While leaving Harajuku, I saw this person (I assume person, not creature of the night because they do have that cool look about them) walking toward the action. I still had on my 50mm prime and I wasn’t quite close enough, but they had the right stride, so I took the shot. I cropped in quite heavily in post, and then I ran one of my Lightroom Preset filters on it…
You can drive along the beach areas for hours and hours in Oahu but miss what is actually there. Oftentimes, there is a row of trees or houses that block the actual beach, but it’s hard to know what is just on the other side!
Luckily, my friend Tom (Myspace Tom) and I walked through some of the fauna and found this scene. It was all set up so perfectly — and there I was with my camera (which isn’t THAT much of a surprise).
This is the famous Flatiron building in NYC. I shot this while on the hunt for a location to hold a book launch party for something I had been writing at the time… which then went on to be a best seller. Writing books is tough but rewarding for sure. I’d recommend it to anyone, especially now it’s so easy to self-publish. Just be sure to have a great group of proofreaders that you can call on.
There are parts of Buenos Aires that are not too safe to walk around by yourself. This part was not so bad when I was there, but there were several abandoned stores around, including this Harrods. I was surprised to see such a nice store in a state of disrepair, especially after visiting its Valhalla-like anchor in London. Out front, there was a man playing the violin alone. It echoed around in a strange way through the acoustics of the tile, the roof, and the lonely streets. There was an Argentine rhythm he mixed into his playing that really transported me to another time and place.
If you have ever seen this area of Southern Iceland, then you can attest to these amazing colors! These are totally accurate…. and I would find it hard to believe had I not seen it first-hand. It was my first time in this area in the summer when I took this, after a previous visit in more arctic conditions. Do you see those strange rocks? Well, some of what you are seeing is rocks and the rest is a very unusual moss. It’s a tan-green color. It’s extremely fuzzy/spongy and makes the whole place just seem unworldly. That, combined with the extra-blue water, made for a scene that was just shockingly awesome.
The best fish I have ever had is in that little Viking-house there to the right. You have to duck to get through the door. Once inside, you emerge into a darkened Viking-style dining hall (imagine the great hall where Gríma Wormtongue held powah over King Théoden of Rohan). It’s called Tjöruhúsið in the little town of Isafjordur.
The whole experience is fun too. There is a little window in the back where the fishermen come every morning to deliver the fresh fish in exchange for getting to eat there for free. They bring you the food inside giant iron-clad pans… it was so awesome. I love to gorge myself here with giant dinners before heading out for all-night shooting.
I was doing an old promo video for Smugmug, which is the website that hosts my portfolio. They are a great company and I’ve been a fan for many years. They did a few “promo” videos staring yours truly and this was one of the locations we visited. They would get footage of me looking “cool” with my tripod. I don’t really think I look that cool. I look quite nerdy. But, comfortable with my nerdiness, I think!
I love these old parts of China that could be from almost any period in history. The riverside part of Feng Huang is a bit like this, so it is one of my favorite areas to photograph. Back when I processed this I was looking forward to returning and re-imagining these places with new equipment but as much as I’d like to return, as of the writing of this in 2023, I have no real desire to go back to China any time soon. After going there about a dozen times, I see it becoming more and more of a draconian system. I worry about everything from political problems to getting in trouble for doing something wrong and being thrown into some bottomless gulag.
The beautiful Barcelona is home for fanciful masterpieces of Antonio Gaudi. I thought I’d had pretty good grasp on the architectures of Gaudi’s but I didn’t anticipate the subtle interior design when I get into some of his buildings.
This is the Casa Batlló. I was surprised by every turn when I was inside, and it was always inspirational. I wonder whether you have ever played Myst? This place reminded me of Myst–except Gaudi had come up with the ideas so long ago–in 1877! And those designs were not only for beauty but large sums of functionality built-in too. Simply moving cool air from room to room is stylish and unexpected.
I recently re-worked a few of my older photos for an exhibition with Vanity Fair and the Oscars. There was to be a bit of a “film” feel, for obvious reasons, so I went back and used various cross-processing techniques for the shots. This is a process where you push the whites into one color space and the blacks into another. Every scene is completely different, so I may start with a preset but then push it into another direction.
