Capturing Chicago: Street Photography, Luxury Collaboration, and How Philadelphia Clients Can Connect
Reflecting on my recent trip to Chicago, I found myself once again immersed in the energy of a new city, exploring its streets with my camera. Chicago, known for its architectural marvels and vibrant neighborhoods, provided endless inspiration for my street photography. Every corner had a story, from the bustling scenes at Millennium Park to the quiet charm along the Riverwal
Exploring Chicago Through Street Photography
There’s nothing quite like immersing yourself in a city and capturing its essence through a lens. Chicago, with its vibrant streets and iconic architecture, offered the perfect playground for street photography. My approach to shooting a city involves blending in, observing the rhythm, and finding moments that represent its character.
In each neighborhood, I tried to capture Chicago’s unique atmosphere, from the lively energy in Millennium Park to the historic charm of the Riverwalk. Here are some shots that I think capture the city's vibe, providing glimpses into the diverse culture and pulse of the streets. I also shared my experience in this recent vlog on YouTube, where you can watch behind-the-scenes footage from the marathon weekend.
A Unique Collaboration: Waldorf Astoria Hotel
During my stay, I had the opportunity to collaborate with the Waldorf Astoria, capturing the hotel’s luxurious ambiance and the unique experience it offers to its guests. This collaboration was more than just a photoshoot; it was a chance to reflect the Waldorf’s world-class service and elegant design through my lens.
Working with such an iconic brand was inspiring, and it pushed me to experiment with new techniques and compositions that align with luxury aesthetics. Below are some of the photos from the shoot, showcasing the Waldorf Astoria’s beautiful interiors and the refined experience it provides. Collaborations like these are what drive my creativity, merging my love for capturing moments with brands that have a unique story.
Philadelphia Clients: Let’s Work Together
If you’re in the Philadelphia area and looking for a photographer who brings a fresh perspective and versatility, let’s connect! Whether it's street photography, high-end collaborations, or a personalized project, I’m passionate about crafting visuals that speak to your brand or personal vision.
My approach to photography is shaped by my experience working with diverse clients and environments. From urban landscapes to intimate settings, I tailor each project to bring out the best in every subject. If you're interested in working together, feel free to reach out, and let’s discuss how I can help bring your ideas to life.
Where Creativity Comes From Post #2 Reflection as a Source of Innovation
Introduction: The Foundation of Creativity
In this mini-series, we delve into the roots of creativity, especially for photographers in Philadelphia. We challenge common myths surrounding creativity, explore practices that nurture it, and discuss how limitations can enhance our creative processes.
When we think of creativity, it's easy to imagine sudden flashes of inspiration or artistic breakthroughs. However, true creativity often stems from a relentless pursuit of quality. Whether in art, photography, technology, or any other field, real creativity results from a continual dedication to refining your skills and elevating your work.
For me, this relentless pursuit has been a key aspect of my creative journey. Whether I'm troubleshooting complex systems or capturing street photography in Philadelphia, I’ve found that striving for quality leads to unexpected bursts of creativity. Let’s explore how this pursuit can shape your creative process.
Why Reflection Matters:
Many of us are focused on forward momentum. We want to finish one project and move on to the next as quickly as possible. But in the process, we miss out on valuable insights that could help us grow creatively.
Reflection allows us to slow down and consider our past experiences. It’s in these moments of looking back that we can see patterns, recognize what worked and what didn’t, and ask the kinds of questions that lead to new ideas.
For example, when I took time to reflect on one particular street photo that earned me $5K, I started asking myself deeper questions:
Why did that photo resonate so strongly?
What was special about the moment I captured?
These questions led me down a path of exploration that eventually inspired new creative projects and ideas. Without that period of reflection, I might have missed the opportunity to learn from that experience.
Reflection in Photography:
Photography, especially street photography, is a craft where reflection plays a huge role. Every photo you take is an opportunity to learn something new. Whether it’s about composition, timing, or lighting, reflecting on your work allows you to see things you might have missed in the moment.
