I was never good at art in school. Photography lets me be an artist.
I picked up a Digital Rebel in 2006, just before studying abroad in London. I’d always had the fascination but never the time, and that semester gave me both: the time and the opportunity to explore London through a lens. It was the first time I’d allowed myself to just be creative without worrying what I’d need to memorize for a test. No plan. No vision. Just a quiet pull. The world got bigger. That’s when it clicked. Not the camera — the point of it.
I’ve worked early mornings and late nights as an emergency physician. I’ve seen people on their worst days — bad accidents, surprise diagnoses, moments that rewrite everything without warning. That does something to you. It makes you stop taking ordinary days for granted.
But it was a quieter moment that changed how I saw photography. While training at Mayo Clinic, a surgical mentor created personal family photos unlike anything I’d ever seen — bolder, more intentional, more alive. They moved me even though I’d never met most of the people in them. That’s when I understood what photography could actually do when someone approached it with real intention.
Three places to start.
Cities, before they wake.
Florence, Lisbon, Venice, London. Soft light, empty squares, nobody standing in the frame. That’s the hour I set the alarm for. City guides for Florence and London are up, with more on the way.
The room above the room.
Walk into an old church and look up. Some of the best work in the building is over your head, and most people walk right under it.
countries, so far.
Twenty between Alisha and me, combined. Europe is the habit; the rest were good detours.
How the photographs got made.
Where I stood, what time it was, and what was on the camera. One frame per film, start to finish, nothing skipped.
A Maui Masterpiece
A Platypod, an intervalometer, and one backlit sunset behind our Maui rental. This is how the frame came together.
Seventeen films so far: where I stood, what time it was, what was on the camera. New ones when there’s something worth showing.
What I carry, and what I learned carrying it.
Reviews of the gear I paid for, and the how-tos I wish I’d had.
I was never good at art in school. Photography lets me be an artist.
I picked up a Digital Rebel in 2006, just before studying abroad in London. I’d always had the fascination but never the time, and that semester gave me both: the time and the opportunity to explore London through a lens. It was the first time I’d allowed myself to just be creative without worrying what I’d need to memorize for a test. No plan. No vision. Just a quiet pull. The world got bigger. That’s when it clicked. Not the camera — the point of it.
I’ve worked early mornings and late nights as an emergency physician. I’ve seen people on their worst days — bad accidents, surprise diagnoses, moments that rewrite everything without warning. That does something to you. It makes you stop taking ordinary days for granted.
But it was a quieter moment that changed how I saw photography. While training at Mayo Clinic, a surgical mentor created personal family photos unlike anything I’d ever seen — bolder, more intentional, more alive. They moved me even though I’d never met most of the people in them. That’s when I understood what photography could actually do when someone approached it with real intention.
Three places to start.
Cities, before they wake.
Soft light, empty squares, nobody in the frame. City guides for Florence and London are up.
The room above the room.
Some of the best work in the building is over your head.
countries, so far.
How the photographs got made.
Where I stood, what time it was, and what was on the camera. One frame per film, start to finish, nothing skipped.
A Maui Masterpiece
A Platypod, an intervalometer, and one backlit sunset behind our Maui rental. This is how the frame came together.
Seventeen films so far: where I stood, what time it was, what was on the camera. New ones when there’s something worth showing.
What I carry, and what I learned carrying it.
Reviews of the gear I paid for, and the how-tos I wish I’d had.
A question
Ask me anything.
A place, a print, a lens, a collaboration. I read every one of these myself.
