photography by wasim.

Category: Adventures

My First Research Term For The Arcanum: Silence. Why? It’s Complicated…

Part of the deal as an apprentice in The Arcanum is each week we are presented with a weekly challenge by our master, and with each weekly challenge, in addition to finding images based on a theme, we are to find a term that relates to creativity in some way (however broad is up to us) and research that term and what we found out about it. So while I was trying to think of what term I wanted to research for my first weekly challenge, I found myself navigating my way through the eternal Facebook stream of doom, looking for a post I saw earlier from a friend that I wanted to comment on, and all I could see are BE SCARED EBOLA OBAMA DEMOCRAPUBLICANS TERRORISM EBOLA LIBERAL HELL WRATH CONSERVATIVE RACIST FIRE DOOM DIE OH YEAH AND EBOLA when all I could think to myself was, ‘shut up already!’
So, that was the birth of the term I wanted to research for my first weekly challenge in The Arcanum: Silence.

Needless to say, I knew that silence had a much broader meaning than just the lack of noise, but I was completely surprised to see that in the official Wikipedia post about silence (let’s face it, Wikipedia is the new Encyclopedia Britannica – for those of you that remember that monstrosity…), the meaning of silence has broadened to accept:

“total communication, in reference to nonverbal communication and spiritual connection.”

Wow. Spiritual connection? Communication through silence?

And not only that, but this:

“…as a culture Westerners shy away from silence because it is fearful to be in quiet.”

Wha? Why?

“This instinct is created from our culture where mixed medias play constantly, emerging technologies force us to drop everything and respond and the daily life is polluted with noises all around us effecting our health.”

And that’s just from the first few lines. And it was those first few lines that explained it all – the same week that an article came out saying that the first actual diagnosis of phone addiction has been made, and that techno-addiction is now an actual ‘thing.’

It’s not that we don’t want the silence, we’re actually biologically afraid of it.

And I can understand it. And I can more than understand exactly how the mass media plays on that fear. We literally wouldn’t know what to do with ourselves if every newscaster and ‘expert’ and ‘pundit’ and ‘respected personality’ one day just got on the air and said “Oh, there ain’t a darned thing going on today. It’s all good. We’re just going to chill.” Ironically, we’d freak out and wonder what was wrong rather than what they were telling us, that’s all’s right! We probably wouldn’t even allow ourselves a moment of silence to take it in.

And apparently, and scientifically, that’s because we’re afraid. We’re literally afraid of what we might have to face if we weren’t constantly faced with madness and psychotica from all directions at all times. If we didn’t have distraction after distraction from distraction after distraction. The fact that things can actually be…all good. The crazy part is, things are better now than they ever have been in human history. There is actual quantifiable evidence showing less war, destruction, famine, and death today than at any time in human history.

But we would never know it now would we?

I couldn’t help but think, perhaps if we spent more time in silence, that reality might take hold.

Process that: things are better now than they ever have been.

So chill out y’allz…it’s all good.

Now how does this have anything to do with photography or art or the Arcanum? I have no idea or real good answer for that. I suppose the best I could do is that I feel we should be paying just as much attention, if not more, to the good in life, than all the seemingly inescapable bad. It can, apparently, have profound impacts on our health, both physical and mental. And I can only imagine it could serve the impetus for some pretty incredibly beautiful art!

Now let’s shut up and make stuff!

For more of my madness, take your pick:
Instagram: @wasimofnazareth
Ello: @wasimofnazareth
Google+: www.Google.com/+WasimMuklashy

November 4, 2014
My Experience In Trey Ratcliff’s The Arcanum – Level 3: Wasim The Inspired!

So this is where it all got real.
The experiences, the Networks, The Challenges. It’s all part of the process here in The Arcanum, but all of it, at first, seems a bit disconnected, another virtual forum, albeit a more positively engaging one sans the trolls and the, but, still,

I am now Wasim The Inspired!!

