Athens. March 2026.
Athens, Greece.
3/26/2026. We meet at last. In March I took my first trip to Greece, followed by a few days in Istanbul. Greece has occupied a special place in my concept of the world since I was young. While not a large place, to me it has always been a prominent place, a place with allure and mystique, a place of significance.
While this trip had been planned six months in advance, the war in Iran had broken out in the intervening time, just two weeks prior to departure. While I knew it was far enough away, I felt apprehensive and ashamed for pursuing a dream while my country pursued war to the east. Ultimately I stuck with the plan, but thoughts of the situation in the Middle East weighed heavily on my mind.
The weather for most of this trip was equally weighty - wind, clouds and often rain. On my first full day in Athens, it was time to catch my first glimpse of the Acropolis, a place that has captivated me for decades. After countless art history classes on the topic, it was a pilgrimage. Walking out of Monastiraki and encountering Hadrian’s Library was almost surreal. Here we are, the real thing.
Some places demand your attention and must be seen in person. Some places also demand that you spend time with them. And that is what I did. Night after night I made the trip from Piraeus into central Athens and up to the hills overlooking the Acropolis. Wind, gray clouds and all, we spent time together. It was as majestic as I had imagined it to be and the fact that weather conditions often made photography difficult only strengthened its grip on me. It was how it needed to be.
Eventually I encountered more favorable weather, but not before I had gone up there several times. And still I returned again. It was how it needed to be, and it is not the end.
Rainy Night. April 2026.
Istanbul, Turkiye.
4/1/2026. Istanbul: the final night. This was a very short stay, only four nights. While I had visions of arriving in Istanbul just before sunset and immediately going out to photograph the impressive ship anchorages for my 16 Knots project, instead the flight was delayed and I arrived after dark in the pouring rain. And the next morning was not much more agreeable.
Still, I made the best of the weather and was rewarded with clear weather on day 3. On the final day, it was back to the wind driven rain. But I was not to be deterred. After stopping by Maiden’s Tower on the Bosphorus, I got back on the metro and walked up to Camlica Hill. Due to the weather, as expected the views were not stellar, but then I walked over to the spectacular Grand Camlica Mosque.
By this point it was well after dark and I was wet and slightly tired, but the sight of this very impressive piece of architecture made it worthwhile. I arrived in time to hear the final call to prayer and hearing that amongst this magnificent structure in the rain with few people around was powerful. The reflections on the wet tile floors and almost pristine silence was eery and awe inspiring.
After spending my time here, it was time to head back. But at that point, I had walked quite a ways from where I started and had no desire to retrace my footsteps all the way back to the metro. So, I settled on an alternative route back and found myself wandering through unfamiliar neighborhoods at night, looking for an unfamiliar bus. That’s part of the journey and the experience, and somehow it happens like that on every trip. You learn something about places this way and that’s how I like it.
West Side. November 2025.
Hudson River, Jersey Side.
11/18/2025. A place that needs no introduction. In November I finally decided to take a day trip to NY. Oddly enough, despite having lived in the Northeast my entire life, I’d only visited the city a handful of times. Despite being a longtime follower of NY architecture, I’d neglected visiting mostly because of proximity and perceived familiarity. But, lately I’ve been feeling that it’s crazy that one of the world’s great cities can be visited as a daytrip from where I live and I had ignored it. It was time to remedy that.
Arrived at Penn Station in mid-afternoon and after a bit of walking around Hudson Yards, I caught the ferry across the river. As expected, it did not disappoint. The sky was gray and dull, but the New Jersey waterfront is quite the sight. After scouting for about an hour, I settled on a spot. I’ve been to many large cities around the world, but this view is pretty hard to beat.
Shot here until it was fully dark, headed back to Midtown. Walked around, grabbed a slice and got back on the train. One of my new favorite spots. I will return, many times.
The Return: Japan. April 2025.
Kobe, Japan.
