Month: December 2021

My personal passion and lust is a lust for subtraction. I actually get greater joy when I try to get rid of things, than to add things.

A random thought of today: is there a form of capitalism or consumerism that is based on notions of subtraction, rather than addition?

What I learned after coming back to Mexico City: the city is just as good as I remembered, yet I have changed so much.

In spite of the downsides. In fact, I think more intelligent and educated people should have kids.

A way to think how to compose black and white photos:

What do I desire to be the distribution or the *ratio* of black vs white in my photos?

To dream new dreams, and to aspire anew, better to widen yourself and broaden yourself, rather than specialize and focus.

Composition means to figure out what to add to your frame, and what to subtract from your frame. Some practical thoughts:

Photography is our content.

Innovate the content, not the technology.

Polarize. No need to disguise your thoughts or your intent. Better stick to your opinion than be bent by others and their thoughts. You want to own your own opinion, you don’t want to be bought.

Stay stern, don’t be swayed. Follow your own morals and ethics, no need to get paid.

Cross pollinate and braid your ideas, and just share them. Your ideas are golden, not silver. Share your thoughts openly and widely, uplift others.

We typically think about advertising as a bad thing. However, to advertise yourself means to simply market yourself, or to put yourself out there. The sole purpose of advertising isn’t always to make money, but often to simply promote a certain message, idea, or your images.

Some customization, not too much customization:

Life in Mexico City is good. Photography Paradise. Ideal place to escape the cold for us east coasters.

Just because you spent money on it, doesn’t mean you should feel forced to use it. If anything, just move on.

With iPhone or Mac, prioritize native apps for better sync and use. For example Apple Maps over Google Maps, Apple Music over Spotify, Apple Mail over Gmail, etc.

Why are Google app icons so ugly? A big reason why I delete Google apps from my iPhone.

Also, better to use Apple photos than Adobe Lightroom.

My aesthetic ideal.

Photo paradise:

It seems the best life is life in which we simply obey our own will, and do what we are compulsed to do. This means only do what you must— what your inner compulsion drives you to do.

A practical idea when traveling or even back home — wear shoes and ensure NOT to slip — the most dangerous thing which can happen to you.

This is what is currently on my mind, especially after realizing Mexico City as a perfect city.

Why make a blog or website? Simple — to have a creative canvas to share your thoughts, art works, and ideas!

Life is not a test in which you get good and bad marks. Life also doesn’t have a ranking system. Therefore my idea is this: perhaps modern education, and modern notions of competition have harmed us human beings. Rather, to unchain ourselves from any sort of ranking system, and also to unchain ourselves from thinking about testing is a good one.

Nobody desires health for the sake of health. Health is simply a means to something greater.

Often we want to buy certain things, because we think it will complete us. But is completion the goal?

Perhaps not. Once you’re fully complete, what motivation do you have to do anything? Therefore incompletion is the motivation to do.

Perhaps the best way to become more influential is to become more low-key.

It elevates my feeling of power, well being, optimism and hope for the future, and the grandeur of man.

Social media creates a box for you to fit into. You must cut off your limbs in order to fit into the box, rather than figuring out to create a new box to fit your own pre-existing self.

Or another consideration, instead of finding a shoe and then trying to force your foot to fit into it, isn’t it better to determine what your foot shape is, and then find the ideal shoe for it?

For example, I have wide feet. Most shoes are narrow. Therefore instead of trying to find a narrow shoe that fits me, isn’t it better for me to just look for wide shoes?

Specifically, the Roma Norte neighborhood.

Personally speaking, I think I made it. I have achieved practically all of my life goals which I set out for myself, and now, what next?

The best answer I have thus far is focusing on philosophical introspection, openness to new experiences, creating photos and artwork, and sharing ideas with others.

Don’t do movements which cause you pain. Your body is wise. For me that includes dips and one-legged pistol squats.

For example, the reason I don’t take painkillers is because I try to figure out what caused my pain, and remind myself– don’t do that in then future!

I also wonder–

If we avoided that which caused bad pain … this was a wiser way to live than do what makes you ‘feel good’.

If you have back pain from sitting all day, perhaps this means this is your time to start doing a standing desk. Or at least get up and move. Pain can be a motivator for movement rather than thinking (because I am in pain, I should *not* move) whereas in fact, sometimes —

I am in pain, which means I *should* move!

Also a thought regarding people. If you have bad feelings or vibes from people, or if you get some sort of ‘social pain’ from certain individuals, perhaps also best to avoid them. Individuals can also be toxic.

And this is why Instagram is lame.

To expedite your workflow, I suggest to look at all your photos as small thumbnails (contact sheet), and just favorite the ones which ‘pop out at you’ (when seen small). Favorite them, and export them, and re-inspect them later. Much faster than looking at each photo full-screen, one by one.

The best street photographer as maximally extroverted, gregarious, and interested (and interesting) to others.

Or in other words, don’t be a ‘stealth’ or a ghost street photographer (like Henri Cartier-Bresson). Better to be a William Klein (interacting, engaging with others and strangers). This is the best way to impute your soul into your street photos!

For me, the joy of photography is my personal curiosity of how certain scenes will manifest as photos.

Also the joy when you’re looking through your photos, and you re-remember certain happenings and joys.