And with that, things immediately get a bit more serious. As I started seeing streams of notifications and happenings within the community and cohort, I won’t lie, I started to get a bit overwhelmed and intimidated. People were engaging with each other, Hangouts were happening, weekly challenges were being levied, leveling ups were going on, and I was watching it all, wondering how and where to go from here. Where do I fit into this madness? So as an apprentice, learning from a master, I figured that not only was it was well within my boundaries to ask my master, the one, the only Robin Griggs Wood, for help, but, well, it was my responsibility to do so. So I did, and she responded so graciously and thoroughly, that there was no longer any reason, or excuse, for me to put this off. I was starting to feel the kick in the arse I so badly desired and got involved in this thing for.

Levels 3 and 4 go together…sort of. This is a stage where in one level, it’s my responsibility to put together an album of 10 images, in which I then have to ask my fellow apprentices in the cohort to set up a Google+ Hangout, and in that, they critique my images and help me choose the 5 that I will take with me into Level 4, a critique session with my master, Robin Griggs Wood. Mano a mano. A bit nerve-racking? Perhaps. But exciting? Yes. Definitely. My peers are going to give me critical feedback, and my master is going to finally tell it like it is and guide me to the next level in my creative journey.

So I put together a gallery mixed with some of my favorites and some that I was looking to see what others thought of. Perfect opportunity. While I was about to pop my Google Hangout cherry after just returning from an unplanned visit to the dentist, I was fortunate in that we almost immediately went into a screenshare, sparing my fellow apprentices the sight of my drooling half-numb face in favor of some purty colors and images.

I have to say, this was really really really really really really really really nice. This sort of engagement is something has been missing from my photographic journey completely. I’ve mostly relegated my work to online venues, and the social side of it all, well, seemed a bit of a chore rather than a necessity. Until now. This is the perfect venue where I immediately felt comfortable because I knew that this wasn’t a ego boosting show and tell or a pissing match or soapbox of any sorts (sorry L.A.), but it was a group that was on the exact same journey I was. They were dedicated to improving and growing and evolving in their respective crafts, and it just felt right. Hearing their ideas and thoughts truly brought to light SO many things I never even considered. I even ended up with a few alternate processings of some of the images that I ended up liking more than the originals. Immediately validating the value of such feedback, something that’s can be hard to get on board with, especially in such a traditionally solitary and personal pursuit as photography.

But I loved it. And I have a gallery of images I’m proud of to present to my master. And perhaps most importantly, because of this session with my apprentices, I was able, perhaps for the first time, to succinctly state what my goal and mission in my photography and work is:

To try to induce that childlike wonder back into the jaded adult mind.

To aim to straddle fantasy and reality, and push the fantastical in everyday existence right the point where you have to ask yourself whether or not this can actually be real and come away with an ‘I supposeeeee so.’ And if they’re trying to convince themselves, then all the better, for perhaps it’ll awaken a part of their mind they’ve ignored for a while.

In other words, an attempt to provide a reminder that, in addition to all our everyday worries and concerns and responsibilities – basically, the crap – just outside our bubbles, awe-inspiring beauty and curiosity still exists on a massive scale. Even more so than when were kids. We just might have to look a wee tad harder, but that could only help us appreciate it that much more.

My experience in Level 4, my first face to face and image review with my master Robin Griggs Wood, is coming in a few days. To find out which images I took with me to present to her and what happened, check back here or sign up for the mailing list in the right column to be notified as soon as I post it.

And in case you missed it, click here to read about Levels 1 & 2.

For more of my madness, take your pick: Instagram: @wasimofnazareth Ello: @wasimofnazareth Google+: www.Google.com/+WasimMuklashy

November 2, 2014
5 Black & White Photography Tips I Learned While Taking The Black & White Photography Challenge

So I was recently challenged by a fellow Samsung Imagelogger, the talented portrait photographer Jess Anderson, to take the Black & White Photography Challenge. Basically, I had to post 5 black and white images in 5 days. Anyone that knows me or my work knows that color plays an enormous role in the images I choose to make, so this was definitely a bit intimidating. In addition to a few of my favorites from those recent 5 days, what follows are 5 things I learned and experienced in my little black & white journey. One thing that is immediately apparent is that once you lose the luxury of color, your mind shifts, and it has to. It’s not as easy as just hitting the black & white tab in Lightroom or Photoshop or dropping saturation. You can’t make images the way you’ve known and been used to and you are forced to focus on other aspects. The good news is, once the mind-shift happens, a whole new world that you may not have previously paid attention to, pops up into existence. It’s really quite fascinating.

