About

//Photography

My love for candid pictures has really pushed me to go out more over the years, and I’ve made many friends and discovered many unique places along the way.

I hope my images are self explanatory.

Inspirations: Eli Reed, Mary Kang, Tamir Kalifa, Elliot Erwitt, Robert Doinseau, Henri Cartier Bresson, Ansel Adams, Bruce Barnbaum, Daido Moriyama, Tommy Oshima, etc…

-The best book I’ve ever read about photography (not for beginners):
The Art of Photography by Bruce Barnbaum
Both the kindle and print versions are so good, I bought both!

//Gear:

There is no such thing as a perfect camera.

Beast Mode:

Leica M9P
Leica Summicron 50mm f/2
Zeiss Bigon 28mm f/2.8
Voigtlander 35mm f/1.4
Canon S95

Agile Mode:

Past cameras: Canon 5D, Nikon D40, Canon 30D, Panasonic GF1, Olympus EPL2, Leica M6,

I will take time to help you purchase a camera. The the competitiveness of camera companies has made purchasing a camera very confusing for someone just getting into it. I think I’ve helped at least 20 friends find their dream camera this Summer alone.

The only way I am monitizing this is by posting links to Amazon in my about page.

I seriously think the gear I use is great, and I own and have read the photography books I linked to multiple times over and over.

//My Goals in Life

I have a dream of opening a real life gallery, not just any gallery, but a interactive mesh of proven darkroom techniques with modern technology. It will be a place for learning and growth for everyone from beginners to jedi master ninjas. A true destination for everyone interested in photos and technology.

If you are interested in hearing more about this or helping me, please contact me.

This idea would work especially well with Flickr, if you work with them, ping it up.

Another goal of mine is to keep improving my photography. Just letting you know… there’s SO much more to learn after just “mastering” aperture, shutter speed, and iso. SO MUCH MORE!!

If you think I have the chops, and you could teach me a thing or 2, I’m open to any opportunity to learn more.

//What other stuff am I into?

Food:

With all this exploring, I also come across quite a variety of restaurants. My favorite TV personality and Author is Anthony Bourdain, and I try to practice his ability to dissect a particular location in terms of it’s true culture and cuisine.

I really enjoy all types of food, currently in Austin I tend to eat a lot of Mexican and Vietnamese food.

My last meal on Earth would have to be barbacoa tacos with avocado.

I have an ongoing list of “key words” for food, the current list is: polenta, pesto, basil, sweetbreads, egg, mackerel, pudding (the sausage), avocado, burrata

Beer:

As far as beer goes, I’m trying to learn as much as I can… while I enjoy many types of beer, my favorites now tend to be IPA’s and Belgians with higher ABV content.

My current favorite beers are :

Left Hand, Milk Stout
Dogfishhead 60 minute (better than the 90 or 120 in my opinion)
New Belgium – I like everything they brew but fat tire.
Live Oak, Hefeweizen
Bear Republic, Racer 5 IPA
Brewery Ommegang, Rare Vos Amber Ale, Witte, and Aphrodite… again anything they brew.
512, Wit and IPA

Tech/Programming:

I am a senior computer science major at The University of Texas, Austin. As far as developing experience goes, I’ve worked with a start up out of MIT’s Entrepreneurship Center in Cambridge, MA. called StyleSeek, where we designed a clothing recommendation app with a ruby on rails backend. I had a great time, so I continued with the same entrepreneurial spirit by taking a class called “1 Semester Startup” at UT. To see the other end of the spectrum, this past Summer I interned at IBM in Austin. After seeing both sides, I’m all for startups.

My friend Taylor has opened up a co-working space here called the Chicon Collective, and I’m there most nights tinkering with new ideas and hanging out with a bunch of chill tech enthusiasts and creatives.

I’m making a simple portfolio site for Flickr users. Check out http://rgb.io

Misc:

For music, my life is highly influenced by the Barenaked Ladies. I also enjoy Third Eye Blind, Metric, Aimee Mann, Tribe Called Quest, and The Red Hot Chilli Peppers. Check out my spotify page!

My other hobbies include bicycling, ping pong and street fighter. I go on weekly social bicycle rides (social riding austin), I was on the UT table tennis team, and I’ve competed in several street fighter tournaments, including EVO in Las Vegas.

My XBox gamer tag is “lemonhonda” feel free to add me! I’m a 12k bp E. Honda.