Hands that Drive

Fingers on the wheel, but no faces. A look through the windshield at a driver’s habits, the artificial veil of privacy broken. One hand or two hands, giving the middle finger or eating a banana, all captured in the moment.

There is no hiding the hands that drive.

Blue/Green Bird/Stone

The sky was gray and it was dull outside. People in the park came and went- pushing a stroller, riding a bike, or walking just as I was. Monotony had taken a hold over the landscape, the earth saving color for another day.

I saw the world in black and white, except for blue and green pairs of bird feeders and cobblestones. It turns out that you can find color on even the most gray and dull days.

Christmas Light Corner

It was well into the night when I finished Jurassic Park 2. After watching a T. rex go on a rampage through the streets of San Diego, I needed to clear my head so I went on a walk around my neighborhood. 

You’d think I’d fear the darkness after such a bloody movie, but Christmas lights cast a gentle glow as I took in shades of red, blue, green, yellow, and white. It was form, not focus, that I was after- circles of light that carried a life of their own.

The circular forms of illuminated wreaths blended with perfectly horizontal roof lights and blob-like bushes. It was a cold night, but the holiday spirit was in the air.

An Orange Unknown

Yesterday, out of nowhere, it began to snow- the first snow of the season! I knew I had to mark the occasion by going on a quick photo shoot after work.

Recently I had purchased a manual flash after developing a strong liking for experimentation with long exposures. Anything that catches the flash’s bright glow is frozen in the frame, while illuminated elements, such as lights, create sweeping streaks that add a layer of the supernatural.

I put on my boots and hat, and walked to a nearby pond just as darkness was setting in. Before doing anything else, I identified the lights from a nearby school as my illuminated element in the frame. Next, I picked a bench, wooden fence plank, and bridge as my subjects. Finally, it was time to experiment with 10 second exposures.

I carefully tuned the power and focal length of the flash for each shot, and after the initial beam of light went off, I pointed my camera towards the lights of the nearby school while zooming in and out in a figure eight motion. The results are images with a ghost-like glow.

Not Alone

The past week I’ve been living at home alone. My parents are visiting my sister in the Czech Republic, and the lack of usual conversation and footsteps around the house holds the air in suspended silence. My world seemed isolated, until I discovered that I wasn’t alone.

A voice heard over the phone suddenly has a richer resonance, and a face seen over FaceTime suddenly is more animated. Interaction through technology cannot replace all five senses, but transcends space and time in ways now invaluable to me.

Loneliness is just a matter of perspective.

Fall Glow

Last Saturday was a crisp day in upstate New York. I was hiking along a trail to Diamond Notch Falls, the sun casting an ember-like glow between the trees. Some branches were already bare, their fallen leaves blanketing the forest floor in orange, brown, and yellow. On other branches leaves continued battling the wind, their pierced, crumpling surfaces fading in plain sight.

I hunted for light and shadow, for the sun’s reflection in the water, and for floral silhouettes. Season’s change is knocking on the door in front of my eyes.

Best Photos Explained Part 3: She Ponders

This photograph, taken in Manhattan in November 2018, is part of my Reflections in NYC series where I tried capturing themes of individual identity and materialism in the Big Apple.

The left three-quarters of the frame is a reflection off the side of a building, while the right quarter of the frame depicts the actual street in front of the building. By lining up the High Line with the green plywood and the sidewalks on both sides of the image, the boundary between reflection and reality is partially blurred. The woman in the black leather jacket is looking towards the actual street, as if she’s pondering whether she wants to cross from the world of her mirror image into the vibrant buzz of New York City.

Shortly after snapping this image the woman’s boyfriend walked into the scene, and the couple went off exploring all the streets have to offer.

The Hunt

Boston.

Competition.

Ambition.

Fit.

Application.

Robot.

Thanks.

Your match is hunting too.

Immortal Soul

This year has shown us the true extent to which the world around us is finite. From a national chain store to a small family restaurant, the places we love can vanish at a moment’s notice. No one is safe.

And though the physical may disappear, swallowing any fleeting light into darkness, a spiritual light will carry on in our souls. You will be remembered.

To all local businesses, memories of you are immortal.

Storm Dive

Today was a normal, sunny, hot summer afternoon. There was a stillness and peace in the air until, suddenly, fury.

The skies sheathed the earth in darkness, and torrents of wind and rain punished trees and their branches. A drum-like beat echoed through my ears as hail pounded the roof. Nature’s mighty crescendo continued to rise when, suddenly, stillness returned.

We are at the mercy of something greater than ourselves.