photography by wasim.

Category: Tips

  • The Power Of Serendipity – A Lesson Learned

    The Power Of Serendipity – A Lesson Learned

    simply stunning. Wasim Muklashy Photography
    simply stunning. Wasim Muklashy Photography

    It might be a little bizarre that I was booked to shoot three professional NFL football players from the San Francisco 49ers and Oakland Raiders, yet my two favorite shots of the job had absolutely nothing to do with the job itself.

    So as I’ve already written about in a previous post, I was hired by WhoHasItApp to shoot celebrities and the clothing in their closets for a new e-commerce app (it’s actually a pretty brilliant idea, click WhoHasItApp.com and check it yourself). Anyhow, on that trip, I was scheduled to shoot Kyle Williams of the San Francisco 49ers, and Rod Streater and Terrelle Pryor of the Oakland Raiders, and those went extremely well. But something happened that was completely impromptu and unexpected. We were all set up and waiting for our subject to show up so we can get the portrait shots, but it just so happened that it was getting to be that time of day where the light was absolutely perfect – golden hour as the sun was setting over the bay while we overlooked it from the east side of Oakland Harbor. It was killing me that our subject wasn’t there while this light was getting insanely flawless.

    I was literally pacing.

    Once we realized he wasn’t going to be there in time, I just had to get someone, anyone, it didn’t matter, in front of that lens and smothered with that soft pastel light, so I jumped inside, asked if anyone at all can just come stand in the light, and after a bit of persuasion, was able to convince one of the women that was there, to come out and be my model for just a few minutes.

    As soon as she stepped onto the deck, I knew immediately this was going to work. Her beautiful smooth skin was bathed in gorgeous golden hour sunlight that was partially diffused by a low lying haze – when people call it the ‘magic hour,’ this is exactly why. These ended up being two of my favorite shots from the entire weekend, and these weren’t even part of the gig.

    The lesson learned in this one? Follow my intuition and not be bashful if a certain situation presents itself – especially if the gut is tugging at you to make a move. Those are the times you know you’ll regret not doing so. I had no idea her name, and I’m sure she didn’t mine either, but for those 5 minutes, it just didn’t matter. Best of all, I walked away with two portrait shots of a stunning woman that i couldn’t be happier with.

    simply beautiful. Wasim Muklashy Photography.
    simply beautiful. Wasim Muklashy Photography.
  • The Undeniable Importance of ‘Me Time.’

    The Undeniable Importance of ‘Me Time.’

    San Francisco Bay Bridge
    So yesterday I posted about my whirlwind experiences shooting a few well-known personalities and their closets. Today I’m posting about me.

    Through the whole experience shooting Kyle Williams and Rod Streater in San Francisco, I also knew it was going to be an exercise in something I’ve been focusing on making a priority over the past few years…whether it’s for a few minutes, a few hours, or a few days – meditation, a hike, stopping for a few deep breaths, whatever – making it a point to always find time for myself. I’ve so often times in the past lost vision of why I was doing what I was doing…the passion…and it’s been nothing sort of soul-murder, leading to derailment of my original vision and purpose and intended paths, some that have lasted for years. For this reason, it’s become a priority to always make sure to do something to try to keep that vision at the forefront. (more…)

  • Rediscovering The Joy Of Photography Prints

    mpix-print-for-blog_16x9
    I hit a new milestone with my photography last week…I know this might not sound a like a big deal to most, but to me, it was huge:

    I made my first proper art print from one of my digital images.

    When I attended Scott Kelby’s “Shoot Like A Pro” seminar here in Los Angeles a few months back, one of the perks was that we got a coupon code for a free 16×20 print from one of the sponsors, Mpix, on some madness they call Fuji Pearl photo paper. Regardless, I couldn’t bring myself to do it.

    Despite the fact that I took photography in high school, my father taught it, we had a darkroom at the school that we’d use on the weekends, he had a darkroom at home that I wasn’t allowed to touch, and hell, my first science fair entry was a shoebox pinhole camera, and from all of this, I spent a good chunk of time developing film and photos, all in black in white, none of which I still have before taking off to college where my time got eaten up by…ahem…studying, I held off for a while because I was nervous about how it would come out – perhaps dealing me a blow if it came back and thought to myself ‘this is shite!’ I had made 8x10s at Costco and they actually turned out fairly well (especially considering the price at $2 per), but twice the size? Never. Will the pixels and my processing hold up?

    (more…)

  • My Best Photograph Was A Mistake!

