Tag Archives: blog

Ramblings

Welcome Back; Tidal Waves and Rainbows

My try-hard, ganbaru face

My try-hard, ganbaru face

You may have noticed an absence over the last year. Or maybe you didn’t (I won’t be offended). Well, I have good news for you: I’m back.

The last year has been quite the roller coaster for me. My previous post marked the final turn in my father’s health, and subsequent rapid decline. The prior November, in a last-ditch effort, he underwent a difficult procedure to “replace” his immune system to beat the Lymphoma. Remember my “Thankful for Superheroes” post? Well, that post was made just after he completed that treatment. He was such a trooper, the true image of strength and a positive attitude. I’m still learning these lessons from him, and will continue to do so for a long time.

It’s been nearly one year to the day since his passing.

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Tips and Tricks

Composing the Shot

Osaka_ShinSaibashiComposition is one of the fastest ways to ruin a shot – and one of the fastest ways to fix it. The good news is that most people have an eye for composition, it’s just a matter of learning a few quick fixes to turn “There is something off about this” to “I can’t put my finger on it, but this is stunning.”

It’s not formulaic in any sense, so two plus two doesn’t necessarily equal four, but it is a sensory science. Learn to feel out the picture and complement its natural attributes. If the natural attributes are competing, do something about it.

Hunting around on the web, you can find a dozen “Rules for Composition.” But as far as I am concerned, the below are the ones that make or break and image. Once you’ve got these down, you level up even the simplest Instagram photo. Continue reading →

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Travel

It’s Time to Begin, With One Foot in Front of the Other

Often when I explain that, come March, I will be leaving the nest and flying to live thousands of miles away in a country I have only had the pleasure to visit once, many are often awed and even inspired. I find this surprising, for many reasons. I believe (wholeheartedly) in deciding what you want to do with your life, and doing it. Simple. You can have anything you want, so long as you work hard enough for it. It has been a dream of mine for years and years to live in Japan. I worked hard to make that dream a reality and I am about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime. It occurred to me that someone might actually be interested in reading this tale. So, here it is, the story of that journey.

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