4/12/2025. After a long absence I finally arrived at Kobe’s Venus Bridge once more. Having last stood here in late November of 2019, much has changed and the world is a different place now. What hasn’t changed is the excellence of this view and the deep affection I have for this beautiful country. Walking up here from Sannomiya, through the quiet, elegant neighborhoods of Kobe and arriving at this familiar spot was very satisfying and felt like everything had come full circle.
This most recent outing lasted 24 nights and brought me to many new places, while also retracing my footsteps to many familiar haunts. Having been away for so long, it was a relationship renewed and a bond deepened. I am honored to have returned and full of gratitude.
Welcome back, welcome back.
Industrial Sunset. April 2025.
Marugame, Shikoku, Japan.
4/4/2025. Work progresses on my 16 Knots project. I recently spent a couple weeks exploring the Seto Inland Sea region in Western Japan. This gorgeous area is dotted with countless islands and is home to dozens of shipyards. Imabari Shipbuilding operates several large yards throughout the region. Pictured here is Imabari’s Marugame Yard, a location I’ve been wanting to see for quite some time.
As impressive as Japan’s shipbuilding industry is, it’s facing an uncertain future. Competition and price undercutting from China have resulted in substantial marketshare decline for Japanese and Korean shipbuilders. This, combined with uncertainty in global trade and the world order have created substantial headwinds.
16 Knots: Hamburg. March 2024.
Hamburg, Germany.
3/4/2024. Work has begun in earnest on my newest series: 16 Knots, an exploration of global maritime shipping. To embark on this project, I started with Hamburg and Rotterdam, two of Europe’s busiest ports and hubs of international trade.
Hamburg proved to be a very agreeable place indeed. In addition to the spectacular and easily accessible port, the city is also a charming and pleasant place to be, one I will be very eagar to visit again.
I arrived in Hamburg on a late Monday afternoon and eventually made my way down to the waterfront at dusk for my first introduction. On a sandy beach on the banks of the Elbe River I was greeted with overcast skies with a touch of fog, and a clear view of the Port of Hamburg. Within minutes, the waterfront revealed itself to be a very lively place and soon I was scrambling to keep my camera gear out of the waves that were sweeping up and down the sandy beach. Having flown into Amsterdam only the day before, I was still quite tired from the red-eye flight and the numerous trains it took to get here, but the scene before me was a breath of fresh air that left me energized. A very fine introduction.
Inner Harbor, Boston
Past, Present, Future. Revolution and Evolution.
Boston, Massachusetts. 6/22/2022.
Summer 2022, a journey of rediscovery.
After two years of disruption, it’s time to reconnect, rediscover and find new inspiration. I began this process in late winter, the first of my staycations where I sought to rediscover my community on foot. It was meaningful to revisit many local sites and find new haunts. Recently, I gave this popular location in East Boston a try.
Within this frame, many glimpses of Boston’s past are seen alongside the present and hints of the future. John Winthrop’s “City Upon a Hill” began as a British Colonial Era port, became known as the birthplace of the American Revolution, and now serves as a 21st century global hub of science and technology. Perhaps the best way to conceptualize this evolving bayside community that is at once historic and modern is to think of a garlic or onion with its many layers. One facet of its centuries long metamorphosis however, is that much of the City Upon a Hill actually sits on top of former salt marsh and tidal flats.
While the economic dynamism of the 21st century is difficult to ignore, new challenges have arisen. Rising sea levels, housing costs, displacement and transportation are all challenges that will have to be met if this community is to continue thriving and evolving. Will a city known for its ingenuity find solutions, or will the sea reclaim what is perhaps the most American of all cities?
A Misty Evergreen. September, 2020.
Boston, Massachusetts.
9/3/2020. An exercise in patience. Weeks of waiting for the right conditions finally yielded the opportunity I’d been waiting for. Every week, one of these enormous vessels departs Qingdao, China, crosses the Pacific and arrives in Boston five weeks later, after making several stops along the route. The Ever Leading (pictured) was built in Geoje, South Korea and has been roaming the world’s oceans since 2012. The sea has always fascinated me and I have long associated ships with adventure and the unknown.
