"Insist on the composition"

Adrian is one of my favorite photographers working today. He writes:

I found this old building under construction and a bird that was hanging out on top of it.

I stopped there for a few minutes and started taking some exposures. Then the bird took off and I got a shot I loved.

I knew I had gotten something I would like, but I kept shooting for a few more minutes. If you are in front of a scene with elements that keep changing (here, not only the birds but also the Sun), be patient and insist on the composition.

Emphasis mine. I particularly like the admonition to "be patient and insist on the composition". That feels like something worth printing on a pin or button, or a sticker for your camera case.

It's something I don't do often enough. Particularly when shooting on the street or anywhere I'm around other people, I feel this (internal) pressure to move on, to make room, to not draw anyone's eye, to not be the asshole photographer getting in everyone else's way. It's a tendency I'm working on fighting so that I can insist properly on my composition.

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Gearing up for Hyderabad

In just a few short weeks, I'll be taking my longest ever trip out of the United States: 30 days in Hyderabad, India. I'll fly from Detroit to Charlotte to London to Hyderabad, where I'll be living in a corporate apartment for the duration of my stay. It's going to be quite the experience.

While I'll be working quite a bit, I'm planning to take my trusty Nikon D3300 (kit lens plus 35mm prime) and Google Pixel to document my adventures. I'll be traveling alone, though I'm not sure I'll ever really be alone in a country of billions. I'm looking forward to spending time with my colleagues and experiencing life in Hyderabad while I'm there.

For the curious, the rest of my bag will include:
Bose On-Ear Wireless HeadphonesAnker SoundBuds CurveGorillaPod DSLR tripodGoogle PixelBookTwo spare battery packsChargers, adapters for international outlets, and cables out the wazooAn assortment of pens, pencils, a Sakura Koi watercolor kit, notebooks, and a …

From my zine: A Life Worth Living (WIP)

I made a short test zine via Google Photos last year, because sometimes we all need a reminder about what makes our lives worth living. And I wanted to try a test zine. But mostly the first thing.

It's not a consistent zine. Different formats, cameras, subjects, and color vs. black and white. But my life isn't consistent. It's a mess of moments, one after another. And I think it's pretty damn beautiful.

Nathan Heller on Universal Basic Income

Nathan Heller writes in The New Yorker:
Economics is at heart a narrative art, a frame across which data points are woven into stories about how the world should work.Heller reviews a number of books debating the merits of a Universal Basic Income (UBI), its benefits, and its likelihood of true success. While it's true UBI is having a bit of a moment, it's clear no one has settled on the narrative it should take. Annie Lowery has a timely op-ed in The New York Times on the very topic, and is one of the authors Heller reviews.

One coworker enthused to me about a UBI, saying that it would solve so many social ills! He was excited to be able to shut down Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and innumerable other aspects of the social safety net. Libertarians and conservatives seem thrilled about this chance to finally, finally kill that great bugaboo, the idea that government might need to administrate social programs.

For my part, I greet a potential UBI with extreme caution. A …

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