Chehade

Kyoto Part 2: Autumn 1. Art installation, peak Koyo 2. Look up, Tenryu-ji Temple 3. Very yellow Ginko tree, view from Nanzen-ji Temple 4. Eikandō Temple (I think) 5. Hojo Pond, Eikandō Temple (For sure) 6. See 2 and 5 7. Windows - Unknown restaurant // Art installation // Scenic train through the mountains 8. Autumn Medleys - A view near Nanzenji Suirokaku // End of that art installation // Rankyo Gorge, Katsura River Seeing Kyoto again-- in the same year as my first trip nonetheless-- was still a breath of fresh air. Many of the same places with a whole new palette, and still much left to see. Walk along rivers. Sleep on tatami. Meet new people. Every bit as good as cherry blossoms blooming and poetically feels like the other side of the same metaphor. You may notice a lack of Arashiyama Bamboo Forest -- guess I didn't have a picture from it I liked (this is a photography account even if the dumbest stories are what IG pushes everyone). It's packed! But it's very cool, still go. Other places not pictured include our boat tour back down Katsura River, deer in Nara, Kifune, and hanging dong with @jamescfong in an onsen in Osaka-- all amongst other treasures and oddities that I just get to keep as mine. #japan

Miyajima & The Floating Torii 1A. High tide, approaching sunset. Everything about this one was just luck. Posted up with a tripod just outside of view of the people taking photos at the dock above (which you can see in the second pic). 1B. Itsukushima Shrine, sunset. All you have to do for a people free photo it turns out is just be the last one in line to take a picture. "No, go ahead of me, I insist." 2A. Low tide, midday. 2B. Dusk, long exposure. Without a doubt, the first two photos are my favorite that I took between all of my trips to Japan. I really think the best photography comes about more than anything by just getting lucky. Or the most memorable anyhow. Thomas Edison said something like that I think. Anyhow, Miyajima is a day from Hiroshima and up there with Fushimi-Inari on the must dos, IMO. Rest of the day on the island consists of deer, extra large oysters, and stairs. I wore chacos (RIP that phase of life) because I knew I’d be in the water in some capacity and I will never forget hearing someone on the way to the boat going “He’s wearing Chacos??” to their friend. #japan

Kyoto Part 1: Springtime 1. Fushimi-Inari Shrine (EARLY) 2. Higashiyama Ward 3. Peak Sakura, long ass lens (200mm w 2x extender) 4. Random catches of the eye 5. Fushimi-Inari side paths 6. Keage Incline 7. Kinkaku-ji & Ginkaku-ji, overcast (much better this way, take my word for it) 8. Kamo River & Kyoto University Entrance 9. Paper Lanterns at Yasaka Shrine, Gion / The famous Fushimi-Inari photo spot (again, EARLY) / More Sakura 10. Bonus before and after… I had to reverse image search, but it’s Chionin Temple (I guess Insta caps me at 10, there was one more with a bunch of people walking under a bunch of cherry blossoms) Kyoto is great. Gonna walk a lot. Gonna go to temples a lot. Gonna see other people doing that a lot too… a lot. But it’s the cultural capital for a reason. If there’s one specific thing to do in all of Japan, I’d say it’s Fushimi-Inari— not necessarily a unique answer, but these kinds of things become so big for a reason. But go early as hell because by like 9AM its flooded with people. I was lucky enough my first trip to Japan to time things just right for the peak Sakura bloom, and essentially checked off the biggest bucket list item I’ve had for most of my life. #japan

Need to pick up a camera again soon.

Seeing God Dolomites near Cortina d’Ampezzo, October ‘24 Cinque Torri hike, I think. [Canon A2E, Harmon Phoenix 200]

Tracing Imperfection: A year or so later. TI premiered last year at Dances with Films, NY. Naturally, I was in Japan and miscommunicated and so @studioiluminado amazingly went last minute as our representative. Truly a setup embracing the film’s theme. Also, whoops! I got to walk around Princeton in the snow for Thomas Edison Film Festival and enjoy like a week of night parties around Palm Springs for AmDocs Film Festival. It’s been a modest run, to put it aptly, but a fun one. Now at the end of its festival journey (and the point of this post), Tracing Imperfection will have its Texas Premiere at the 31st Annual Austin Film Festival, one of the biggest goals I held out for. If you’re in town, I’ve a ticket for you. Looking forward to telling Rachel Kondo that Shogun was the best TV I’ve watched in ages, and then telling Craig Mazin that Chernobyl was the best TV I’ve watched in ages, meanwhile hoping that they’re not friends. Soon, it’ll be out in the open in some form or another. As an end to my yapping and a reminder of those who made this happen: Dir: Me Prod: Me, @just_wizard_things DP: @brianwrussell AC/DIT: @andrewn2468 Edit: @sprainedmind AE: @hallecottle Sound Design: @ybrandn Location Sound: @james.grisom Composition: @jamalgreenmusic And particular credit and thank you to @andrewn2468 for the BTS film photo used for the poster.

