For the last two years, I don’t think a day went by when in some shape or form I didn’t think about this documentary; from the days of climbing trees in my parent’s backyard hoping to catch a special moment with Duduś to the final days of post-production, sitting inches away from the computer screen, teary-eyed from squinting while adjusting the subtitle font shadow opacity for the millionth time. It felt like there was always something.
And now, the film is done and it has a new home online. My brain almost feels a bit empty or maybe lonely is a better word. I always had the documentary to think about. And now, there’s this eerie calm silence. It’s very bittersweet though. The lingering question of “what’s next” is starting to make its rounds. What IS next?
For now, I find myself gazing out the window looking for birds and cheering on squirrels that chase each other up and down trees. Oh no, I think that’s just me getting older.
Swipe through the evolution of the My Duduś poster 🐿️
Working with @xishnu on this was such a cool process. We explored a bunch of different ideas and honestly it was hard choosing because every concept had something special about it.
In the end, I kept coming back to the image of my mom holding Duduś as this larger-than-life creature wrapped around her. For me, it embodied everything the film was really about: companionship, loneliness, growing older, and the quiet bond we can form with another living thing.
Really grateful to Vishnu for bringing so much care and heart into this. He absolutely crushed it ❤️
Found some old iPhone clips of me and Duduś behind the scenes while making My Duduś. Crazy seeing how much he grew over the span of 6 months. Feels like yesterday and somehow also a lifetime ago. Made this film 5 years ago already. If you haven’t seen My Duduś yet, you can watch it on YouTube and Vimeo! 🐿️
#squirrel #squirrellife #documentaryfilm
2016. First time shooting on super 8 with a thrift store camera I bought for 20 bucks before heading out to India.
Ended up in Ladakh at altitudes so high that I spent days in a tent attached to an oxygen tank. The outside looked like another planet. Sheep nomads, endless mountains, and silence so deep it almost scared you.
My face was numb, speech slurring, fully convinced I was going to die in the Himalayas.
Still somehow the most beautiful trip I’ve ever taken.
Two days before the shoot, I was asked if I could do the gallery portraits. The day of, I grabbed a backdrop from Samy’s, found a garage next to set, and borrowed a few Arri lights from the electric department.
Cast members kept knocking every few minutes. I’d pull them in, pose fast, keep it loose, and send them back out.
It was my first gallery shoot, terrifying and exhilarating, but seeing all of these photos come together to create the poster is something special.
Seeing fan art inspired by it afterward has been one of the coolest parts. @xakolev
Go watch @heswatchingyoumovie now streaming!
Photos from the first feature film I worked on as a unit still photographer in California, 2023. Learned a lot on this one, especially seeing how I far I can push my camera in low light. Horrors quickly became one of my favorites to photograph. Hire me @terrifierartclown
Respect to indie filmmaking <3
Go see @heswatchingyoumovie now in theaters and streaming!
It’s happening.
The Pill is real.
He’s Watching You available today on @primevideo@appletv and @fandango
My first feature film I worked on as unit still photographer a few years ago in California :) What a blast <3 Stay tuned for more photos
2025 brought the highest highs and the lowest lows.
1. Traveled to Vietnam, rode the Hà Giang Loop, and proposed.
2. Lost a friend.
3. Made a film called Bouncy Brothers. Shot it as cinematographer and watched it find its way into festivals, including Big Sky.
4. Went snowmobiling for the first time.
5. Traveled to Poland to work on my next documentary, Long Distance. Coming 2026.
6. Lost my aunt.
7. Did behind-the-scenes video and photo for the film Dog Years.
8. Tried and mostly failed (it’s a long story) RAGBRAI. It’s the world’s largest, oldest, and longest recreational bicycle touring event in Iowa.
9. Worked as the still photographer on the feature film Diary of a Muslim Cynic.
10. Took a shot at working for a news outlet and got assigned my first breaking-news assignment with Reuters.
11. Camped more and remembered how much I need the outdoors.
12. Traveled to Greece. Climbed more and re-ignited my love for it.
13. Worked as the still photographer on the feature film Trash Mountain.
14. Traveled to Mexico for a much-needed break.