Draw 7: The Mystic River. August 2020.
Chelsea, Massachusetts.
8/7/2020. A difficult year has brought many unwelcome changes for all of us. The necessities of staying close to home have inspired me to place a renewed focus on an old project: Draw 7. Draw 7 began in 2013 after my first trip to China, when I sought to continue shooting in the same style I had discovered during my travels. The roots of this project go back to 2005, to a project I began in college and intended to continue after the completion of the course. This spring, with the arrival of the onslaught of bad news and disruption, I decided to focus my attention on something close to home and reimagine Draw 7 anew.
Draw 7 is a nocturnal exploration of Greater Boston’s Mystic River and the surrounding environs. Eventually it will follow both banks of the river from its mouth in East Boston, past Mystic Lakes in Winchester, to its source. This often overlooked waterway covers a short distance, but encompasses a wide range of settings, from heavy industry to affluent suburbia. Through this series of images, I hope to illuminate a place where many transit, but not all linger.
Wakayama Nights. December, 2019.
Wakayama Prefecture, Japan.
12/6/2019. Recently, I spent five nights in a small seaside village on the Kii Peninsula. There’s a beach, two convenience stores, a home-improvement store and not much else. Nights are peaceful here, the only sounds to be heard are the waves and an old train that rolls through every hour or two. The tracks traverse the center of town, between the closely spaced houses and the crop fields. I had researched this shot months in advance, and after spending time there, I felt it captured the experience of life in this village. After scouting it on foot during the day, I returned in the evening, calculated the exposure and waited patiently in the crisp autumn air. It took a couple outings to get the frame I wanted, but the slow, quiet experience was worth it.
Ten Minutes in Almeria. April 2017.
Cabo de Gata, Spain.
4/23/2017. Cabo de Gata-Nijar Natural Park is located on southeastern Spain’s Mediterranean coast. This desert coastline is a spectacular sight, with cliffs plummeting into the ocean. It was very windy here for the first two days of my visit, making long-exposure photography nearly impossible. Days were spent walking the cliffside trails, enamored by the jaw-dropping natural beauty. On the third night, I set-up under the stars on this deserted beach and took this ten-minute exposure. Walking back along the dusty road was eerily quiet, surely it will not be the last time I walk this road.
Yichang, China. November, 2016.
Yichang, China.
11/11/2016. On the banks of the Yangtze River I stood, watching the new and the old collide. Yichang's waterfront is lined with hotels, neon and tourist oriented businesses, blasting loud music and noise well into the night. Walking down the steps toward the river, the atmosphere changes. Fisherman wade along the shoreline, people wash their clothes in the water and cargo vessels move smoothly past the city.
Popham Beach. September 2016.
Phippsburg, Maine.
9/20/2016. Heavy fog made for an interesting walk along Popham Beach, which sits at the mouth of the Kennebec River on the coast of Maine, not far from the town of Bath. Waves could be heard but not seen until very near. The fading light, along with the dense fog gave it a somewhat ominous feel. My Grandparents were from a pair of small towns a few miles up river.
Cats in the Dark, Seoul. October, 2015.
Seoul, South Korea.
10/9/2015. An hour on the metro, followed by a bus ride brought me to this striking location in the evening where I found clear, windy skies. Several photographers lined this overlook despite the cool wind. This was the first location in Korea that I found to be truly striking and felt a strong connection to. After spending about an hour and half here and shooting this panorama, I departed. The idea of not coming back to this place again was too much, so I returned several days later. I spent the late afternoon hiking along the fortress walls before coming back to this overlook. It was less crowded this time, but the skies were hazy, so I sat and enjoyed the atmosphere. Long after the sun had set and having found the solitude I had been looking for, I picked up my things to head back and heard a rustling in the bushes, followed by a meek meow. One of the cats I had seen in the area earlier no doubt. I called back into the darkness to my unseen companion and this continued for several minutes. The perfect end to a day.