Five years ago, to the month, I spent 16 days living in a camper van in New Zealand. The biggest adventure of my life, I was hiked mountains, bungee jumped, got rained on by waterfalls, carved pounamu, spelunked, photographed glowworms in pitch black night, drove five hours a day, saw more stars than ever before, and made friends at every stop. Two and a half years ago I finished editing all the footage into what was my yearly travel film, but never got around to recording the voiceover. I’m sure I will someday— if not just for myself— but for now I thought it best not to let these shots waste away in my phone for another five years. I’m… not sure if I have that kind of energy anymore— to carry two cameras up 4000 feet and live in a camper van. Heck, the odds you could get me up in time for a sunrise these days are pretty slim. But I look on it all fondly. If you read all these old man (30) ramblings, thank you, I’ll probably finally move on to posting photos from Japan soon.

A reminder that the heavens moved for us a couple of weeks ago. Worth every minute of driving and shifting months of schedules to get everything to line up. Maybe a little late compared to everyone else, but I thought I’d flex my graphic design muscles a bit for once. Plus… you’ve probably seen these by themselves elsewhere already. If you swipe far enough, you’ll see all the stupid lines it took to get these all aligned just right.

as above // so below A small portrait of Sky, and her relationship to the sea. I had this idea sometime in 2021, and it took us about 2 years to shoot because I got Covid on our first shoot date, and then Sky did our second. Third time was the charm. A fun excuse to get a bunch of strangers together for a weekend for an excuse to get together for a weekend and shoot a bunch of cool stuff in, around, and underwater. I’m filmmaking less and less these days but I am happy to be able to make at least one idea real a year. Always appreciative of those that come along for the journey (even if I almost drown during that journey and also break my waterproof camera). Also I have no idea how reels work I post twice a year, so I am sorry if this is wrong. You’ll get a better 8k viewing experience on Vimeo anyhow. Featuring @skyannsmith Directed by me Produced by Me & @davis.huber Cinematography by @davis.huber Edited and Sound Designed by @autrefish (aka @c_hernandez777 and @alex.mjv ) Music used courtesy of Amos Roddy and @rawfury Shot on @reddigitalcinema Komodo with vintage Kowa anamorphics (fun fact, using anamorphics underwater— not really a thing!) utilizing both @nauticamhousings and @saltysurfhousings

A little over a week ago we finally finished something that’s been in the works for over a year: Tracing Imperfection. A short documentary on master conservator Naoko Fukumaru, who, in the demonstration of Kintsugi— the Japanese art of repairing pottery using gold— reminisces on how the practice has taught her to embrace her imperfections, as it has all the while mended her own life. A hell of a shoot, we had to take a flight, two ferries and take a whole bunch of time on the road to get deep into British Colombia. We missed a ferry, almost weren’t let through the border, and I jumped into freezing water. It was fun and more than anything, it was real. Excited to have begun work on getting it out to festivals. Thank you to the team that brought us here. Director: Me. Prod: Me, @just_wizard_things DP: @brianwrussell AC & DIT: @andrewn2468 Editor: @sprainedmind Asst. Ed: @hallecottle Sound Design: @ybrandn Location Sound: @james.grisom Composer: @jamalgreenmusic Color: Me again Shot on @arri Alexa Mini with Kowa Prominar Anamorphics

Tokyo, as I saw it. So much hustle (and bustle, in fact) that enough of it rubbed off on me to actually edit and post these within a couple days. I’ll be back round in April for the cherry blossoms (and to shop vintage video games and designer clothes).

Hey friends, has it really been *checks watch* 9 months? Did one of these again recently— small concept shoot to make sure I still knew how to use my camera and how lights work. Turns out I don’t, but I like to think these came out good anyhow. According to local reviews, @anasofiafehn and I “ate” on this one.