get into the subject of “inspiration” — what does it exactly mean, where does it come from, and why is it important?

Dear friend,

I’ve written a lot of articles on how to shoot street photography— but I realized I have written very little on why shoot street photography. In this article I will outline some reasons why you should shoot street photography, as well as some personal reasons why I personally shoot street photography.

As a part of GPP 2016 in Dubai, I just finished a “Conquer Your Fear in Street Photography” workshop with my epic students. I was so impressed to see how much progress the students made in the last two days, taking fantastic shots in Deira (“Old Dubai”) which looks like a mix between Egypt, India, and Morocco. Then we woke up today at 4:30am (painfully) and after a few coffees hit up the fish market and caught the epic morning light.

I had such a memorable experience so far in Dubai, teaching, experiencing the city and diverse people, and the results of the students have absolutely blown me away. Check out all their photos below, and if you want to conquer your fears check out my upcoming street photography workshops.

Dear friend,

I wanted to write you this letter on traveling; my experiences globe-trotting around the world, my motivations, and things I have learned along the way:

Empathy: “The ability to understand and share the feelings of another.”

Sometimes I can be a cold bastard. I see other people in the street suffering and be indifferent to their pain. I often am wrapped up in my own world, and unable to have the time to communicate or connect with others. I am so self-centered and interested in myself and my own dealings, that I can sometimes become calloused to those around me.

Dear friend,

I wanted to share some personal thoughts I’ve been having about “street photography” in general— that I feel that “social photography” would be a better definition.

“In the world there are only two tragedies. One is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it.” –Oscar Wilde

Sometimes we wish to get something. But once we actually get it, we wish we didn’t get it in first place.

Dear friend,

Do you remember when you were a kid and there were those “chicken soup for the soul” books? Yeah, I remember those too.

I remember reading these stories as a kid, and feeling so uplifted and inspired.

Another thought I have had on my mind: how to stay curious in life.

One of the things I learn most from children is how amazingly curious they are in life. They see the world as full of possibilities, with no limits.

Black and white is where my heart and soul is. I feel that by shooting in black and white, I can better communicate and convey my emotions, thoughts, and feelings.

I feel that black and white is less of an aesthetic, but more of a feeling.

You don’t shoot black and white because it is more “artsy”. You shoot black and white because it better communicates how you feel.