    Wasim Muklashy_Scion FRS_Megan Racing_1WM0549-Edit_4200sfw

    So last week I was hired to photograph a Scion FRS that was completely and insanely modified by Megan Racing’s Race Division. The day started with some closeup detail images from underneath the car of the various modifications they performed for a presentation that the company would be doing to show off what they did with this thing. In effect, they turned an already sweet looking ride into a growling piece of art that I’d be afraid to let out of it’s cage.

    But once we finished the close-ups, it was time to get the entire sucker, so they brought it down off the lift and unleashed it into the parking lot. It was like letting a lion out of it’s cage. While they wouldn’t let me take the POV shots I jokingly (not really) suggested, they did let me position it around the buildings and lot adjacent to the shop, so I got to work. The time of day was still about an hour away from optimal, but I had to work with what we had, so just went for it, gambling on the game of numbers, if I shot enough, I was bound to come away with a few keepers. This was another instance in which my Eye-Fi card came in handy…that sucker has yet to leave slot two!

    Anyhow, I definitely came away with what I thought were some solid keepers, but what I didn’t expect was that the shot I ended up liking the best was one that, at the time, was a mistake – a painfully obviously underexposed image as I was trying to compensate for a very bright sky, but I went too far on the right side of the dial.

    Yet, for some reason, I didn’t delete it.

    (more…)

  • Just Flow – Pursuing A Life Of Being

    Just Flow – Pursuing A Life Of Being

    In a strange sense, I feel like I’m preparing for something. I spend a lot of time alone, very little social interaction – isolated from the constant deluge of stimulation and media saturation. I’m left alone in my thoughts, in my being.

    And I do it to myself.

    And there’s an almost constant sense in me of, I’m not supposed to be here. I’m not supposed to be down there either, but I’m not supposed to be here. I’m supposed to be somewhere. Elsewhere. Yet, only recently have I begun to accept and embrace the possibility that I truly am supposed to be here. For if I wasn’t, then I wouldn’t be.

    But I am.

    The distractions, the noise, the static, the relationships from the past, most of which were based on toxic and flawed foundations, would have continued. I would not have been able to see them for what they were. The true essence of man that surrounded me would have continued to be masked by a show or a band or a story or the news or an event or a relationship or a girl or a guy or a lie or the tv or a film or some form of numbing deceit…adding layer upon layer on top of the only thing that truly exists. Layers that you’d eventually have to dig through. One after another after another.

    And hence, the cycle would just propagate itself.

    Is it easy? Of course not. But it’s not supposed to be. Is it valuable? Absolutely. For understanding what you are capable of and what you are not, is necessary if you pursue a life of being.

    So it was necessary, necessary to step away from it all, and be away from it all, and be. Just marinate in being. Feel everything. Allow yourself to feel everything. Allow it to take hold of you. And then allow it to release you. However many times it needs to.

    It was necessary in order to understand that the way it was and the way it seemed, is not necessarily the way it will be. It was necessary to begin to understand yourself at your core in order to understand how that core fits into greater moment.

    Limitations are a gift. Limitations realized are a blessing. Knowing that those limitations are preparation for limitless expansion is the ultimate prize.

    For without those gifts and blessings, you would never know where you stand. Where you should be.

    So yes, I’m preparing for something. The only question is…

    …what?

  • When you can’t get away from it all…get away from it all.

    When you can’t get away from it all…get away from it all.

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    So it was one of those days, the thought process just goes into overdrive and begins to cloud any reasoning and logic. The past comes up, the future comes up, all of the baggage surrounding both start to rear their nosy and intrusive little lizard heads. Sometimes this would last for hours, then days, then weeks, but more and more you begin to see that there’s a way out…well, at least temporarily.

    You recognize it.

    You realize it.

    You consciously stop it and remind yourself that none of it is part of your current existence, except the parts you allow to be.

    And then just as you think you’re starting to get the hang of it all, you slip right back down. And that’s when you realize you need to step away.

    Or maybe it’s just me.

    In any case, I figured it’s been a long while since I’ve visited one of my little sanctuaries and what better time than now. So I jumped in the car, headed down to the gardens at Lake Shrine Self-Realization Center, and just sat.

    Literally.

    Just picked one of the benches and sat.

    Watched. Listened. Felt.

    And a few other people just came to the surrounding benches and sat.

    Just sat.

    Watching, listening, feeling…being.

    And just like that, you remember what you’re supposed to be doing. And everything else melts away.

    Thanks again for setting me straight Lake Shrine.

    Until the next time…

  • Scott Kelby, The Metro, and The Ranch.

