There are parts of Beijing that remind me so much of the Philippines.

Captured on my Hasselblad 501CM with Kodak Portra 800 and Kodak Tri X.

I must return to Italy and visit Tuscany.

Captured on Hasselblad 501CM and Kodak Ektar 100.

I was in Tokyo recently and I was inspired to shoot some street photography on my phone. I don’t do this enough even in my hometown. But when I travel I become a tourist and take photos of everything I see. And in Tokyo I was so distracted. It’s such a fascinating place.

Whenever I travel I always take my Hasselblad with me. But this time around I hardly used it. I found myself shooting a lot of “street” photos on my iPhone. My Hasselblad 501CM requires a very slow and deliberate approach. I need to take my time with it. I like that it forces me to do that. Usually, it will come with me on a walk but I may not take a single picture with it all day.

In Tokyo, I decided to photograph with my iPhone more. I have never done that deliberately before and I quite like the process. You can operate in “stealth mode” if you shoot with a smartphone instead of a large medium format camera or even a dSLR. And of course, you can compose and shoot a lot faster. I love how it simplifies my technique and forces me to shoot up close and really think about my composition. It doesn’t feel “right” that it doesn’t require you to put your face up against it when taking a photo. A nice change.

I need to do this more. It feels like a wonderful revelation to me and that’s a good thing.