When I look back on my photos, I’m not just admiring the final result I’m asking myself questions. Why did I choose this composition? What was the light like that day? How could I improve on this shot in the future?
This reflection doesn’t just make me a better photographer it sparks new creative ideas. By analyzing my past work, I can find new directions to take my photography, new techniques to try, and new stories to tell through my images.
Reflection in Tech:
In tech, reflection is just as important. After troubleshooting a system or solving a complex issue, it’s easy to move on to the next problem without looking back. But by reflecting on how you approached the challenge, what worked, and what didn’t, you can find ways to improve your process for the future.
For example, after successfully debugging a particularly challenging system issue, I took the time to reflect on my approach. I asked myself:
What steps did I take that led to the solution?
Were there any mistakes I made along the way that I could learn from?
How can I streamline this process next time?
This reflection not only improved my problem-solving skills but also inspired me to think more creatively about how I approach similar issues in the future.
Asking the Right Questions:
At the heart of reflection is the ability to ask the right questions. Whether you’re reflecting on your photography or your work in tech, asking thoughtful, probing questions is key to unlocking new insights and ideas.
Some questions you might ask yourself during reflection include:
What did I learn from this experience?
What worked well, and what could I improve?
How can I apply what I’ve learned to future projects?
Are there any patterns or trends that I’ve noticed in my work?
By consistently asking these kinds of questions, you’ll start to see connections between past experiences and future opportunities. This process can lead to unexpected creative breakthroughs.
Conclusion:
Reflection isn’t just a nice-to-have it’s an essential part of the creative process. By taking the time to look back on your past work and ask thoughtful questions, you’ll unlock new ideas, improve your skills, and find fresh inspiration for future projects.
Whether you’re a photographer, a tech professional, or someone pursuing creative growth in another field, make reflection a regular part of your process. You’ll be surprised at how much creative potential is waiting to be uncovered when you take the time to pause and look back.
The Relentless Pursuit of Quality: The Foundation of Creativity
Where Creativity Comes From Post #1: The Relentless Pursuit of Quality in Photography
Introduction: The Foundation of Creativity
In this mini-series, we delve into the roots of creativity, especially for photographers in Philadelphia. We challenge common myths surrounding creativity, explore practices that nurture it, and discuss how limitations can enhance our creative processes.
When we think of creativity, it's easy to imagine sudden flashes of inspiration or artistic breakthroughs. However, true creativity often stems from a relentless pursuit of quality. Whether in art, photography, technology, or any other field, real creativity results from a continual dedication to refining your skills and elevating your work.
For me, this relentless pursuit has been a key aspect of my creative journey. Whether I'm troubleshooting complex systems or capturing street photography in Philadelphia, I’ve found that striving for quality leads to unexpected bursts of creativity. Let’s explore how this pursuit can shape your creative process.
The Myth of Instant Creativity
In today’s fast-paced world, we often hear about instant creativity—a brilliant idea striking out of nowhere, leading to success. While this can happen occasionally, it’s not the norm. Most creative professionals understand that the best ideas come from hours, days, and even years of hard work. Creativity often reveals itself slowly, through trial and error, learning from mistakes, and mastering the fundamentals of your craft.
Take street photography as an example. Capturing a perfect moment may seem like luck, but there's a reason certain photographers consistently produce high-quality work: they’ve mastered their craft. They know their equipment inside and out, understand composition, lighting, and timing, and have invested the time to practice.
The same principle applies in technology. Creative problem-solving doesn’t just happen overnight; it requires a deep understanding of the systems you're working with and a commitment to continuous improvement.
Building a Foundation of Excellence
In both my photography and tech work, I've learned that the pursuit of quality is the bedrock upon which creativity is built. Without a solid technical foundation, exploring new ideas or pushing boundaries becomes challenging.
