Dear friend, I wanted to write you this letter on photography and life. I just finished an epic week-long street photography workshop here in New Orleans, and it was an absolutely incredible experience. I had such a great time with the students, in terms of teaching, bringing people together, and sharing new experiences together.
Dear friend, It is 7:20am in New Orleans, and I just downed a “Miss Tracy’s Addiction” (Double espresso, Cayenne pepper, Thai coconut milk) at Addiction Coffee and I’m feeling good. Had a nice chat with Dave, the barista here, and ready to do some writing to share with you some ideas. Just as a random…
About a month ago I gave a talk on street photography at EyeEm headquarters in Berlin. During the question and answer session, there was a member in the crowd who asked me the question: “What is your dream?”
Dear friend, I’m currently sitting at my desk, facing outside. There are beautiful trees, a soft breeze, the sound of birds chirping. I have a “HappyLight” on my left (which helps me wake up in the morning), I have some beloved books to my right, and I’m enjoying a lovely espresso, while doing a little…
“You can’t control the results, only the effort.” – Ryan Holiday Ryan Holiday is a guy I admire very much he’s about my age, and has accomplished a lot. He’s a best selling author, practicing stoic (highly recommend his book, “The Obstacle is the Way), passionate blogger, and overall down to earth guy. I read…
Dear friend, I want to share some meditations and thoughts that are currently on my mind– and perhaps tell some stories. Thank you for being a good friend and listening :) Okay, so I woke up today, lied in bed, and suddenly this thought came to my head: “Cultivate Your Own Garden” I woke up…
Dear friend, I want to tell you the exciting start of my day today. I want to share with you as vividly how it felt, and what is on my mind. I woke up, still feeling a bit drowsy, yet felt alert. I looked around my surroundings. I was in bed, lying next to the…
Read as a Google Doc or download as PDF. — There is so much negativity and bullshit out there in modern life. I always hear people bitching and moaning about the difficulties of their lives, how they want more money, how their camera isn’t good enough, how their significant others are horrible people, and how…
Read this article as a Google Doc (would love your comments/edits), download and print as a PDF, as an .epub (e-reader), or .mobi (for Kindle). I also recommend reading the original: “On the Shortness of Life” by Seneca (order the paperback on Amazon). — “What you do today is important because you are exchanging a day…
Read as a Google Doc or PDF. — Dear Friend, I wanted to share with you some thoughts that are on my mind: The first thing that came to mind: “small is beautiful.” So I have a problem; I am inflicted with this American obsession that “bigger is better.” We want bigger houses, we want…
Read this article on Google Docs or download as a PDF. — I believe photography (and life) is more about subtraction (instead of addition). I’m re-reading “Antifragile” by Nassim Taleb, and his chapter on “Via Negativa” is absolutely golden. The concept is that in modern life, we think the secret to happiness, success, and health is…
(You can also read this as a Google Doc, or PDF) Dear friend, I just finished reading a book by Roman philosopher Epictetus, titled “Of Human Freedom.” It got me thinking a lot about my own freedom in life, how to be happy in all situations, and how to treat some of the “diseases of…
I ultimately want to be happy. But unfortunately there are a lot of sources of dissatisfaction in my life. There are a lot of things I want to change about my life, and my outlook in the world. In this article I want to share some of the 10 deepest sources of dissatisfaction I’ve had…
“I am content with few, content with one, content with none at all.” – Seneca, Letters from a Stoic I have a problem. I have really high expectations for myself. I want to become the best photographer I possibly can, the best teacher I possibly can, and also the best blogger that I possibly can.…
For this chapter I want to focus on a section which I think is important for everyone in life: learning how to be happy, fulfilled, and content with your street photography (and your personal life). Happiness is one of the most elusive things in the world– which we have always chased for millennia. However the…
Photos in this article are from my on-going “Only in America” series. I’m currently reading a lovely book titled: “A Philosopher’s Notes: On optimal living, creating an authentically awesome life and other such goodness.” It is a easy and insightful read– and I have been savoring the book so far. In one of the chapters,…
I interview Mike Gesgregen, a homeless man in Berkeley– who shares the secret of happiness in this video above.
I think I can speak on behalf of all of us that we all want to be happy. In some shape, way, or form. Over the years I have thought a lot about happiness. How to “optimize” my life to become “happier.” How to avoid unhappiness in my work, relationships, and my sense of purpose…
Street photography is one of the biggest passions in my life. I spend a large amount of time either shooting on the streets, blogging about street photography, tweeting about street photography, and talking/thinking about street photography. But why do I love it so much and why does it bring me a lot of happiness? The…
“What do I want out of photography” has been a question I have been grappling with for the last few weeks. When I was still in school, I had barely any time to even practice my photography, let alone contemplate what I wanted out of it. However now, after graduating college and having more free…