What I’m doing now
September, 2025 • Home in Vancouver, BC.
Well, this summer went crazy fast and tomorrow we’re officially in Autumn. I am very pleased with all the things I've done in the last couple of months both in my personal life and with my photography.
I started a monthly meetup / photo walk that’s open to everyone and of any photography skill level. The first meeting was August 8th and went really well. It was great to be outside on a beautiful sunny day with other photographers. Yesterday we had our second one and it we were surprised to enjoy a sunny day when the forecast called for cloudy skies. A great goodbye to the summer before Vancouver starts “Vancouvering” again.
My plan is to keep doing the monthly photo walks and if the weather is a problem then do it as a meeting over coffee. I'm rediscovering the social aspect of taking photos and I'm really enjoying it.
Media diet
Photography
I've finally been printing some of my photos to hang on my home office wall, and it's been a great experience. It's been tough to narrow down which photos to print to 6. Do I stick with a similar theme? Do I choose my recent favourites even if they have different styles and colour palettes? What about black-and-white photos? 🤯 As of now this is looking like the one I’m going to go with.
In my quest to shoot more "street" style photography, I checked out the “Day of the Dog" event in my neighbourhood and was able to get some shots I'm very happy with. Approaching strangers was very easy since everyone was more than happy to pose with their dogs, which were dressed in costumes or wearing funny outfits.
I also went back to make some progress on my fine art photography project. It's been on the back burner for a while, but I'm hoping I can get it off the ground before the year is out. Ideally in a month so that I can promote it and see how it’s received.
Audiobooks
I finally got hold of a copy of "The Player of Games" by Ian M. Banks, one of the giants of science fiction. Even though it was written in 1988, the ideas don't feel dated at all. The world building is incredible and expansive.
After I finished "The Player of Games," I started re-listening to one of my favourite space operas, "Pandora's Star" by Peter F. Hamilton from 2004. Another British writer who creates huge and complex worlds and storylines.
On this second listen, I'm finding new things I didn't pick up on the first time around. This is no small commitment friends. The story is divided into 2 books. "Pandora's Star" is 1,152 pages long, and the second part, "Judas Unchained," is 1,230. The audiobooks are an ear-busting 37 and 40 hours long each…and I'm all in.
Watching (highlights)
Movies
"The Amateur" - 2.5 / 5 stars
"Marvel Thunderbolts" - 3 / 5 stars
"Sinners" - 4 / 5 stars
"Superman" - 3.5 / 5 stars
"28 Years Later" - 3.5 / 5 stars
"F1" - 3.5 / 4 stars
TV
"Mr. Inbetween" - Totally underrated Australian crime drama series about a criminal for hire. It balances violence and comedy perfectly. It has a specific kind of humour, so maybe not for everyone. Loved it. Streaming on Disney+.
"Foundation" - Season 3 just ended, and it was a banger. AppleTV+ renewed it for a final season, which I think will wrap things up perfectly. The first 2 seasons were a bit slow and with a lot of exposition, but the third season ended with a big bang.
"Billy Joel: And So It Goes" - A documentary about the life and career of Billy Joel. Must watch for anyone who loves his music, especially Gen Xers who grew up listening to him. What a life he’s lived. Streaming on Crave in Canada.
June 10th, 2025. From home in Vancouver, BC.
The past few months were full of challenges, but they also came with The past few months were filled with challenges, but they also taught me valuable lessons that I’m grateful to carry forward.
I’ve cut down my news consumption to a ridiculous degree—and I feel great about it. I was lucky enough to visit Japan for a second time, and honestly, I could go back again. I’m still working through some of the photos I took there.
Right now, I’m planning my next photo walk (I’ll announce it in my newsletter this weekend) and organizing a regular meetup for photo enthusiasts in Vancouver. I’m also trying to soak up as much sun as possible—fully expecting to start complaining about the heat in a few weeks.
“Success is not the result of spontaneous combustion,
We must set ourselves on fire“
- Anonymous internet find
Photography
Currently processing photos from the trip to Japan and spending as much time outside with my camera enjoying the warm weather.
I’m amazed at the new Fujifilm iPhone app, the previous incarnation was horrendous, this one works perfectly. I learned that you can change the bluetooth setting on the camera to use 5 ghz bluetooth instead of 2.4. Why does Fuji set it at the slower speed as default?
Also, with the bright sunny weather I’m enjoying the photography of James Popsys, who I recommend you follow on YouTube as well as Instagram. YouTube Link
Media Diet
Listening
Podcast: The Rich Roll Podcast — Rich is an ultra-endurance athlete with a really interesting life story. His guests are mostly in the health and wellness space. I just listened to it for the first time because his guest was Craig Mod, an author and photographer living in Japan, who has a fantastic life story. Episode link here.
