Sometimes the hardest thing about photography is finding time to do it. After I bought my first DSLR camera, a Nikon D40, I used it almost every day. But as time went by, I took it out less and less. It even started to collect dust on my shelf. It wasn’t just that the initial…
If you’re looking for a simple, fun, and inspiring photo project, do what the Australian Aborigines did: walk the earth (with your camera). In the past, they went on a roaming journey of up to six months. It wasn’t just about walking though, it was considered a spiritual rite of passage into manhood. A photo…
I’ll never forget the first time I tried to photograph fireworks. I was in Busan, South Korea, at their annual fireworks show. I had the perfect spot, a brand new DSLR, and a decent knowledge of photography. When I got home and looked at my images, they were either flat, blurry, boring, or all of…
Is there more to photograph in Thailand than buttery bucolic beaches? Absolutely. After spending two weeks on a roaming photo tour of Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and the Similan Islands, I’m convinced that The Land of Smiles has plenty more to offer than postcard images of tropical islands. Here’s a short photo guide to one of…
Getting discovered is easy! That’s what it looks like if you’re photographer Benjamin Von Wong. He’s a marketing master who’s figured out the formula – the secret to creating shareable meaningful work. His photos are everywhere, from the front page of Reddit to major media outlets and photography magazines or blogs, not to mention the…
Light painting is an excellent way to get creative with night photography. Although there are many techniques, the process is simple. Just set your camera up for a long exposure. Then draw with light. Some more popular light painting techniques include using a flashlight, sparkler, steel wool, LED lights, or even the lit face of…
“The poor foreigner,’ he said, ‘has been acquainted with our grasslands but for four short days.’ ‘We must pity him,’ said the old man with feeling. ‘How hard it must be,’ commented the woman, ‘not to be born a Mongolian.’ ‘To be sure,’ said the old man, ‘the fellow is most unfortunate. But how blessed…
One of the biggest problems photographers encounter, or any creative for that matter, is how to fund their personal projects. If you’re lucky enough, an editor will send you out on that dream assignment or a client will hire you for an epic job. Often though, the projects you are most passionate about are not…
In the basement of my parent’s house, buried deep beneath some old tools, a bulky laptop running Windows 95′, my mother’s childhood dolls, plastic tubs of multi-colored legos, and piles of books, was a wooden box full of Kodachrome slides. At times I would go through that box, hold the slides up to the light,…
Mom came for a visit here in Busan, so I took her on a short trip to Kyoto. It’s one of my favorite cities in all of Asia. We were lucky because the cherry blossoms were in bloom when we went. I heard they were going to light up Kiyomizudera Temple for the occasion. We…
There are moments in life when you realize how fragile it is. I just had one of those. Thankfully everything is fine. But in the darkness I thought of this photo I took in the small town of Bundi, India. I was sitting alone on the roof of my guesthouse at sunrise. I watched the…
Shooting light trails is one of my favorite types of photography. By making long exposures, you are able to slow down time and view the world in a whole new way, one that only cameras can see. It’s also a fantastic way to increase your understanding of the exposure triangle (aperture, shutter speed, ISO). Here…
No, it’s not a scene from Blade Runner. This is the Yan’an Interchange in Shanghai, one of the wildest on the planet. During the weekend the city turns on these blueish Tron lights underneath the highway. It wasn’t easy to get this shot. We had to pay off a security guard to let us on…
I’ve always wanted to create surreal images. I remember the first time I saw Salvador Dali’s mind-altering melting clocks. It was both out of this world but from it at the same time. It made me think in a way no other art form has. As I started to learn about different photographic genres, I came…
I really like long exposure photography. There is a small learning curve, but when you get it, you can produce some really cool effects with your images. This photo here is from a great spot in Malaysia called Penang. It’s the country’s second largest city but there are parts of it which make it feel…
Sometimes I sit in front of my computer and edit images all day. Today was one of those days. It was raining out. I put on some Groove Salad, “a nicely chilled plate of ambient/downtempo beats and grooves,” as their site says. Then drank coffee, lit some incense, and made this image. I got so…
I wanted to get to the Taj early to avoid the crowds. As soon as got in I sprinted to this one spot where I knew I could catch both the Taj and the sunrise in my frame. Even though it was a distance from the entrance, there was already a small group of photographers…
I looked out my window and saw fog rolling in from the sea. I couldn’t believe it because it was the first week of March, and fog season here is usually from May to July. I stood there wondering if it was for real, and if I would finally get the shot I’d dreamed of. I…
I came to Rajasthan to live out my own Steve McCurry fantasy, to travel to the same places and photograph the same faces that he did. So this morning I went to Dhai-Bhai Kund, a 500-year-old step well in Bundi, India. This guy was sitting nearby. I asked him if I could take a photo…
I saw photos of the Taj from a boat on the river. As the story goes, there is a guy who will take you out on his rowboat. You just have to follow the outer wall down to the water. When we got there a guy asked, “Do you want a boat ride?” It wasn’t…
Are you spending too much time editing your photos? I’d rather spend my time out shooting than in front of my computer. I use these Adobe Lightroom presets when processing my travel photographs. 19 Lightroom Presets that will help you create beautiful images and speed up your workflow. [twentytwenty] [/twentytwenty] Presets: Master Blaster +…
Ansel Adams said, “A good photograph is knowing where to stand.” Being in the right place at the right time is one of the most important aspects to creating images with impact – even more so when it comes to travel photography. In fact, photographers often see an image in their head before it happens….
Some friends told me there was this island in Korea unlike any they had seen before. They said it reminded them of something out of Jurassic Park or Lord of The Rings. I’d heard overblown comparisons before: the Hawaii of this or Santorini of that. Then the Lonely Planet included Ulleungdo in its 2012 list of…
There’s a saying that success leaves clues. One of the best ways to improve your photography skills is to study the greats. For me, and a countless number of other photography enthusiasts, Steve McCurry is a legend. He’s a National Geographic and Magnum photographer, but most people know him for one of the most iconic images…
One of Dubai’s most overused phrases according to Time Out magazine is, “It’s just like Ibiza/Vegas/Paris/New York/London here.” It’s true there’s an endless summer vibe to Dubai, like a Balearic Calvin Harris club anthem when the bass drops. For some the city is an escapist fantasy. “What happens in Dubai stays in Dubai!” And of course there…
The sound of monks chanting echoes through the forest. Birds chirp in the trees. The humming sound of cicadas lowers and rises in waves. At the end of a tree-lined trail is a stone bridge covered in white lanterns known as Paradise Bridge. It crosses over a lazy stream where water bubbles over smooth stones….
35 years ago my family moved from America to Jeju Island. We lived there for just over a year. I was six then. While we were there, my father took a bunch of photographs. But they got buried away in a pile of boxes, stored along with all the other stuff families collect.
In 1979, Iranian militants seized the US Embassy in Tehran, the Russians invaded Afghanistan, and Margaret Thatcher became the new Prime Minister of England. The album of the year was Saturday Night Fever by the Bee Gees. The song of the year was Just The Way You Are by Billy Joel. Apocalypse Now and The…
My exhibition (June 15 – July 28, 2013) will kick off Saturday the 15th at 5pm. It will be held at the IUM Art Space Gallery in Ulsan, Korea. I’ve posted details and directions below. Admission is free. Hope you can make it!
Nothing lights up Busan like the sea of lotus lanterns at Samgwang Temple on Buddha’s Birthday.