24mm, 1/125, F 1/5.6, ISO 200
I wanted the environment to say as much about them as their expressions do. Jay and George have filled their home with stained glass they’ve collected and made over the years, so shooting them framed inside it felt more honest than a posed portrait somewhere else. The colored panels surrounding them — reds, yellows, blues — cast this warm, layered light that you can’t really recreate artificially. I kept them centered and let the background do the storytelling.
50mmm, 1/60, F 1/2.0, ISO 1200
While my film partner and I were working on our junior year narrative in film class (which involves our characters discovering a portal) we had the idea to also do photoblogs as well, finding it inspiring and interesting how our actors eyes captures the minimal yet colorful light we had in place of our portal.
22mm, 1/32, F 1/6.3, ISO 800
Exploring water through its aftermath. These droplets scattered across the bird of paradise create tiny reflections and refractions, each one a small lens. The water doesn’t dominate the frame, but it changes everything—the way light hits the petals, the depth in the dark leaves, the sense that this moment is fresh and fleeting before it all evaporates.
24mm, 1/30, F 1/6.3, ISO 900
My family and I are a mix of faiths. We have had a tradition of decorating these whimsical silver branches. Often with photos and handmade ornaments.
24mm, 1/30, F 1/6.3, ISO 640
Exploring leading lines through the geometry of a bicycle wheel. Every spoke draws your eye inward, meeting at the hub in a perfect demonstration of how lines create visual movement. The disc brake adds another layer—circular lines within linear ones—showing how mechanical objects can be just as compositionally interesting as natural landscapes.
50mm, 1/100, F/1.8, ISO 800
The left image is the original shot with standard white balance, while the right shows what happened when I adjusted the color temperature. Pushing it toward cooler tones completely transformed the Chinatown scene—the buildings shifted to purple and pink, and the warm storefront lights popped against the cooler surroundings. I didn’t expect such a drastic change from one setting adjustment. This exercise showed me that white balance isn’t just for fixing color issues—it’s a creative tool that can completely alter a scene’s atmosphere.
50mm, 1/160, F/10, ISO 400
Exploring weight and mass at Hakone Gardens: the textured stone sits like a small monument in the water, its rough surface and solid form creating a gravitational center for the composition. Everything else—the thread-like plants, the soft moss, the water itself—feels weightless by comparison, as if the stone is the only thing keeping this miniature world from drifting away.
50mm, 1/165, F/10, ISO 125
At Hakone Gardens, I discovered that symmetry isn’t always about perfect geometry. This pond caught the wild, organic shapes of the garden—the sprawling moss, the lily pads, the overhanging branches—and reflected them back with such stillness that the line between real and reflection nearly disappeared.
24mm, 1/30, F/11, ISO 320
Today’s prompt was to capture our mood. I’m feel like I’m a bit overwhelmed with school work and other personal responsibilities.
24mm, 1/30, F/11, ISO 320
Utilizing the compositional grid today. It is fascinating to observe the significant impact the Rule of Thirds has on the overall feeling and balance of a photograph. Always aiming for stronger visual engagement.