Unexpected Trip To Egypt

Nothing expands your view and appreciation of the world like travel. With so many amazing places to see, it can be difficult to decide where you’d like to visit.

The UNESCO World Heritage Centre compiles a list of the most incredible places to visit each year. At the present time there are over 1000 sites consisting of cities, monuments, buildings, deserts, mountains, etc.

I have always wanted to travel to Egypt and see the pyramids, but I didn’t expect to see them anytime soon.  On the day I shot this image, I woke up at the Kawaji Onsen in Tochigi, Japan. Shortly after checking out,  I found myself standing in front of Egyptian pyramid’s at the Kinugawa World Square, (or Tobu World Square) an incredible park dedicated to world heritage sites.

The miniature versions of these locations are so well put together that they really give you a sense of the beauty of the actual location.

Tobu World Square - Taj Mahal 

Tobu World Square - Temple of Heaven

Temple of Heaven - Beijing, China 2014

I’ve been to quite a few of the world heritage locations, like the Taj, in Agra, India and Temple of Heaven in Beijing, China, but there are so many more I now want to see after experiencing this park. I now have a deeper curiosity for discovering amazing places around the world and know that I must photograph as many of these places as possible, especially after thinking about the earthquake this past weekend in Nepal.

Tobu Square - Golden Temple in Kyoto, Japan

Tobu Square - Greece

Leaning Tower of Piza

Tobu Square - Myanmer, Burma

One of the joys of photography is that it is a way to document your life. Every image you take is not only a way to remember the moment, or create a powerful image for a client, it is also a document of YOUR history. Today as you take pictures keep in mind that you are also recording your personal history with every photograph you take.

Always Dream Big

Forbidden Japan

Last April I traveled to China for an exhibit at the Temple of Heaven. It was an incredible experience that climaxed with an award ceremony and receiving the Power of Image award. This April I am in Japan looking for representation in Asia and looking to show my fine art work as well. 

While in Japan I have taken time to see some incredible temples, shrines and sites. One place that truly blew me away gave me a glimpse of all the amazing places in the world and reminded me how important it is to travel. If you have ever been to China, it is a good chance you have been to Forbidden City, or maybe you have watched "The Last Emperor" which is filled in Forbidden City. 

You could never guess by this image, but it was taken in Japan, not in China. This image is a miniature version of the real Forbidden City and it is done perfectly. To photograph this image I used a Nikon D4S and a 35mm 1.4 lens. This week I will share more from this incredible location along with stories from my trip to Japan.

We enhance our lives and grow in three ways: The people we meet, (you always meet people when traveling), the places you go, (like Japan in this case), and the books we read. Very soon I will share information on how you can make my newest book, Future American President special in enhance your families life for decades to come.

Always Dream Big

Big vs Small

I've taken two big trips this year centered around photography. The first was to China to receive the Power of Image award in Beijing, and the second was to Svalbard, just 600 miles south of the North Pole. Today, I'll spend a little time talking about China.

For both trips I was around professional and amateur photographers from all over the world, each with their own unique tools of the trade. I took my favorite camera along, a Sony A7R body and A7 Body with several lenses. I like using a battery grip because I love shooting vertical images in my line of work, but even when I shoot horizontally, the grip feels great in my hand. The grip also holds two batteries vs one, and this is very important considering how I shoot.

During my trip to China several of the photographers who also received awards asked or commented on my Sony A7R. It seems everyone is hearing about how great this camera is. One photographer, who is sponsored by another company, told me he'd purchased the Sony A7R in secret because he likes it so much. It is one power house of a camera.

Shooting with the Sony A7R on a smoggy day in Beijing

Temple of Heaven Exhibit in Beijing, China

During the exhibit in Beijing, which took place at the Temple of Heaven, one of the photographers asked me to take a picture of him using his camera. When I held his big DSLR I was shocked how heavy and bulky it was. It's been a long time since I've had a camera like that in my hand, so I told him to hold my camera. He couldn't believe the weight of my A7R and talked about it the entire trip. I teased the others who complained about their heavy gear as we traveled around various parts of China, and shared some of the features that I really love about this camera. One of the best features for me about using the A7 and A7R is that the camera lets me concentrate on being creative. It doesn't get in the way. Yes, I am sponsored by Sony, but it's not the reason why I shoot Sony. The reason why I love shooting with this new Sony camera is that it gives the the flexibility to do great work and make critical adjustments in the moment. The electronic view finder is something that professional photographers can really take advantage of. I've watched so many people miss great images because they are looking at the last image on the back of the camera. During these moment, life is passing by, but with my Sony A7R I never miss a moment, because I get an instant preview of the image in the viewfinder. This way I never have to take my eye away from the viewfinder. When you are shooting street action things happen fast and you can't miss a moment by looking at the back of the camera to see if you have the shot.

The Sony A7R is small and light in weight but offers a 36MP image that blows the doors off other camera's. On top of that the price is substantially better than its competition.