Perspective

There has been some heated reactions over at A Photo Editor about a young photographer who ran out of money and felt defeated after working sparingly as a photo assistant in New York for close to a year. He made a decision to go back to school to take a Master's Degree in Accountancy. He writes, "As disappointed as I am, I feel this is the only way to go to have any kind of success for myself in the future. I hope that I can go back to photography in the future once I get my finances together..."

Each one of us has a threshold for risk and some are more fearless than others. But that doesn't mean the risk adverse is less passionate about their photography than the risk taker. Regardless, the end goal is to continue making pictures no matter how it gets accomplished. The meaning of success is also very personal. In the end, it doesn't really matter what others think but how one maps out their destiny and fulfills it in their own terms.

Wandering 24

Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf on Market Street.

Wandering is a collection of photographs from my occasional observations of everyday life. It is a means for me to reconnect to what drew me to the medium in the first place. And that's really all it is: my repeated attempts at recapturing that feeling which energizes me to continue taking pictures.

©Stella Kalaw

Wandering 23

Rainy day on Sutter Street.

Wandering is a collection of photographs from my occasional observations of everyday life. It is a means for me to reconnect to what drew me to the medium in the first place. And that's really all it is: my repeated attempts at recapturing that feeling which energizes me to continue taking pictures.

©Stella Kalaw

Wandering 22

Along 4th Street. San Francisco, CA.

Wandering is a collection of photographs from my occasional observations of everyday life. It is a means for me to reconnect to what drew me to the medium in the first place. And that's really all it is: my repeated attempts at recapturing that feeling which energizes me to continue taking pictures.

©Stella Kalaw

The Sign of the times

© Stella Kalaw

Wandering 21

New York, April 2008.

Wandering is a collection of photographs from my occasional observations of everyday life. It is a means for me to reconnect to what drew me to the medium in the first place. And that's really all it is: my repeated attempts at recapturing that feeling which energizes me to continue taking pictures.

©Stella Kalaw

Wandering 20

New York Museum of Modern Art.

I was looking through some folders in my laptop this afternoon and saw this image that I photographed at the New York MOMA last year.

Wandering is a collection of photographs from my occasional observations of everyday life. It is a means for me to reconnect to what drew me to the medium in the first place. And that's really all it is: my repeated attempts at recapturing that feeling which energizes me to continue taking pictures.

©Stella Kalaw

Wandering 19

South of Market. San Francisco, CA.

Wandering is a collection of photographs from my occasional observations of everyday life. It is a means for me to reconnect to what drew me to the medium in the first place. And that's really all it is: my repeated attempts at recapturing that feeling which energizes me to continue taking pictures.

©Stella Kalaw

Morning Observations

©Stella Kalaw

A black umbrella flies in mid-air and lands in the middle of Fourth Street. Then it rolls back and rests on the curb near the bus stop.

Clusters of businessmen and women, engrossed in conversation with their colleagues, walk briskly towards the convention center.

The traffic light turns green and the cars drive by leaving swishing sounds as they tread the soaking road.

The line at Starbucks is uncharacteristically short-- a sign of the economic times. The shelf that once carried their merchandise sits empty replaced by silhouettes of passersby as seen through the frosted glass backing.

The rain is picking up again and it is 8:53 am--time to stop typing and head to work.

More Rain

©Stella Kalaw

Inspiration: Ilkka Halso

Roller Coaster

Kitka River

Both images from the series, Museum of Nature Exhibition

©Ilkka Halso

Source: Tropolism

Storm break

©Stella Kalaw

I took this image this morning on my way to work. The weather forecast calls for more storms heading to the Bay Area this week. Temperatures have been below normal compared to previous years. No wonder Boracay feels as if it happened so long ago when in fact, it had only been a month since we were on the beach.

Wandering 18

Boracay, Philippines

Wandering is a collection of photographs from my occasional observations of everyday life. It is a means for me to reconnect to what drew me to the medium in the first place. And that's really all it is: my repeated attempts at recapturing that feeling which energizes me to continue taking pictures.

©Stella Kalaw

Wandering 17

Magtataho at Boracay, Philippines

Wandering is a collection of photographs from my occasional observations of everyday life. It is a means for me to reconnect to what drew me to the medium in the first place. And that's really all it is: my repeated attempts at recapturing that feeling which energizes me to continue taking pictures.

©Stella Kalaw

Wandering 16

Boracay, Philippines

Wandering is a collection of photographs from my occasional observations of everyday life. It is a means for me to reconnect to what drew me to the medium in the first place. And that's really all it is: my repeated attempts at recapturing that feeling which energizes me to continue taking pictures.

©Stella Kalaw

Kilawin

©Stella Kalaw

I saw three men and a boy walking slowly along the beach. One of them carried a knife and a thin, wooden stick. This man poked holes in the sand and then moved on. Sometimes, he would stop and dig a little deeper using his hands. I had to find out what it was they were looking for. The group was collecting sea worms for kinilaw, a Filipino cooking method similar to ceviche. One of them showed me the small holes that dot the fine, white sand. He said the sea worms were just below the surface. One full container was enough to feed a small family.

Kinilaw or kilawin- a dish similar to ceviche, made by marinating uncooked fish or shrimps in vinegar and seasoning with salt, black pepper, etc. eg. kilawing dilis, hipon, tanguingue (sa gata: with coconut milk) (Doreen Fernandez)

Wandering 15

Boracay, Philippines

Wandering is a collection of photographs from my occasional observations of everyday life. It is a means for me to reconnect to what drew me to the medium in the first place. And that's really all it is: my repeated attempts at recapturing that feeling which energizes me to continue taking pictures.

©Stella Kalaw

Wandering 14

Boracay, Philippines

Wandering is a collection of photographs from my occasional observations of everyday life. It is a means for me to reconnect to what drew me to the medium in the first place. And that's really all it is: my repeated attempts at recapturing that feeling which energizes me to continue taking pictures.

©Stella Kalaw

Wandering 13

Boracay, Philippines

Wandering is a collection of photographs from my occasional observations of everyday life. It is a means for me to reconnect to what drew me to the medium in the first place. And that's really all it is: my repeated attempts at recapturing that feeling which energizes me to continue taking pictures.

©Stella Kalaw

Waves

©Stella Kalaw

It was quite windy when we arrived in Boracay for a good friend's wedding. The boat ride to the island was choppy. It reminded me of a ferry ride I was on that shuttled locals and tourists from Dakar to Goree Island several years ago. My traveling companion, A and I were lucky enough to catch the last scheduled trip that evening. Unfortunately, a storm was brewing out at sea and the gusty winds created waves that intensified the rocking motion of the boat. A was a member of the UC Santa Cruz sailing team so she was used to these conditions. I looked at her and she was very calm. I, on the other hand, was a nervous wreck. It was the longest 25 minutes of my life.

53 and 57

©Stella Kalaw