1. Contrast was HUGE! When you lose the ability to capture color as a main player in an image, you have to look at things completely different, and one of the top factors that can make for a good monochromatic image is contrast. Extreme contrast between shadows and highlights, light areas, dark areas, that’s going to be the main player in the image, no matter the subject. The caveat to add here is that gloomy are also good days to shoot for black and white as well, as the contrast between subjects plays more of a role than the contrast between shadows and highlights. For example, a humanoid dressed in white standing against a dark wall.

2. Geometry! Pay attention to leading lines and shapes. They both seemed to play a huge role. If you can find lines that stand out, curves that are apparent through the scene, that is optimal. Additionally, keep an eye out for shapes. Squares, rectangles, triangles, circles, they all stand out in monochromatic situations when an eye is denied the ability to look for color.

3. Light, more than ever, is perhaps your most important player here. It’s a fact that the brightest spot in the image is where the eye is naturally drawn to, so light that falls in between columns in a building, creating a striped pattern across someone’s face, or just a single ray of light at the end of a dark alley falling on a person’s face. You get the idea. Watch the light, where it’s going, what it’s doing, and know that mostly nothing in the shadowy areas is going to be the main subject or player in your image. It’s what’s going to be in that light.

4. ISO is of the utmost importance! Definitely try to shoot at the lowest ISO possible. I learned very quickly that when playing in contrast and with several dark areas in an image, noise is MUCH more apparent. Minimize the noise-reduction-plugin rabbit hole by shooting at as low an ISO as you can.

5. Minimalism can play a great role here. A few of my favorites from those 5 days use a LOT of negative space – the one with the birds and the one of the woman on the cliff edge overlooking the vast Pacific Ocean.

Bonus Tip: If your camera is capable, shoot in RAW. If you’re used to shooting in JPEG, set it to shoot in RAW+JPEG, but you’ll see how important having that extra RAW flexibility of adjusting shadows and highlights comes into play in post-processing when shooting for black and white. Trust me.

With that being said, I quite liked the challenge, and I thoroughly enjoyed shooting for black and white, so thank you for that Jess! Don’t be surprised to see me post a few more monochrome images in the future.

All the images above were taken on mirrorless Samsung NX30 and NX3000 cameras.

For more of my madness, take your pick:
Instagram: @wasimofnazareth
Ello: @wasimofnazareth
Google+: www.Google.com/+WasimMuklashy

October 19, 2014
The Spirit Of The Mountain Calls Again – Here’re This Year’s Entries!

I can’t believe it’s been a full year since the last one. That photo contest that I was honored to place 2nd and 3rd in last year, the National Park Service sponsored “Spirit Of The Mountain” photo contest? Well, it’s back. I just submitted my two entries, the two you see above, “Family Time” and “Pole Position,” two images taken within the past 12 months in the Santa Monica Mountain Range.

If you happen to find yourself in the area between November 2 and November 23, stop by the Interagency Visitor Center at the King Gillette Ranch. It’s right across the road from Malibu Creek State Park, so make a day of it…trust me, it’s absolutely gorgeous. Oak groves and rock pools and lakes and streams…hard to believe it’s only 35 minutes from Santa Monica and Los Angeles’ Westside.

Anyhow, if you happen to make it on November 2, that’s the opening reception, and renown photographer Tom Gamache, the man behind the beautiful images in Matthew Jaffe’s “The Santa Monica Mountains – Range On The Edge,” will be there to critique the entries. Also, Gamache has his images currently on exhibition at the same visitor center. That there is worth it alone.

The images above were taken on Samsung NX300 and NX30 cameras.