Music: A mix of my usual indie discovery playlists, along with the usual ’80s tunes — lately featuring a lot of hair bands. 🤘🏻
Reading
Reading Tiago Forte’s book Building a Second Brain. Tiago is the creator of the PARA method for managing projects and information.
I’m also constantly refreshing the Libby app to see if I’ve moved up in the queue for The Gift by Lewis Hyde — a book for artists and creatives that one online blurb describes as:
“In a climate where we know the price of everything and the value of nothing, Lewis Hyde offers us an account of those few, essential aspects of human experience that transcend commodity…. A manifesto of sorts for anyone who makes art, cares for it and understands that our most precious possessions are not for sale.”
Watching
So much to watch these days! Highlights include Andor on Disney+ — hands down the best Star Wars series so far. Everything about it is perfect: the story, acting, production… everything. Even if you’re not a Star Wars fan, I can’t recommend it enough.
For something lighter, I’m really enjoying the new series Murderbot on Apple TV+. I’ve read the books, which are super fun. Murderbot’s humor is hilarious, and the TV adaptation is very good.
On the flip side, I’m bummed to report that I didn’t enjoy the second season of The Last of Us (on Crave in Canada). It was sloooooow and felt like a completely different show from the first season. The more episodes I watched, the more frustrated I got.
As for movies, the last Mission: Impossible was…okay. The stunts were, as always, insane — but at nearly three hours, it was a bladder-busting experience that felt way too long and with not a lot of substance.
February 21, 2025. From home in Vancouver, BC.
I think the word “chaos” describes the start of 2025 pretty accurately. If you live on planet earth I’m pretty sure you also feel this way.
I’ve filtered my consumption of news to the bare minimum and it’s been incredibly helpful. I’m focusing on my photography and the things I can control.
I’m motivated by this phrase from one of the best humans of our times...
“Storms make trees take deeper roots“
- Dolly Parton
Photography
Revisiting photographs from some of the greats to get inspiration. Highly recommend you look at the work of Irving Penn and Fan Ho.
Media Diet
Listening
Podcast : Actor David Duchovny’s podcast “Fail Better” features guests discussing failure and its positive impact on life.
Also an obligatory mix of new music from up and coming indie bands and the new album from David Gray.
Reading
Still reading “Meditations for Mortals” by Oliver Burekman, one of my favourite authors. From the description:
“How would life open up if we stopped treating it as a problem to be solved?
The book offers ideas on how to tackle life challenges, like our finite time, the lure of distraction and the impossibility of doing anything perfectly.” You read one chapter a day for 4 weeks.
Watching
“Severance” on AppleTV. Didn’t think it could be weirder, it did and it’s my current obsession.
December 15, 2024 from home in Vancouver, BC. Goodbye 2024
Looking back at 2024, it was a year full of contrasts—epic highs paired with surprising lows. A strange one, for sure. But let’s keep it positive—here are some of the highlights!
Photography
The weather in Vancouver is pretty terrible at the moment, but I’m still trying to get out there to shoot as often as possible. I’m also working on some projects that I’m very excited about. This will include leading some group photo walks in Vancouver (sign up to my newsletter to find out when I share the dates). The other big one is the launch of my online fine art print store. I wasn’t able to launch it in time for the holidays, but it’ll be at the start of 2025.
Media Diet
(favourites of the year)
Music
The Strike, Sjowgren, Yacht Rock, Biffy Clyro, Texas, Genesis, and soundtracks from Interstellar, Ad Astra, and Arrival.
TV
Slow Horses, Shrinking, The Penguin, Will Trent, Sugar, Silo, Somebody Somewhere, LOTR: Ring or Power, Only Murders in the Building
Movies
Alien Romulus, Inside Out 2, Dune Part 2, Talk to Me, Greatest Night in Pop, Oppenheimer, Barbie, Wham!
Books
The Creative Act, Four Thousand Weeks, Eversion, Machine Vendetta
Podcasts
The Incomparable, Smartless, Upgrade, Unspooled, Doctor Who Flashcast, Team Deakins
See you on the other side 🏁
October 28, 2024 from home in Vancouver, BC. Happy Halloween 🧛♂️
Secret project almost ready to be revealed
I’ve been working on a photography project for a couple of months and I’m sooo close to launch. It’ll take me a couple of extra weeks but I can’t wait to get it out there.
Recent media diet
“The Penguin” (CRAVE/HBO) 10/10, “The Franchise” (CRAVE/HBO) 8/10, “Wolfs” (AppleTV) 4/10, “Monkey Man” (Prime) DNF
Listening to The Strike, The Airborne Toxic Event, and as always, my infinite playlist of 80’s tunes (Here’s a little gem from '89. The Lightning Seeds - Pure)
Reading “Meditations for Mortals” by Oliver Burkeman (I’ve read all his books), Trying to finish “The Creative Act” by Rick Rubin (Great insight just lagging a bit at the end)