city ports
2019-2022
A couple years ago, my attitude towards photography had reached a turning point. Up until then, my photography had been mostly opportunistic and documentative in nature. I would take pictures only when others asked, or when a scene arose, and when I did, I would simply start snapping away like a madman with little intentionality. Meanwhile I prayed that out of the hundreds of pictures I took at least one would be useable.
Reading The Art of Photography by Bruce Barnbaum inspired me to take a more meditative approach to shooting. I began incorporating new elements into my photography, and applied trigger discipline, planning, and advanced editing techniques that would make photos my own. I did my best to pull the trigger only if I felt like the scene in the viewfinder meant something to me. Editing was now a task of producing the least number of photos possible, not the most. A photo was no longer one member of a batch but rather it’s own individual canvas, waiting to be infused with its own life over the course of hours.
Almost all of the following pictures were either taken or edited during my gap year. I spent more time thinking about, practicing, and doing photography during this time than any other my life. Goes to show that a little spare time and leisure of mind goes a long way.
Oh yeah, and for some reason, all these pics were taken in cities
nov. 2019
athens polytechnic
model: jianing zhao
athens polytechnic
model: jianing zhao
Believe it or not, this was a university in Athens and not a map from Fallout. Stole some towels and corded phones from our hotel and rode electric scooters on the morning we were supposed to fly out of Greece to shoot here on our last day. Didn’t see a single soul, besides the homeless person here and there sleeping on the steps. Could have something to do with the fact that the students were all out protesting that day. Or that it was 7 AM. Absolutely insane spot that I only discovered because I was doing a research project on Greek higher education.
Also the first shoot I ever edited in Photoshop instead of LR. Left this shoot sitting on my hard drive for two years before I got to work on it, because it took me that long to feel confident enough to do it justice. Definitely busted out the big guns for this one.
jul. 2021
soho, NYC
stylist: iman anwarzai
models: ria vora, ella menees, iman anwarzai
the location, outfits, and vibes had me feeling like I was paparazzi for my own shoot
aug. 2021
central park, nyc
stylist: iman anwarzai
assistant: lucas shepard
models: eden gorevoy, subomi popoola
Who would have thought it possible for tech interns to look this hot? Some kids even pulled up halfway through and asked if we were famous. The lush greens, whites, and reds in this shoot were absolutely goated. Spent over a benjie on food, an hour before setting it all up, and an hour after polishing it off. Learned that the best kind of props are the ones you can eat. A rather elaborate shoot, but hey, teamwork makes the dreamwork.
aug. 2021
9th avenue, nyc
stylist: iman anwarzai
models: iman anwarzai, jonah darnel
bodegacore’s gonna be the hottest trend of 2022 i’m calling it now