For more of my madness, take your pick:
Instagram: @wasimofnazareth
Ello: @wasimofnazareth
Google+: www.Google.com/+WasimMuklashy

October 14, 2014
Ello Ello Ello Ello – All Aboard! My First Week On The Thing

So I’ve gone and done it…I’ve hitched a ride on the food cart of the Ello train to sample their wares. Here’s how our honeymoon together, our first week, has gone so far. A friend sent me an invite, I logged on, I created a profile (as quick and easy as a username and a short description), and immediately was like, WTF? But then I noticed an actual WTF button on the page. I knew we had a future together.

Why? Well, Facebook has become, for lack of a better term, shit. I log on and all I see are sponsored posts, ads, games, and videos that, despite the fact that my psyche doesn’t give more than zero mehs about them, my eyes still can’t help but obsessively flicker and stutter. And every now and then, sprinkled very sparingly between those mehs, are perhaps a few posts from friends or family. And in those few posts, perhaps a non-political, non-religious, or non-narcissitic gem or two might stand out amongst the noise. Don’t get me wrong, I love my friends and family, and love seeing what they’re up to, but, well, it’s not all that easy to filter through the madness anymore. While taking screen grabs for this post, I literally scrolled through 11 posts before finally finding 2 – TWO – posts from someone I knew squashed between that casino floor. And this after hitting the useless ‘I don’t want to see this’ button EVERY TIME one of those posts rolls through for the past 3 months. I’ve deleted every ‘app,’ squashed every ‘game,’ to no avail.

Enter Ello.

Simplicity lies at its raw, but tasty, core. And not a SINGLE ad surrounds that.

Sure, there is extremely minimal functionality, which, between likes and shares and candy crush sagas and page feeds and random invites from sponsored posts (aka the equivalent of early 2000s pop-ups), might be a shock to the zombie robot humanoid system, but, once the withdrawal systems start to wane, you can’t help but realize how…wonderfully clutter-free…this thing is.

One, posts are simple text (with a nice nostalgic typewriter font) – you can link, you can bold, you can italicize.

Two, you can only organize contacts into ‘Friends’ and ‘Noise.’

Three (my personal favorite), pictures look GREAT!!! No compression, no stripping of EXIF data, no renaming to some randomized Da Vinci Coded shlabberdasshery of numbers and letters.

So yes…clean…clutter-free…simple.

Hell, there isn’t even a ‘like’ button for posts. At first, my (un)natural reaction was, ‘oh snap, what do I do?” Then I realized…ohhhhh…right….communicate! I mean, let’s face it, for the most part, ‘likes’ are nothing more than a gratuitous nod to a stranger as you walk down the street. You don’t really give half a turd, it just seems the respectable thing to do. After all, half the time the person liking didn’t even see the post itself. For example, I’ll post a link to a video that’s 4 minutes long. Immediately I’ll get 5 likes. Within 30 seconds. Which means that either they only watched :30 seconds of the video or none of it at all. More often than not (call me jaded), I’m forced to assume the latter. (Hint to the obsessive likers – at minimum, wait until the length of the video passes before hitting that button…jus’ sayin’…)

On Ello, this is impossible. Because you have to communicate and engage in order to get the best experience and have those dopamine neurons fire. So this ‘no like’ button thing that started off as the first thing to irk me, ended up being my favorite part of it. After all, because of it, within the first week, I somehow find myself communicating with ‘The’ Thomas Hawk, engaged with my celebrity Arcanum master Robin Griggs Wood, shared with and interacted with my fellow Samsung Imageloggers in a much more photography friendly environment, and have been exposed to a whole slew of new artists, creatives, and thinkers that may have never crossed my path otherwise.

It seriously feels like everyone has just been waiting for something…anything…to help ween them off the Facebook nipple, and whether or not it lasts is anyone’s guess, but it’s already been worth it simply to have connected with new faces, once seemingly unapproachable faces, and ideas that were left simmering in the background before this platform forced them to ripen. Kinda like a cocktail party – feel each other out, and perhaps you’ll connect on deeper more meaningful levels on the periphery.

What it has done, at least for the meantime, is refreshingly brought engagement back. It’s brought a proper human element back. Thoughtful, real, expressive communication.

