Blog

pk

September 5, 2019

How to give and receive constructive feedback in photography

The ability to give constructive feedback in photography is a sign that you know your craft well. That is, if your feedback is actually good. A reply like “yeah, that’s great!” or “that looks sick!” or “dope tones bro” (kill me) doesn’t do anything but st...

September 1, 2019

Photographing Geisha in Kyoto - A detailed guide

The rush of photographing Geisha in Kyoto can be a bit like fanboying over your favourite celebrity. They’re people to become bewildered by. They’re beautiful. Elegant. Elusive. Mysterious. …and they’re also gone in a flash. That is, if you ever get a cha...

August 29, 2019

I quit my job to pursue travel and creativity full time

Want to level up your photography? Get exclusive weekly articles where I teach everything I know about Photographic vision, creativity, technical foundation, process, gear, editing, business, Instagram, everything! Join my...

August 25, 2019

The best Instagram crop sizes 2020

Knowing the right Instagram crop sizes can make a big difference to how your content looks on the platform. Depending on your goals, you might be interested in posting with different Instagram crop sizes, or you might even be looking for the reason why mos...

August 18, 2019

An afternoon in Kyoto

Every time I'm in Kyoto, I can't help but instantly feel nostalgic about the place. Here's a quick photoset of an afternoon I spent wandering the backstreets of this charming city during golden hour. Sakura season, April, 2019. ...

August 15, 2019

Having followers does not equal having skill

Social media puts up a curtain of deception. “This guy has so many followers, he must be good!”. We've all been trained to think this way to some degree. When it comes to photography, we think that a certain degree of popularity correlates to a certain deg...

August 11, 2019

The best time to visit Japan

When people ask me “When is the best time to visit Japan?”, I usually reply with “anytime”. Japan is always a good idea, at any time of year. It’s truly an all-year-round destination that provides vastly varied experiences throughout its distinct 4 seasons...

August 8, 2019

5 reasons why you need a 16-35mm lens

The 16-35mm lens is my favourite lens in my entire kit, no question. Out of the “trinity” of zooms (the 16-35mm, 24-70mm, & 70-200mm), I find it to be the most interesting of the 3 to use, and forcing myself to use it in what others would seem to be “u...

August 4, 2019

A 3 day Kyoto itinerary for first timers

This Kyoto itinerary is a short, sharp way to see Kyoto in just 3 days. Kyoto doesn’t really need much of an introduction. Chances are if you’re already planning to head to Japan, you probably already looking for that gorgeous, old-world cultural Japanese ...

July 28, 2019

How to grow your Instagram in 2021

“How do I grow my Instagram?” ...a question I get probably too much. I’m going to be upfront here - I’m writing this article for my own selfish benefit. It’s a piece that, rather than spend the time repetitively composing a response (and oh boy, it’d be ...

July 25, 2019

A foggy Sydney morning

As a local, it's always amazing to see your home town in a different situation. It rarely fogs in Sydney, so I'll relish any chance I can get to document it. July, 2019. ...

July 21, 2019

28 of my best travel tips

I love collecting travel tips. I’m always on the search for the little things that improve my travel experience. While each little travel tip here might not seem like a big deal, when put together, they usually amount to a much better experience overseas f...

July 18, 2019

#AdobeLive: Shaping light with local adjustments in Lightroom

Mastering local adjustments in Lightroom is such a great set of skills to help your images stand out from the crowd. It’s never been harder to stand out as a photographer in today’s landscape. We all go to the same countries, shoot the same locations and h...

July 14, 2019

Sony WF-1000XM3 review: Goodbye Airpods

As someone who’s always looking to optimise for the best tech gear to travel with, the Sony WF-1000XM3 had my interests piqued. Music for me is a really big part of travel, and even photography. Especially when I’m solo travelling or solo shooting, I love...

July 2, 2019

Pricing your photography

Pricing your photography is hard. What do you charge for your service? How much is too much? How much is not enough? What skill level are you? Can you do the job? There’s a lot of variables and even more possibilities. However as you get better and bette...

June 23, 2019

How to make dreamy images with the Orton effect in Photoshop

The Orton effect is a favourite post-processing technique among landscape photographers. It’s an effect that gives highlights a ‘glow’ and a beautiful dreamy look, and over the last half decade has become very popular with landscape photographers. Ask any...

June 16, 2019

Introducing: My photography guide to Tokyo

I love Japan. At this point, it’s more of an obsession than it is just my favourite destination for travel and travel photography. I feel a special love and connection to Japan in a way I just don’t feel with other countries, although every country I’ve h...

June 9, 2019

#AdobeLive: Creating a consistent colour style in Lightroom

Style in photography is a giant beast of a topic. Not only is it nebulous and hard to understand for most people, but it’s also quite hard to execute on without a plan. Throughout my career in several creative fields I’ve always seen “style” as two things...

June 5, 2019

5 reasons why you need an 85mm lens

The 85mm lens has become a mainstay in my camera bag. And that’s a hard thing to come by in my kit! As a minimalist, I’m always looking for the max value I can get out of any single thing, and everything I own has to earn its keep. The 85mm lens for me ...

May 29, 2019

Why I'm back to the Peak Design Everyday Backpack in 2019

Things have come around full circle with the Peak Design Everyday Backpack. I’m a bit of a gear head, but when it comes to bags and carry, I dislike the ‘adventure' of finding the best bag that suits my needs. It’s because I always end up with wardrobes...

May 22, 2019

The importance of storytelling in photography

There has never been a better time to be a photographer than right now. But, there has also never been a harder time to stand out as one either. Finding your voice, your identity, your soul in the work that you do, has never been more important in the crea...

May 20, 2019

12 hours in Tokyo

Images captured over 12 hours in Tokyo. Shot on a disposable camera, scanned and unedited. April, 2019.

April 10, 2019

Ask me anything / Episode 1

Welcome to the first episode of a “Ask me anything” series! I occasionally run AMA’s on Instagram stories, but it’s quite difficult to get to everybody’s questions, and it’s also hard to do justice to some of the answers, so I figure the blog is a better p...

March 20, 2019

10 of the most Instagrammable places in Tokyo

Tokyo is by far my favourite city in the world. Okay, sure, there's more Instagrammable places in Tokyo than you can poke a stick at, but there's also so much to see, do, eat and experience. Headed to Tokyo? Get my Photography Guide to T...