    Scott Kelby, The Metro, and The Ranch.

    IMG_5546
    So was a pretty good last few days. Did the whole Scott Kelby’s “Shoot Like A Pro” workshop/seminar here in Los Angeles on Friday, and I’ve got two thoughts:

    One, he’s the MAN! I learn more from a one day session with him than I can on my own in months. He simplifies things so much to the point where you start asking yourself, why the hell did I ever think that was complicated to begin with? I had a great experience at his Photoshop seminar last Winter, was hoping for the same with this one, and I got it.

    Two, WHY DIDN’T THE METRO RAIL EXIST WHEN I LIVED IN LOS ANGELES!???? Damn…parked my car in Culver City, made it down to the Convention Center in 20 minutes on the train, and just as easy on the way out. No traffic, no rush hour, no gas, no driving, no cell phone ticket, no 20 dollar parking, no hassle. Frickin’ insane. Right in my stomping grounds…L.A. almost felt like a (gasp!) real city! (more…)

  • Twice In One Week!?? Yosemite You Gone Done Spoiled Me!!

    Twice In One Week!?? Yosemite You Gone Done Spoiled Me!!

    a slice of yosemite layer cake. Yosemite National Park, California. Wasim Muklashy Photography
    a slice of yosemite layer cake. Yosemite National Park, California. Wasim Muklashy Photography

    TWICE IN ONE WEEK! This is crazy exciting for me on the inside…so earlier in the week one of my favorite photography podcasts picked one of my images to critique. That was my oak tree image that I was using to bring attention to the non-native borer that is threatening to rid california of all of its oaks. It was featured on the April 1 episode of the Digital Photo Experience podcast and that blew my mind.

    Well, earlier today, I was sitting here editing photos for work, listening to another of my favorite photography podcasts, this one is the April 5 episode of Frederick Van Johnson’s ‘This Week In Photo,’ and all of a sudden, at about the 51:04 mark, I hear my name (butchered, but they gave it a good effort) when they announce their first ever photo critique on the show. They picked my image ‘a slice of yosemite layer cake,’ and they dug it. They had professional photographer guests Jeffrey Totaro & “Fro Knows Photo” Jared Polin all give their thoughts, and it was all positive. Frederick went so far as to say that he could see the image printed large and framed on a wall with a nice light. I mean, I can’t think of a higher compliment. 

    I know it may sound like I’m boasting or whatever, but I’m not. I’m just genuinely hyped. Please understand, this is the first time in my life that I’m doing something that I actually feel I’m supposed to be doing. Like everything I’ve done before has been leading me to that thing that just feels right and it’s starting to come together that way, and at age (almost) 36, that’s pretty damn exciting for me. While the next steps once, very recently, felt ridiculously daunting, they’re all of a sudden starting to feel exciting and encouraging instead.

    It’s always been an ultimate goal to help people that need it and be able to lend my skills to try to help make things even a little bit better than they are for those in unfortunate situations and regions and areas in life, and I feel that I’m getting closer to a point where that can become a reality. Using the skills I’ve honed over the past 15 years – video, writing, publishing, and photography – and somehow bringing it all together into something that actually makes some sort of a difference. I don’t know exactly where and what this is going to lead me, but for the first time in perhaps, well, ever, I feel like at least a path, albeit a rocky one, is being laid out in front of me. So long as I don’t think about it too much and just keep paying attention to doing what I feel is right in the moment – right now – perhaps, perhaps, the rest will sort itself out.

    There I go thinking about it too much again. Ah hell.

  • looks can be deceiving

    Ok…so this is not my usual forte, but when this shows up in your yard, how can you not snap a few (hundred).
    Enjoy the slideshow…don’t say I didn’t warn you…

  • Working Better Under Pressure – A Malibu Creek State Park Docent Story

    Working Better Under Pressure – A Malibu Creek State Park Docent Story

    riding in. Malibu Creek State Park, California. Wasim Muklashy Photography
    It’s strange how my life has turned into a series of photo taking and processing. Sure, not getting paid for all of it, so can’t really call myself a true professional, but all of my income is coming from this stuff, which is actually kind of…eh…neat. For the first time in my life, I’m actually feeling like I’m doing something I’m supposed to be doing. 36 hot damn years old and now I’m figuring this out?

    Anyway, woke up with the intention of spending all day today working on editing the Megan Racing videos and processing those photographs so I can get a paycheck before rent-time creeps up in a hurry, but remembered that my docent project is due tomorrow at the final interpretation I’m required to go to as a new Malibu Creek State Park docent. (more…)