Sure, there are a few things that can be improved (like including a like-button equivalent on JUST comments – otherwise, acknowledging that you saw someone’s comment can quickly turn into an akward ‘Who’s got the last word’-fest), and no doubt as it becomes more popular, they will work on those things, but it’s nice to be a part of something in which the users have a say and impact on the output of what it turns into.

And even if it just lasted this one week alone, that was good enough for me. Because the true implications lie in this encouraging bit:

Despite all our techno-addictions, people still want and crave real connections with people.

So, while this ain’t our first rodeo, and know it can very well all implode at any given moment, until then…get at me!

www.ello.co/wasimofnazareth

Ello Ello Ello Ello!

For more of my madness:
Instagram: @wasimofnazareth
Google+: www.Google.com/+WasimMuklashy

October 7, 2014
Hoorah! The Samsung Imageloggers (Including Moi) Took Over Rangefinder Magazine.

So this Samsung Imagelogger journey has been an extremely unexpected ray of light that just keeps shining brighter as the months go on. In addition to the cameras and gear (as if that wasn’t enough), another huge benefit of this thing is the ridiculous exposure and opportunities we get. Some of us got to go to Photokina on Samsung’s behalf, some of us gave away free NX30s in Times Square a few months ago, some of us had our images used in promotional material and ads, some of us ended up on a safari. Well, this week, some of us had the humble pleasure of taking over a full special issue of Rangefinder Magazine, a pretty influential magazine in the photography industry. It’s the official magazine of WPPI (Wedding & Portrait Photographers International) and one that is part of the The Photo Group network, the same group that puts on Photo Plus Expo each year in New York City (coming later this month coincidentally…). So here’s a digital version of the issue: http://tinyurl.com/mosgsaq

I won’t tell you what page I’m on to not-so-sneakily force you to flip through these other incredible photographer’s work.

Check out the feature on Laura Winslow and how she uses photography to document her children’s lives – those sunny funny bright images are impossible not to love.

Check out Rinzi Ruiz and how and why he uses his cameras to produce some of the most striking fine-art street photography in today’s modern landscape.

Check out husband and wife team Tim and Staci Landis’ beautifully unconventional pairing and the incredible photographic journey it has led them upon.

Check out how prolific photographer and host of the Candid Frame Podcast, Ibarionex Perello, used the compact nature of a mirrorless system to intimately capture a portion of the fantasy inducing Eiffel Tower standing in stark contrast to an impromptu political protest in Paris.

And finally, you’ll find my image “Family Time,” and the story behind it in there.

How they figured I should be squashed between these people, I’ll never know…but I’ll take it! Anyhow, it’s an incredible honor and I’m completely and utterly humbled to be amongst such an insanely inspiring group of people and can’t wait to see what the next year brings.

In the meantime, if you guys are planning on getting a new camera, call me crazy (I would have too a year ago today), but I can’t say enough about these Samsung cameras. Pretty much every image you’ve seen me post here or Google Plus or Instagram or Twitter since last November has been on one of their offerings, and quite honestly, it’s undoubtedly been the biggest year of growth for me in terms of photography.

The NX300

The NX30

The NXMini

The NX3000

and coming soon (but not soon enough hot damnit!)…the NX1:

Ok then, go shoot some stuff!

For more of my madness, take your pick:
Instagram: @wasimofnazareth
Ello: @wasimofnazareth
Twitter: @wasimofnazareth
Google+: www.Google.com/+WasimMuklashy
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/WasimOfNazareth

October 2, 2014
A Monday Motivational Kick In The Yahoo – September 29, 2014

“Everything You Can Imagine Is Real.” -Pablo Picasso
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Mmmhmm – This Week’s Motivational Kick In The Yahoo!
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Design!

September 29, 2014
A Spontaneous Excursion Up Pacific Coast Highway – Part 4: From Big Sur To Barbeque

I woke up this morning a bit ragged. Today it was much harder to open the eyes, due in no small part to the fact that I was planning on making the drive back from Big Sur to Los Angeles. As I was unzipping my tent and cursing under my breath that I couldn’t at least indulge in a cup of coffee on my final morning here due to the fire ban, there comes my aunt, as if on cue, straight out of the bushes at the other end of the campground, holding bright sunny fresh to-go cups of coffee! Boom!

