asher1027

[asher1027]

10/3/2024 - Cats are one of life's most timeless photographic subjects. The usually serious expression of cats is exactly what I look for in portraits of people. The joy of a genuine smile is something I love, especially of family. But for staged portraits, I prefer the authenticity of a serious face.

[asher1027]

9/10/2024 - It's a girl! This was one of the happiest days of my life. Everyone was cheering and celebrating, while I was in total disbelief. I had to see the paper for myself. Female, was written right there on the page. Although I was sure it would be a boy, I was hoping for a girl. I got my wish!

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9/2/2024 - I am back in the Philippines for a week to visit my wife. On the way here, I spent a day in Los Angeles, CA. I walked the streets near my hotel and found the neighborhood to be beautiful and full of character. Although I always hear bad things about LA in the news and from people, it is such a cool city!

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8/9/2024 - The image you see above is a scan of a 35mm negative. It started its life as a digital JPEG from my Ricoh GR III. How can a digital photo become a 35mm negative? I did an experiment recently where I used my MacBook screen and a macro lens on my Canon film camera to transfer digital images to film. This is better than any "hOw To GeT tHe FilM lOoK" video you'll find on YouTube. Because this is not an edit, it's real!

[asher1027]

8/3/2024 - If you have siblings, you are one of the few people in their lives with the privilege of knowing them as kids. Most people in my life know me as an adult, they will never know the younger version of myself. Childhood is a very short and special period in each person's life. Once it's over, it's over. So cherish it!

[asher1027]

7/23/2024 - A little recognized aspect of taking good photos is simply taking a lot of photos. On the few occasions I've heard the words "I can't take pictures like you." Part of my response is, because you don't take as many as me. I'm the only person I've ever known in my life, that carries a camera everywhere. I take pictures of everything. More than skill it's a matter of statistics. It's inevitable some pictures are going to wind up being good! Also, the longer you do this, the better you get at not taking bad photos.

[asher1027]

7/22/2024 - I think everyone online needs to honestly ask themselves whether or not social media improves their lives. I see tensions raised and relationships destroyed, all because someone had the audacity to say something in a fake text-based world that they would never dare say looking into the eyes of another real human being. My wife and I both recently deactivated our Facebook accounts and deleted Instagram. You don't have to cover your ears to get away from the noise, you just have to unplug.

[asher1027]

7/21/2024 - I started playing Minecraft for the first time this week with my little brothers, and I have been having so much fun! It makes me a bit sad that I don't have the experience of playing this game as a kid. I'm jealous of people my age with fond memories of waking up on a Saturday morning to play Minecraft. Although, it makes me happy that I have this new way to spend time with my siblings even though we're so far apart. Me being in Colorado and them in North Carolina. Now, instead of just chatting about our day over a phone call, we can go fight monsters in a cave, build a farm, hunt an interdimensional dragon, and many other adventures!

[asher1027]

6/14/2024 - What redeems a bustling city? A good hard rain.

Street photography becomes so tedious when I'm in a busy city. A lot of photographers crave the chaos but I cannot relate to that desire. My abilities of perception are greatly reduced, and I'm forced to be too reactionary. Rather than noticing small moments and details, I'm only focused on what's happening in front of me.

Rain changes all of that. Rain subdues a chaotic city like the stern words of a father subdue his misbehaving child.

This is why I recommend every photographer invest in one fully weather resistant camera. Walking with a camera in the rain with no umbrella is a spiritual experience. Rain redeems the chaos of a city.

[asher1027]

5/29/2024 - In my opinion the Sony A6000 has some of the most underappreciated colors of any camera. Fujifilm, Leica, and Canon have all the street cred in the world of color science. But every time I go through a phase of heavily shooting with the A6000, I am so happy with the beautiful colors of the JPG files. I'm buying my first Fujifilm camera tomorrow so it will be interesting to see how it compares and how the files process compared to the little Sony.

[asher1027]

5/27/2024 - A photo I've wanted for a long time now. A photo I've dreamt about. On the 22nd of May, we learned that we're pregnant! Our first child is scheduled to be born around January 22nd 2025. We're calling him/her the sesame seed at the moment because that is how big he/she is. So much joy has been rekindled in our lives because of this little sesame seed. I am so excited to document these coming happy days! God be praised!

[asher1027]

5/13/2024 - Here is my unpopular photography opinion. I totally disagree with the phrase "if your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough". These are the words of Robert Capa. The greatness of Robert Capa's pictures do not wholly come from his proximity to his subjects. Rather, they are great because Robert Capa is a great photographer, who happens to get close to his subjects. I see plenty of photographers getting close and taking bland photos. I would say if your pictures aren't good enough, you're not being honest enough. If you don't know what that means just keep shooting and you'll figure it out.

[asher1027]

5/12/2024 - My third ever photo book has arrived! Not only do I feel that this is my best book yet, but nearly every photo was shot on film. Which makes it feel a bit more special. The pictures are all from my brother Silas's recent trip to visit me in the Philippines. It was his first time traveling and he is the first (currently only) member of my family to meet my wife. Posting photos online is nice because it allows people to easily see them. But nothing can replace a photo book.

[asher1027]

5/4/2024 - I've had many "era's" during my photographic obsession. Compact camera era, big camera era, black and white era, color era, Pentax era, Canon era, flash era, 28mm era, 40mm era, etc, etc, etc. I just started my "mobile editing era." I take pictures using whatever camera, upload the keepers to my phone using an SD card reader, edit on Snapseed, and done. This allows me to spend less time stressing over editing and more time doing what makes photography great, having fun!

[asher1027]

5/3/2024 - 10 photographic rules for life

Don’t needlessly set the stage. 

Let life flow towards you.

Always photograph cats when given the opportunity. 

Study the masters but do not copy them.

Do interesting things.

Talk with strange people.

Bring your camera everywhere. 

Make the kind of photos you enjoy looking at. 

Don’t follow trends.

Don’t listen to bad photographers. 

[asher1027]

5/2/2024 - What characteristic does the writer and the photographer share, that partially fuels their need to write or photograph? Many answers could be suggested, and many would be correct. But the answer in my mind is appreciation. Gratitude even. To the non-photographer or non-writer, they often do not photograph or write because they do not appreciate. One moment may not appear to be more or less special than any other moment. The ability to look at life with it's beauty, it's ugliness, it's happiness, it's misery, it's celebrations, and it's tragedies. And to notice it. And to never take a moment for granted. To constantly be in awe at the beauty of life and the depth of emotions we experience within it. Some things are just so amazing, that I want it to last forever.

[asher1027]

5/2/2024 - It's interesting how sentiments change over time. When I first arrived in the Philippines it seemed to be everything I could ever want in a country. I only saw the goodness of the Philippines, and only remembered the bad sides of America. As time goes on the pendulum swings the other direction, and begins to balance. The Philippines is not perfect, far from it. America is not perfect either, but there is much to love about it. I remember more and more the goodness and beauty of America, and I miss it. I miss it every day.