Taking the time to refine your skills—whether in photography, where you're constantly learning new techniques and equipment, or in tech, where you’re troubleshooting and fine-tuning systems—lays the groundwork for creativity to flourish.
A prime example is the $5K street photo I captured. While it may appear to be a lucky shot, it resulted from countless hours spent mastering my camera, honing my eye for composition, and practicing the art of timing. Quality isn’t achieved overnight; it’s a continuous pursuit.
Quality Breeds Confidence
One significant benefit of pursuing quality relentlessly is the confidence it instills in your work. When you've honed your skills, you can tackle new challenges creatively without second-guessing your technical abilities. You can focus on the creative aspects of a project, knowing you have the skills to back it up.
This confidence is especially crucial in tech, where creative problem-solving can determine success or failure. If you're uncertain about navigating complex systems, generating innovative solutions becomes difficult. However, when you’ve invested the time to learn, refine, and master your craft, your confidence empowers you to think outside the box.
Creative Freedom Through Mastery
One of the most important lessons I've learned in photography and tech is that mastery grants creative freedom. When you’ve mastered your tools, you can experiment, explore, and push boundaries without being hindered by technical limitations.
In photography, this mastery allows me to take risks with composition, lighting, and subjects, confident in my technical expertise. In tech, it enables me to try new approaches to troubleshooting without worrying about handling complexities.
This creative freedom is where the magic happens, allowing you to explore new ideas and stretch the limits of what’s possible.
Conclusion: The Pursuit of Quality
Creativity doesn’t stem from chasing quick wins or relying on luck. It comes from a consistent, relentless pursuit of quality in everything you do. By dedicating yourself to honing your craft—whether in photography, tech, or any other field—you lay the foundation for creativity to thrive.
The next time you face a creative challenge, ask yourself: Am I relentlessly pursuing quality? Because creativity is most likely to strike when you’re at the top of your game.
Where to Check Out My Work:
Mini-Series Introduction: Unlocking the Roots of Creativity in Photography
Introduction: Where Creativity Comes From
Creativity is often seen as a mysterious force—elusive and unpredictable, sometimes leaving us waiting for inspiration that may never arrive. For photographers and creatives, however, we understand that creativity is much more than mere inspiration; it’s a skill, a process, and something that can be cultivated over time.
In this mini-series, we’ll explore the roots of creativity in photography and beyond. We will challenge common myths, dive into practical practices that nurture creativity, and discuss how limitations, reflection, and consistency play vital roles in unlocking our creative potential. Whether you’re a street photographer capturing urban life in Philadelphia or a studio photographer working on client projects, creativity is not about waiting for the perfect moment—it’s about developing habits, embracing challenges, and innovating within constraints.
This series will break down how creativity manifests in the real world, revealing often-overlooked aspects that contribute to consistently producing meaningful and impactful work. Together, we’ll uncover the process of creativity and demonstrate how you can apply these principles to your craft.
From valuing quality over fame to harnessing constraints as a creative force, each post will offer insights and practical takeaways tailored for photographers in Philadelphia and beyond. Are you ready to explore where creativity really comes from? Let’s dive in!
Where to Check Out My Work:
I don’t Want to Niche Down
A few weeks ago, I posted the following on Threads.
I will probably never niche down - I like to many things
There were some awesome comments, and one of them suggested I should blog about it. So here I am!
A few weeks ago, I posted the following on Threads.
I will probably never niche down - I like to many things
There were some awesome comments, and one of them suggested I should blog about it. So here I am!