She had made her way into town to come back and make our day! I took it as a sign.

There was no way I was leaving today.

So once again, with coffee in hand, I marched my gotcha back to the Andrew Molera State Beach iron ranger at the entrance and paid for another night, the same way I have the last two days. Silly me thinking there was ever a chance I was leaving.

Today’s plan was to hit up Pfeiffer Beach (not to be confused with Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park or the infinitely more popular Julia Pfieffer Burns State Park, home of popular McWay Falls. “Yeah, there are a lot of Pfeiffers” the ranger told us as he tried to clear up our confusion). We winded our our way down Sycamore Canyon Road, parked in the lot, and meandered through the shady sandy Cyprus Grove to the stomping grounds of the famous Keyhole Rock.

While the scenery was as spectacular as I ever remembered it, it wasn’t exactly kid friendly at the moment. The surf was quite aggressive and the little ones had their hearts set on the tide pools at Point Lobos, which they hadn’t really stopped talking about since we left there the day before. So after about an hour or so, we decided to pack it up and head on up. I’d been here on many occasions before, and oddly enough, while I thought I’d personally take it a bit harder that we were leaving Pfeiffer Beach, I was surprised to find myself completely ok with it. New frontiers. New memories. However, what I couldn’t bring myself to do was take off without spending at least a few moments alone with a camera and Keyhole Rock. So they let me indulge for a bit, and then off we went.

Since everyone was pretty hungry, and Nepenthe was soooo close…we had to do it!! If you haven’t been to Nepenthe in Big Sur, it consists of two open-air restaurants and the Phoenix gift shop, all of which have some of the most breath-taking birds-eye views of the Big Sur coastline. At the very least, stop for a drink. And if you can’t get a table at the top level restaurant, do NOT hesitate to walk one level below to Cafe Kevah. The views are even arguably better, less obstructed, and the food just as good (and cheaper…).

After lunch, it was time to head back north on Pacific Coast Highway, back to Point Lobos State Reserve. There was a whole cliffside we had yet to explore, so while the kids found their way back to the familiar tide pools with the aunt and cousin, myself and Stephen Chiang decided to explore the path along bluff and we were exposed to a slice of this park and coastline we weren’t privy to the first time we were here a few days ago. And thank GOD we did. This could easily be one of the top 3 highlights of the trip.

Towards the southernmost reaches of the park, along the coast, lies China Cove, apparently, as we found out quickly, a very popular attraction, for as we walked up the steps and turned the corner to reveal it, there stood 3 artists, each in front of their respective easels, each quietly offering their interpretation of the gorgeous scene that stood in front of them.

It was mesmerizing.

I couldn’t help myself but to sit and watch and, of course, eventually ask them if I could photograph them while they worked. Karin Leonard, Kenneth Cadwallader, and Michele de Braganca. After a little while, we decided to continue on a bit further, and after exploring the final reaches of the trail, turned back, and found our way back to China Cove. While the other two painters had packed up and left, one, Karin Leonard, remained. And we remained with her. As one of my cousin’s children was an artist, Stephen brought her back, where she sat with her sketchpad on the bench behind Karin, each of them offering their respective perceptions in tandem. A beautiful moment.

Life making art watching art.

As the sun set, and we bid our farewells, it was time, yet again, to stuff our faces.

We were within miles of Carmel-By-The-Sea (the small cobblestone seaside hamlet that Clint Eastwood once acted mayor to), and even though we were stinky and smelly and beachy and 3-days-of-camping-y, and Carmel is quite a ‘high-flootin’ town as my cousin so aptly put it, we said screw it, why not! We’re gonna make it ours tonight. So we did. We marched our flip-floppin’ sandy feet on in to Les St. Tropez, authoritatively commanddeered the center seating arrangement, and treated ourselves to some French cuisine, pasta, and arugula garnished pizzas before sleepily heading on back to camp for our final evening (this time for real…).

We. Crashed. Immediately.

The next morning, we woke up, packed up, and, aching to squeeze as many minutes as possible out of the trip, stopped for a final view at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, where the McWay Falls trickled down the California coastal hillside, making it’s way from the furthest reaches of the Redwoods in the inland forests and finding respite in the great Pacific.

