I write about my photography, social impact work, global travels, and the books profoundly expanding my thinking. Rather than a traditional diary, I also keep a quotes journal, featuring curated inspiration — quotes, poems, passages — from what I’m reading and experiencing.

Through my blog posts and journal of collected words, zoom in on some of the things that interest me.

Conservation a close-up of skyscrapers reveal different colors and geometric shapes

Meditations on Megacities

As my driver skillfully navigated the on-the-ground chaos of screeching motorcycle horns and hellish gridlock, I turned my head to the passing still lifes. Tent encampments, sidewalks overflowing with garbage, decaying buildings, commuters with backpacks clutched protectively to their fronts. Each as characteristic a scene of a city as familiar to me as my hometown in San Francisco. From these blurred impressions, a question crystallized. Is urbanization — as closely related to human development and progress as environmental damage, vulnerability to disease, and inequality — a net good for people and the planet?

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Photography

São Paulo From Above

The following is a series of aerial photographs taken from my solo trip to Brazil’s financial capital. Photos were captured from a helicopter using my handheld Canon Mark IV DSLR and a 24-70mm Tamron f/2.8 lens. The aim of the flight was to capture the sheer expanse of the largest city in the Western and Southern Hemispheres.

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