It has been around five years since I started making photos. Over the past few months, I feel that a certain level of harmony has developed between what my mind sees and what the camera captures. Though, the real magic still happens when I transform that digital negative into my interpretation of the scene.
So, what have I learned thus far? Continue reading “My Photo Journey: Year Five”
I am writing this four years to the day after I fell in love.
In the aftermath of the GigaOM shutdown, I left town to spend a weekend with friends in New York and to take a break from all the negativity that was enveloping. I needed to revisit the place where it all started. I was in search of closure, though finding it – I ultimately learned – would take much longer. After I arrived, I began my healing process, as many people do, with some retail therapy. I stopped by my favorite camera store and chit-chatted with the staff. Don who would later become a dear friend, showed it to me, though I am forever in his debt.
The Leica SL. It was love at first sight. Continue reading “Leica SL: A Love Story”
Five years is a long time, so it isn’t a surprise that Ello might have faded from the minds of the people. And after being an initial skeptic, I have quietly become an occasional visitor — more like a lurker on the network, secretly following some fantastic photographers and their creativity. Many are not even my kind of photographs and visuals, but the sheer quality of images is stunning and one can learn so much from these works. Here is a link to the page of trending photos on Ello. But that isn’t all. There are so many amazing artists including this photo/visual surrealist.
It is the antithesis of the likes-fueled, influencer-juiced world of Instagram and its algorithmic overlordship of creativity. If Instagram is the machine and crowd-powered enemy of creativity for the sake of creativity, Ello is just a place where there are fewer judgments about the art. It is not just about photos. There is art, fashion, music, design, architecture — and it feels like the East Village long before the faux-pubs, condos and the Whole Foods turned it into urban-suburbia. Continue reading “Hello (Again) Ello”
It was today, back in 2007, due to some health-related complications I almost died — and when I came out of the hospital, I knew that things wouldn’t be the same again. I have had to change — a lot — and looking back most of it has been for good. For instance, after a … Continue reading My 11th ReBirthday
Last night, the Long Now folks hosted a talk with my dear friend Chris Michel, a photographer who has immense empathy and appreciation for nature. I wouldn’t be exaggerating if I said that he has been the single most positive influence on my photography. He is my visual sensei. And while I had seen many of his photos over the years, I was moved by his visual diaries from the edge of the planet — whether it was the poles, north, and south, or the edge of our atmosphere. Continue reading “Chris Michel & Our Need for Constant Reinvention”
When companies want to send me their products, I mostly say no. I am not a reviewer — never have been. I say yes, only when I can incorporate these products into my daily flow and use them with a regular cadence. And I don’t really form an opinion — up until I have used the product for about six weeks. The new iMac Pro is one of those products that came for review and is going back today. I have not experienced sadness about sending something back, as I have with this iMac Pro.
When I went to sleep last night, I was excited about the prospects of the new day. I had no idea that it would turn out to be one of those red letter days that teach you pretty much everything about life. Now that I think of it, it was a good parable for life, and a reminder of how despite our illusions, we are never really in control. Continue reading “You just never know what life brings”
After five years of using Leica products, I can safely say that Leica does make fantastic products, and expensive as they might be, they are going to last what seems like a lifetime. I bought my Leica SL, about three years ago. It was so advanced and perfectly built that even today, I find it at par with recent competitive products. The lenses — especially the M class of lenses — cost a lot of money, but I am leaving those for my godchildren. In other words, the very qualities that make Leica products expensive, make it hard for the company to monetize their customer base. With overall camera market shrinking, thanks to the rise of computational photography, like all its rivals, Leica must see the writing on the wall.
I live between analog and digital worlds. My 12.9 inch iPad Pro and Logitech K811 keyboard are my preferred computer combination. For a timepiece, nothing like the artful work from masters at Grand Seiko. And for photography, I now work exclusively with Leica M-A and an f2/50mm Summicron. All my other film and digital cameras, … Continue reading My only camera rig
Chris Michel, the founder of Military.com and Affinity Labs, is a well-known entrepreneur and investor. He is also an accomplished photographer and someone whom I call my photography guru. He is one of the quiet success stories in Silicon Valley, and his journey is chock-a-block of lessons. Michel sits on the boards of Dale Carnegie, Catchlight, Kixeye, and 3D Robotics.
His photos have appeared in the National Geographic, the Smithsonian, the New York Times, the BBC, Outside Magazine and others. His “Flying Emperor” photograph was the 2nd place finisher in the 2014 Wikipedia Picture of the Year. We share a love for Leica and its beautiful lenses and often go out to make photos.
After months of arm-twisting, I finally convinced Chris to sit down and tell me his story — his journey in life, his time in the U.S. Navy, his move to Silicon Valley and why he loves photography. We dig deeper into the meaning of life, accomplishment and how to reframe ourselves in a world that is framed by false proxies of success — money and fame.
There is so much I learned about him during this conversation, even though we meet for coffee every two weeks. I was moved to tears, and so inspired by our tête-à-tête. Have a listen –you will be glad you did.
March 2nd, 2018, San Francisco
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