When I started photography in 2010 (new blog post about that coming soon), I began with fashion. A few years later, I realized my best friend's uncle was also a photographer. This is when I started learning how he worked in a studio environment. This was the first time I began using professional lights as well. He was very into boudoir and fashion photography, so I also started taking more portraits and boudoir-style photos. Then COVID happened, and I began to get into street photography. Some might call it urban landscape photography because there weren't many people on the street to photograph, and of course, we had to stay 6 feet away. During that time, I started to look up other street photographers from New York, and in that moment, I wished I had found street photography earlier. At this point, I thought I had found my calling. Then, as the restrictions started lifting, I began to travel and love traveling. Depending on where I was, I took street, landscape, and urban street & landscape photography. I also had the opportunity to photograph two of my high school friends' weddings during that time. I had never shot a wedding before, but I am very grateful that they trusted me. During COVID, my fiancé started a business, which led me to do product photography. I didn't realize how hard it was to take interesting photos of a subject that doesn't move or talk. Now speeding up the story to 2024, in the last few months, I've done event, food, studio, street, product photography, and added video to my skills.
I understand why many people want to niche down. Is it easier to be put into a box? Maybe. Is it easier to fine-tune your website to find your ideal clients? Maybe. But unfortunately for me, my mind and what I become obsessed with changes week by week, month by month. Just earlier this year, I started learning about perfume (random, I know). I think it is fine to niche down and keep the type of photography you are passionate about to yourself.
For example, this year, I've been trying to shoot more in the studio. I still post street photography on Instagram, and a client of mine loved my street photos and wanted me to continue doing street photography for their business.
If there was one type of photography I think everyone should do personally or for business, it would be street photography. You learn so much in such a little time. Now that I’ve been doing street photography for a while, going into a wedding or a studio seems a bit easier. Of course, both have their challenges, but the way your muscle memory kicks in during those environments makes you feel less stressed about missing the shot.
While writing this post, I realized I might just want to do more weddings, either as a second shooter or primary, but I would only want to photograph more intimate weddings in black and white. Let's see if I can make this happen.
Weddings
Events
Street
Landscape
Studio
Food
Product
3 Months With The Leica SL3
What more can I say about the Leica SL3 that hasn’t already been said online or on YouTube? Today marks 90 days since the camera's release, and I’ve been enjoying everything about it for my use case. This year, I decided to return to working in the studio. I picked up the SL2 late last year in preparation for this decision.
What more can I say about the Leica SL3 that hasn’t already been said online or on YouTube? Today marks 90 days since the camera's release, and I’ve been enjoying everything about it for my use case. This year, I decided to return to working in the studio. I picked up the SL2 late last year in preparation for this decision.
There were some issues with the SL2 in the studio. The camera would freeze up while tethering and trying to use autofocus. Right before I bought the SL2, I purchased the Lumix S5II because I wanted to be part of the L Mount Alliance. At this point, I’ve been using Leica M cameras for at least two years. A review is coming soon.
When I purchased the S5II, it gave me hope that the SL3 would be released soon, so I purchased a few lenses in preparation. When the camera was officially announced, I got on the phone with Sire (Projectroman) from the Leica New York City Store and purchased the camera. The next day, the camera was in my hands, and I took it to lunch. This was on March 8th.
I enjoyed what was coming out of the camera. The photo to the right had more than enough details in the shadow areas to edit the image easily. That Sunday, I had my first in-studio test with the SL3. I brought the SL2 just in case because the camera was new to me. I connected the SL3 to the computer, and everything worked amazingly. As many reviewers have noted, the autofocus eye/face detection improved significantly. For my needs, the SL3’s new autofocusing system is fantastic. It is still a bit behind the S5II, which I’m not sure why, considering both companies work closely together. I assume it has to do with the fact that the SL3 has 60 megapixels, while the S5II only has 24.
Here are some photos from the shoot. It was a photo shoot for a local thrift store called Noni. There were four models, and the goal was to capture product shots and styling shots.
When I got back home and saw that I only missed focus a handful of times, I was sold.
Here are some of my favorite frames from the first week of owning the camera:
Within the first week of the launch, the New York City Leica store also opened, and Jason (Stockezy) had a photo walk, which I made sure to attend. I got to meet some amazing photographers I’ve connected with on social media.