It was time to get back into the cars and head on back down for not only did we have a lot of ground to cover, but we wanted to go full circle and make one more stop back where this all started.

Morro Bay State Park.

One last look at the rock.

One last frolic along the bay.

One last stroll on the wooden footpath alongside the estuary.

We reluctantly hit the road, and as the sun began to set, found ourselves at Los Alamos, California, a sleepy western town about 5 hours down the coast. It was to be our last supper together, and we decided to do it in style. BARBEQUE!! We laughed, we joked, we indulged, we broke bread, we gorged on Charlie’s Place delicious special-secret-homemade barbecue sauce and milk shakes. Yup, milk shakes.

And, finally, we declared this trip a complete success.

Thanks so much for following along our journey. Truly hope you enjoyed it. And if you haven’t already, wholeheartedly hope you get to make it yourself one day.

Below are the images from this, the final part of the trip, all of which were taken on Samsung NX3000 and NX30 mirrorless cameras. And in case you missed the first three parts of the story:

Part 1: Morro Bay Part 2: Big Sur Part 3: More Big Sur

And to purchase a print, or the original painting, of “Misty Afternoon China Cove,” the stunning final product of Karin Leonard’s efforts that day, click here to check it out.

For more of my madness, including additional images and edits from this very trip: Instagram: @wasimofnazareth Twitter: @wasimofnazareth Google+: www.Google.com/+WasimMuklashy Facebook: www.Facebook.com/WasimOfNazareth

And last but certainly not least, be sure to find and follow Stephen Chiang at Instagram.com/stephenrx7. I’m telling you, his shots are great and the kids are insanely adorable.

September 26, 2014
A Spontaneous Excursion Up Pacific Coast Highway – Part 3: More Big Sur

The next few days in Big Sur were nothing short of magical. We woke up the following morning, our first in Big Sur, and figured the most logical thing to do would be to hit the beach. And, well, who are we to argue logic? The universe led us down the 3/4 or so mile hiking path from the campsite, through a covered canopy of trees that straddles the Big Sur River, all the way down to the quaint cove that makes up Andrew Molera State Beach. We spent several hours here sunning, swimming, playing, fighting off the seagulls that boldly flew off with half our food, and watching the surfers slowly but surely converge at Molera Point as they anticipated the swells from Hurricane Marie, the category 4 that had hit Baja California earlier that day, to come ashore any moment. And boy did they! We watched surfer after surfer catch wave after wave that ranged from 3 feet breaks all the way up to what seemed like at least 8 or 10 feet for the more advanced.

We headed back into camp mid-afternoon, some rested, some napped, some ate. Myself and Stephen, we had USB battery bricks and phones to charge, and some business to handle, so we headed into town (and when I say town, I say this very generously, for ‘town’ consists of a grocery store, a restaurant, and a gas station). We took a seat at an outdoor table at the Big Sur River Inn, had some fresh coffee, and got down to business. We charged up our power bricks, and headed back to Molera, hiked back into camp just in time for a campfire and dinner. And that’s when we got a reality check from this fantasy world.

The rangers came up to us to inform us that as of 3 hours ago, the higher ups have outright banned campfires and even camp stoves until further notice. The reason? Drought. The California drought has gotten so bad and so serious, and the land so brittle and dry, that not only did they had to ban campfires and camp stoves 3 days before the famously busy Labor Day weekend, but they also increased the fine from $500 to $5000 to hammer home that this was no joke. If this state doesn’t get some much needed precipitation relief in the coming months, the ban could very well go through all of next year.

In any case, we figured since it was our last campfire, we’d go out with a bang…”S’MORESSSS!!”

The following day, we decided to head up the coast to Point Lobos State Reserve. In all the years of my coming to Big Sur, I’ve never stepped foot in here, and I was stupid not to. This place was incredible. We walked through a Cypress grove, we went geocaching at the old whaler’s cabin, and we hiked around the point, soaking in views of the famous coast. Perhaps the highlight of this part was the tide pools that dotted the rugged coastline. The closer we got to them, the more magical they became…we saw regular crabs, hermit crabs, a dizzying myriad of shells and sea urchins. It was beautiful.

