STAY TUNED
Hello substack friends!
A bit of fun news I’d like to share with you today, but before I go on, I’d like to express a big, big thank you to everyone who reads these newsletters, shares/comments/likes, and has supported my writings over the years. Thanks for being here with me!
Alrighty then, so today’s topic is…
A Freelance Photography Business?!?!
How many creative outlets does one guy need?
Maybe 3?
One for my love of the land through gardening.
One for sharing my love of printed works like books/pictures and other art musings.
And one for…
PHOTOGRAPHING YOU & YOUR LOVED ONES!!!
SPOTLIGHT
Looking at my work, it is obvious that I enjoy and often share photographs. I get a lot of inspiration from trying to capture a moment’s feeling and documenting an occasion or something ordinary. Or simply pursuing an emotion or soft patch of light.
Photographs are a way of interacting and connecting with people. They can empower and enlighten.
They can remember the subtleties when our mind’s fill up on life.
I’ve always been keen to observe and document all that’s around me.
My practice and pursuits of writing and gardening help my visual aesthetics immensely. A sense of space, relation, texture. Simply allowing awareness to flood in. And filter when necessary.
I don’t often stick with a hobby or pastime for very long. Mostly because I dive deep for some months or years into a niche interest and then step away to get consumed by the next intrigue. But photography has been the gooey glue, consistent practice in my life the last 10 years.
I adore the community aspects of photography and the insight into other worldviews by following people and places with my camera. I’ve been hired occasionally for elopements, a summer camp, outdoor endeavors, and portraitures. Now I’d like to make these experiences and my services more regular!
Curious about my work? You’ll find a few examples below. And if you’re thinking about booking a photoshoot, I’ve outlined the simple booking process on my website.
Individual / Couple / Group Portraits
Engagement / Elopement Photographs
Photobooklets / Poetry Chapbooks
I still plan on making photobooklets & zines through Rockhound Press.
Actually, today I got confirmation of a new stockist in Milwaukee, that makes 4 overall! My zines can currently be found in Milwaukee, Ripon, and Chicago stores.
Also, I’ve started to open up my small run print services to others! Hopefully we’ll have a poetry chapbook being released in the near future!!! I’m truly excited about a collaboration with this person.
Garden Design / Gardening
Through it all, I’ve been regularly working with the gardens. This practice has helped me understand seasonality and the fragility/resilience of time. It’s been a whirlwind these last 6 years, and already I’m looking forward to resting my body this winter.
Also, a new arborist visited my garden this week. See that massive cottonwood in the picture below off to the right? It was confirmed that she has a diameter of 71”…truly remarkable. Always magical to share a hug with her.
SPARK
If you know me, you also know that I am a little gamer boy at heart. I set aside my consoles for some years, but I’ve returned to my gaming ways. It has been a fun way to explore stories and ‘stay relevant’ with the fast paced tech culture.
This autumn a new game called Ghost of Yōtei is being released. It is the second in this game series, and after falling deep into the story of the first game Ghost of Tsushima, I’ve been highly anticipating another journey. (Jin, a samurai on a quest to protect his homeland from invaders, has to decide between upholding his warrior code or acting dishonorably to cause fewer casualties...)
The new story follows Atsu, a wandering mercenary who is seeking revenge on the “Yōtei Six”, who sixteen years prior, slaughtered her family, destroyed her home, and left her for dead.
I expect it to be a cinematic gameplay, again offering a ‘Kurosawa Mode’ — all black and white, film grain, Japanese dialogue with subtitles, windier, more rain. It is an outstanding experience!
Watch the Ghost of Yōtei Trailer if you’re interested!
STACKED
Farnoosh Fathi’s poetry has been admired for its “riot of associations and sonic improvisations” (Christine Hume, Boston Review); its commitment to fathoming language as what it is—an unfathomable depth. Granny Cloud, Fathi’s second book of poems, showcases her gifts both in short works of prodigious concentration and in a long poem, “Anyone’s Don’tanelle,” composed of the drafts and do-overs that led to “Fontanelle”—a wild reimagining of the dispirited court tumbler said to have inspired St. Francis’s “Jugglers of God.” Granny Cloud is a portrait of ecstatic decisions and revisions, constantly reversed, constantly renewed.
- New York Review Books -
SEE YOU
Lots of exciting things on the horizon!
I’d love to hear what projects or dreams you’re working toward right now.
-moki-
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I love your zines!