08/31/2026
I was thinking about how to describe this year’s Kando Trip, and one word kept coming back to me: gratitude.
I’m grateful for the people I get to meet, the old friends I get to see again, and the new ones I get to make. Some of these people I only see once a year at Kando, which somehow makes those few days together feel even more special.
I’m just as grateful for the people who make all of this happen behind the scenes. The sets are built, torn down, moved around and rebuilt. The talent, hair, makeup and wardrobe are all taken care of. Every little detail has been thought through. There’s an entire army of people working while we’re busy making photographs, and most of the time we barely see them.
That includes everyone at Sony, Blue Pixel, Talent To Go, the set and production crews, the hotel staff, and so many others I’m probably forgetting. They create the space for us to forget about everything else and just make things.
And then there’s the biggest part of Kando for me: being surrounded by people who are endlessly curious. You spend a few days talking to photographers, artists and creators from completely different backgrounds, seeing how they approach their work, and you inevitably leave wanting to make something yourself.
I came home running on no sleep, with a full memory card and about a thousand ideas in my head.
Mostly, though, I came home feeling lucky.
Grateful for the people. Grateful for the experience. Grateful I get to do this.