As we sensed the sun begin to set, we figured it’d be a good time to head back to camp, eat some dinner and perhaps try to catch the sunset on the coast back at our beach, Andrew Molera State Beach. We were able to get back in time to feed the belly, but, the clouds started rolling in, so unfortunately, our sunset that evening was hidden from view. Which was alright. We marinated around the lantern, told some stories, had some scotch, and called it a night…figured since I was planning on leaving the next morning, I should get a good night’s sleep for the long drive back.

Below are the images from this part of the trip, all of which were taken on Samsung NX3000 and NX30 mirrorless cameras.

Click here for the final installment of this trip, Part 4: From Big Sur To Barbeque.

And if you want to start from the beginning, click here for Part 1: Morro Bay

And for more of my madness, including additional images and edits from this very trip: Instagram: @wasimofnazareth Twitter: @wasimofnazareth Google+: www.Google.com/+WasimMuklashy Facebook: www.Facebook.com/WasimOfNazareth

September 23, 2014
A Collection Of iPhone 6 And iPhone 6 Plus Background Wallpapers

For the lucky ones who managed to snag an iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus, I figured I’d throw together a collection of my images sized and optimized to serve as background wallpapers to grace the face of your new device. There are several scenes covering various locations from Yosemite to Venice to a gorgeous Grist Mill in Washington. Hopefully there’s something in there that’ll tickle your fancy. The first image will always the iPhone 6 version, and the second one next to it will be the iPhone 6 Plus version. Find the one(s) you want, Right-Click and Save Link As. That should save the full size version. Or you can click on the image, and it will open in another page and you can save it from there. Or, if you’re on the device itself, click the one you want, and then when it shows up full screen, hold down a finger on it, and then choose ‘Save Image.’

And in case you’re new to manual photography, which is a new feature now available on iOS 8, make sure to check out my post from earlier this week, What Apple iOS 8 Manual Camera Controls Means For The Masses.

And for more of my madness and other happenings and what-nots and billy-bobs and jigga-ma-things: Instagram: @wasimofnazareth Twitter: @wasimofnazareth Google+: www.Google.com/+WasimMuklashy Facebook: www.Facebook.com/WasimOfNazareth

All images other than the Yosemite images were taken on Samsung NX30 and NX300 mirrorless cameras. The Yosemite images were taken using a Nikon D7000 before I switched to mirrorless as part of Samsung’s Imagelogger program.

Wasim Muklashy Photography_Mono Lake_California_iPhone6

Wasim Muklashy Photography_Mono Lake_California_iPhone6Plus

Wasim Muklashy Photography_Pole Position_iPhone6

Wasim Muklashy Photography_Pole Position_iPhone6Plus

Wasim Muklashy_Ferns_Ponytail Falls_Oregon_iPhone6

Wasim Muklashy_Ferns_Ponytail Falls_Oregon_iPhone6Plus

Wasim_Muklashy_Skateboarding_Venice_CA_iPhone6

Wasim_Muklashy_Skateboarding_Venice_CA_iPhone6Plus

Wasim Muklashy_Sunflowers_Columbia River Gorge_Oregon_iPhone6

Wasim Muklashy_Sunflowers_Columbia River Gorge_Oregon_iPhone6Plus

Wasim_Muklashy_Bridge To Somewhere_Washingtion_iPhone6

Wasim_Muklashy_Bridge To Somewhere_Washingtion_iPhone6Plus

Wasim Muklashy Photography_Cedar Creek Grist Mill_Washington_iPhone6

Wasim Muklashy Photography_Cedar Creek Grist Mill_Washington_iPhone6Plus

Wasim_Muklashy_Eye In The Sky_Washington_iPhone6

Wasim_Muklashy_Eye In The Sky_Washington_iPhone6Plus

rolling in.

rolling in.

a slice of yosemite layer cake

a slice of yosemite layer cake

half dome after the storm.

half dome after the storm.

el capitan dares you.

el capitan dares you.

September 23, 2014