Shilo

It was darker than dark. She clawed for help, but there was nothing there. She thought to herself, "I guess this is what they meant when they said, 'Don't bite off more than you can chew.'" With no words left to speak, she closed her eyes, and took one last deep breath.

Meet ACKELITA

One of the most inspiring photographers I've stumbled upon in a while. Meet Anna Aschberg.

Urban Sprawl

Screw a suburban sprawl, I'm all about that urban mother fuckin' supercity spawl. Above, the current city of Tokyo taken from a helicopter.

I Need Company

Weekend plans: paint the town white. Currently, I have an army of 7. Must find 5 more.

Summers with RJ Shaughnessy

There's something irresistably Summer-y about RJ's photographs that bring an immediate smile to my face.

Moving Photos

There is undoubtedly something about the mastery of a simple technique that is downright beautiful. Like using Photoshop to create these splendid, animated photo GIFs. More here.

I Wished

When I was young, I wished I was a little bit older.
But when time came, I wished I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
I wished I didn't work so hard.
I wished I'd had the courage to express my feelings.
I wished that I had let myself be happier.
Only then did I realize there was no more time for wishes.

Light Machete

Sometimes, running into the light is the only thing you can do.

Weekly Inspiration Grab Bag

Tron gone crazy. Photoshop with no limit. Organized crap. Goosebumps.

Shot of the Day: Jamie

This is what happens when you spend an entire day photographing with me. More to come, I promise.

The Portrait Photographer

As you can probably tell, I have a slight infatuation with photography. Much like music. Much like technology. Much like a lot of things.

But like most things, there's a trick to mastery in every category. For portrait photography in particular, I've learned a few things. First, it's all about the eyes. You need to make them smile. That is - if you don't have life in them, you're not doing it right. Bounce flash from above, reflectors from below, and controlling the way your subject lights up is key to creating the perfect image.

Another trick is to make use of anything and everything to create the perfect shot. If there's a leaf distracting the image, walk on over and kick it to the curb. Need to climb a tree for a shot? Do it. It's this type of explorative and ballsy dedication to an art that really brings out the creative spirit of photography.

Finally, there's treasure all around us. This takes years to master, but the key is to find those areas around the places you live that seem to have their own special story around them. It could be the morning sun that comes in your window to light your lover doing the Times crossword. It could be the lamppost on the corner that illuminates the people on the sidewalk at dusk. It could be the last bit of sunset light on the wall of your office. Watch for these pockets. Have your snap finger ready.

How To Process Digital Photos in High Fashion

That's right. Not talkin' high resolution or definition, but high fashion. Why? Because I'm serious about this shit, dammit!

Peep these tutorials to achieve the look you see above. Just invest 20 minutes of your time and you'll have skills for years to come!

Lomo effect:

Cross processing effect:

High fashion dodge/burn process:

High contrast B/W layer effect:

Easy high pass trick:

When Digital Isn't Enough, You Get a V700

I've been on the fence about digital film for quite some time now despite living the digital lifestyle. While it's cool to flaunt around your micro 4/3rds, there's something undeniably attractive about embracing the past and reliving it in a new digital age. This is why the Epson Perfection V700 Photo (IT) now tops my list of "shit I must buy before I die." Yeah, it's $500, but I think the differences in processing shown in the top picture above (the V700 is the negative film image scanned to the right), is more than enough to justify the canyon left in your wallet.

I plan to pick up the Nikon FM10, a vintage 1970's model that seems to have survived through the times and is still quite the hot market item on Craigslist and eBay. Boxes of film will cost $4-12 and a flash attachment may become a necessity. Now, I must start selling my belongings. Ciao.

Freelensing Extreme Photography

Growing tired of the standard point and shoot practice? What about risking it all with this new technique called, "Freelensing." What is freelensing?

Freelensing means you take photos with the lens detached from the camera, but hold it in place and move it around to focus. Doing so causes some weird light leaks, giving it a very hipstery-vintage feel. 

If you plan to try it, know that none of the digital auto-focusing will work and you do risk geting dust on the sensor. If you want lots on lightleaks or the super-macro kind of effect, you will need to hold the lens a little bit further away (probably no more than a finger width, though).

Honestly, I probably wouldn't try this unless your sensor is a bit fucked already, but hey - if you're not risking it all, you're not living life! Or something.

Makin' a Splash

That's all I wanna do. Even small splashes will be acceptable.

What's In My Bag?

Gorillapod, WD 500GB, Apple Macbook Pro 13", HiFiMAN EF2A headphone amp, Panasonic Lumix GF-1, Grado SR225i, iPhone 3GS, my sketchbook, a bunch of pens, and my Oakley Holbrooks.