Here are a few of my favorite frames using the SL3 in the studio:
In short, the camera is great for my style of shooting. I know many like to bring up Leica heritage and history as reasons why they love shooting with Leica cameras. For me, it’s simple: I enjoy using equipment that brings me joy. I enjoy the conversations I have with other Leica shooters. Their passion motivates me to continue shooting as well. Leica is a brand that brings people together to create together. The camera is an amazing tool. There are some things I miss from the SL2, for example, the height and the shutter sound. I wish there was a way to lower the shutter sound outside of just turning on the electronic shutter. I can’t wait to see what additions they add to the SL3. For example, if you keep autofocus on when using a manual lens and the camera can still pick up a subject, it would be nice if the camera then zooms in to ensure we are hitting critical focus. That would be amazing.
If you have the opportunity to hold and test this camera, you should take the chance.
P.S - These are my own thoughts and no one from Leica asked me to create this blog post.
Hobolite
When I got back to the studio, the first thing I needed to figure out was what type of lighting I wanted to use.
When I got back to the studio, the first thing I needed to figure out was what type of lighting I wanted to use. I started with the Westcott system, which works wonderfully. I was on YouTube and saw Joseph's review of the Hobolite. I was amazed by the build quality. Joe started talking about all the minor details Hobolite added to their creator kit, and I knew I needed to get my hands on their lights. I spoke to Joe online about it, and he said he would get me in contact with the team at Hobolite. That same week, I was at an event in NYC for Jason's photowalk at the new Leica Meatpacking location that had just opened up. The group decided to hang out afterward, and while we were hanging out, I was able to meet Kiran in person for the first time. I didn’t get to speak to her one-on-one, but I reached out via email, and later that week, I was able to get a Pro and Avant on loan to test out. I was so excited and opened everything that same day.
When it comes to new technology or products, I’m like a kid in a candy shop. The following week, I had a shoot at a speakeasy in Center City, Philadelphia. I thought it was the best time to test out the new lights because I needed powerful lights for a dark environment, and I needed lights that could last at least one hour. Both the Pro and Avant creator kits come with V-mount batteries. This was my first time using V-mount batteries, and they last for a very long time.
I used both the Avant and Pro for these photos.
Here are some photos from that night:
Here are some frames from the first time using the lights in the studio. I believe I used just the Pro. The first thing I noticed was that even the Pro 300w isn’t enough to light up a scene with a lot of daylight, which is fine when I’m in the studio because I can block out all the natural light coming in through the windows.
After using both the Avant and the Pro, I had a few questions. I had the opportunity to meet with the CEO of Hobolite, Helena. That alone made my year because it was the first time I ever had the chance to meet with a company’s CEO to discuss the things I liked and the things I was confused about. The conversation was about more than just light; it was about how the only thing that matters in this world is whether you can tell a story. She helped me redefine what it means to be a content creator. We also talked about the number one thing that matters after finding a great story: lighting. If you take enough photos, you realize light is the most important thing to a scene. While cameras are capable of going to high ISO, nothing will beat using the right lighting. I left the conversation inspired.
I then realized I should try to document life more, either in photo or video format. Here are some photos I took around the house with my fiancée hand modeling:
The next thing I realized is that my Lumix has been starting to collect dust. This was the next thing the Hobolite opened up for me during my studio shoots. I can now shoot video during my sessions. Here are some videos:
Here are some of my favorite photos taken with the Hobolite:
In conclusion, I’ve been enjoying using Hobolite. I now use the Avant for all my studio sessions. I don’t keep the Hobolites in the studio, so I travel with the Avant, which is the perfect size to carry around. I bought the Bowens mount adapter, and all the modifiers I have in the studio I can use easily. I do wish the Pro was a bit lighter, but I understand that with the type of build quality Hobolite is providing, the weight makes sense. I use the Pro whenever I have more than one subject in the frame. A few things I hope to see soon are more modifiers to help shape light, like an optical spot. I know because of the heat output they don’t sell any gels yet, but I hope to see some soon.
P.S. - I now own the new Iris and will have a review once I use it more. All Frames were taken with the Leica SL3.