I am more interested in the making of, the ‘behind the scenes’, than the final product.

Why? When I see people behind the scenes, or a work behind the scenes, I get inspired by the working process, and can apply that inspiration and motivation to my own work!

For example as a photographer, show more photos of yourself and your own life.

The goal isn’t for you to work out for the sake of working out. To work out is not a duty, or a goal. Instead, the best way to think about it:

When you power lift, or attempt to lift a weight, it is more about testing your strength, and fulfilling the curiosity of your strength, rather than working out for the sake of working out.

Your task as a photographer:

To re-interpret, and re-imagine, and re-explain the world, via your photos.

As photographers, we are not magicians. It is impossible to know with 100% accuracy what your photo will look like until *AFTER* you’ve shot it.

Thus —

When you see something which interests you, just shoot it, and shoot it a lot (at least 10 photos of it).

Then AFTERWARDS you will discover how it manifested as a photo.

Like Garry Winogrand said:

“I photograph the world to see what the world looks photographed.”

Photographs of the world (embodied reality) manifest themselves *DIFFERENTLY* as photos. Therefore consider our own photos as an artistic interpretation of the world!

If you have a certain problem, and you think money can solve it, spend a lot of money on it. No need to be frugal, if anything— to become less frugal in important matters is a good thing.

It doesn’t need to be “original”, just new.

The life in which you’re just shooting street photography all day, just walking around all day, being outside and outdoors all day, is this the ideal lifestyle? To strive to walk at least 10 miles a day which is 20,000 steps a day, and shooting as many photos as possible during the day?

The best way to differentiate yourself isn’t what you own, do, or where. Instead, you best differentiate yourself what you don’t wear, but you’re not interested, what you don’t use, and what you’re not interested in.

Or another words, I’m more interested in meeting photographers who don’t have an Instagram, instead of the photographer who has 1 million followers.

Assuming to be human is to walk, then everything we do, the things we wear, and our lifestyle should be optimized for walking.

We often plan to much for the future. However this is what I have discovered: better to figure out the best plan of action once you get there, rather than in advance.

Certainly there are certain places which are more conducive to photography than others. For example, if you’re passionate about street photography, typically more urban cities tend to be better for street photography.

But a thought while traveling, here in Mexico City: perhaps finding the perfect place to photograph isn’t the goal. Rather, using the creative constraint of where you already are, and become a great photographer nonetheless.

Or in other words, better to be a Mazda Miata than an American muscle car. Also, better aspire towards the Doryphoros physique over the modern American bodybuilder type.

For our body physique, better to aspire to have a smaller waist line, less body fat. Having to self-restraint not eat breakfast or lunch, no carbs. no starchy vegetables. Having courage to leave food on the plate, which doesn’t suit your palate or your physique. Being less money conscious.

For a long time, I have inspired for the perfect. The perfect physique, the perfect clothes, the perfect lifestyle, the perfect life, the perfect tools, and the perfect city and neighborhood, and the perfect home to live in.

But what I have discovered, is that perfect as a trap. For example, I have discovered the perfect city, which is Roma Norte and Mexico City. Yet once I discover perfect, it no longer interest me. I want to move on, and do or experience something else, something new.

Something i’ve learned with my photography: when in doubt, shoot more photos. Especially with your photography, there’s really no downside to shoot extra photos. Especially if you shoot small JPEG, allow yourself to see more photos of the scene.

For example, upon reviewing some of my recent photos, I only shot two or three photos of the scene. And didn’t get the shot. I should have taken at least 10 to 15 photos of the scene instead. maybe it is better to shoot 10 times more photos of the scene than you think you should, in order to get the perfect photo.

Even as a fun photography assignment, whenever you see something interesting, force yourself to shoot at least 10 photos of each scene.

The best outfit — the outfit in which you can deadlift anywhere, at any times notice.

Like “athleisure”, but more. “Powerleisure” is what I call it (powerlifting plus leisure clothing).

This is, simple merino wool t shirt (no clothes which restrict your movement). Merino wool leggings, paired with shorts. Flat sole minimalist “shark shoes” (water shoes).

Do not concern yourself so much whether your photos are original or not. Also, do not worry if you’re copying someone else’s style or not. In fact, photographs are copies. Copies of embodied reality. Therefore as photographers, we are copy machines.

In order to do more photography, or street photography, or to think more, become happier and more productive, just keep walking. The more steps the better.

When we often want to buy something, and we don’t buy it, we probably don’t really need it. Thus I said just buy it as late as possible. If you really need it, you’ll just buy it.

Perhaps rather than having Brand New shiny clothes, better to have worn and tattered clothes with holes, stitches, and patches. A more worn in, Wabi Sabi look, which shows your experiences on your clothes. Clothes which show patina as more interesting and beautiful.

How do we artists innovate? By experimenting with aesthetics, and striving to create a new aesthetic. Or a new way of interpreting and expressing the world.

For example, my aesthetic innovation of making photos as dark as possible.

Shomei Tomatsu, Eikoh Hosoe, and more:

This is perhaps why I like street photography so much: it gives you the social adrenaline. Also, powerlifting. Perhaps what it means to be an extrovert as somebody who needs more adrenaline than average person.

It’s hard to *not* be inspired to make photos while here!