Raj Has A Camera

12/31/2025

Life sped up this year, and I made a conscious effort to slow it down. I embraced the “manual” approach in various aspects of my life, such as making coffee, reading physical books, and, most notably, photography. I dove headfirst into learning film photography, not just taking pictures, but also using cameras that came from as far back as the 1950s, that lacked autofocus and light meters and really any technology at all. I learned how to properly expose and focus each shot by hand. I explored the color tones of different film stocks. I experimented with both 35mm and medium format 120mm film, as well as twin lens reflex, SLR, and rangefinder-style cameras.

This experience was much more deliberate, intentional, and surprisingly forgiving of my mistakes, especially compared to digital photography. The slower feedback between individual shots and rolls of film gave me the opportunity to think, learn, and continuously tweak and try new things throughout the year.

This year, I shot, developed, and scanned nearly 40 rolls of film, resulting in approximately 1,400 photos. And the best part? I fell in love with photography all over again.

06/22/2020

Last week we sold ten photos to raise funds for ’s . This morning, I sent out confirmations to all of the buyers for their donations + the 100% match.⁣
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We received exactly 200 bids across the auctions and raised a total of $1,684.00. It wouldn’t have been possible without the support from friends, family, coworkers, and even strangers who wanted to contribute to this great organization. ⁣
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People from all walks of life showed up, and I was floored. Thank you to everyone who shared my many posts, whether online or by word of mouth. ⁣
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And of course, thank you to everyone who placed bids and congratulations to those who won. I hope you love the prints and enjoy them for years to come. Your support means everything and I’m deeply humbled. ⁣
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📸 Nikon D850 | Tamron 24-70 | f/2.8 1/160s 42mm ISO2500 @ San Lorenzo, California

06/09/2020

To play my small part in the fight against systemic racism against our African-American peers, I'm auctioning off 10 of my absolute favorite photos that I’ve taken over the years to raise money for 's foundation. In the collection, I’ve included my most treasured landscape, my best wildlife shot, my beloved picture from the 2017 championship parade, and of course a few flicks of my favorite musicians like and .⁣
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Each print will be a 1 of 1 - there will not be a single other print made in that size or paper type. They will be printed on museum-quality paper and ink, guaranteed to last 200 years without fading. Every print will be signed, titled, and numbered.⁣
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The best part - 2x of the winning bid will be donated to Know Your Rights Camp, who are currently raising funds to cover the legal costs of protesters who have been arrested in places like Minneapolis, New York, and LA.⁣
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I hope you find something you like in the collection and I hope you bid that photo up as high as you possibly can, so we can raise a boatload of money together for KYRC together.⁣
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Link to the auctions in bio.⁣
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Long live George Floyd. Long live Breonna Taylor. Long live Ahmaud Arbery.⁣
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BLACK LIVES MATTER.

06/02/2020

03/31/2020

These past few days I’ve been pining to go back outside, socialize with friends, and even get out of the house for work travel. My mood has been off, my overall productivity is down, and it’s becoming difficult to do much of anything. ⁣
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But on the brighter side, I’ve also been able to connect with friends that I haven’t kept in touch with. On good days, I’ve taken time to cook more, learn new recipes and be a little bit healthier. I’ve also had time now to check some long lingering things off my to-do list.⁣
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It’s taken discipline to stay indoors and isolate, but I recognize what’s at stake here. My parents are older now and I have three grandparents in varying levels of health and we need to do everything we can to make sure they’re good. ⁣
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Hope everyone is healthy, safe, and well. ⁣
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📸 Nikon D850 | Nikkor 14-24mm | f/9 1/25s 14mm ISO64⁣

03/06/2020

Friends and family in the Bay Area: tomorrow is the big day! I’ll be selling this print and six others at the Kenneth C. Aiken Community Center in Castro Valley between 8:00 AM and 1:00 PM. From native birds, to starry desert nights, to the wonder of man-made monuments, this collection celebrates the vibrant beauty of California. ⁣
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From shooting and processing the photos to selecting the paper to ultimately printing and cutting each photo down to size by hand, every step has been done personally by me, with love and care. I’ve also made sure these are all standard sized prints so they’re easy to mat, frame and look vibrant for years. ⁣
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There are just six copies of each image available in person only and once they’re gone, that’s it for a while. Thank you all for the continued support. I’m looking forward to see some of you tomorrow!⁣
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📸 Nikon D810 | Tamron 24-70mm | f/2.8 20s 24mm ISO2500

02/18/2020

I was having major acidity issues right before we left for Italy, and with an impending diet of pizza and pasta for the next few days, I was fully expecting to be miserable. Surprisingly I wasn’t, even though I ate tomato-based meals twice a day, every day we were there. ⁣
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I still don’t know for certain why this was the case, but I have a theory - food in America is obscenely processed and awful for you, in stark contrast to the fresh food that was available to us overseas. I had zero stomach pain for ten full days. ⁣
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On our way back home from Oakland Airport, we made a quick pit stop at our favorite burrito joint. My stomach cramped up before we even made it inside the house. Coincidence?⁣
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📸 Nikon D850 | Tamron 24-70mm | f/2.8 1/320s 70mm ISO800

02/04/2020

I recently took my niece and nephew to go take some pictures at Oakland Zoo. I handed them each a camera and let them go wild for the afternoon. We came back home with over 700 images and I got to work, reviewing them and narrowing down the pictures to the 10-20 best ones for each of them. ⁣
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A couple things immediately stood out to me. I noticed how different my niece’s vantage point was from three feet up from the ground vs. mine from nearly six feet. The railings were constantly in her line of sight, and I’m sure that frustrates her on a daily basis. I also realized how much their artistic perspective has already. They were both picking up on small details like what poses they were looking for from each animal and how they wanted to frame their shots - things that took me years to figure out for myself. ⁣
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Later on, for Christmas, the three of us sat together and picked the best image created by each of them to be framed and hung in their room. They even signed their names in the corner like a true artist would. Can you guess which two were their favorites?⁣
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📸 Nikon D850 | Tamron 150-600mm | f/7.1 1/3200s 160mm ISO1000 @ Oakland Zoo

11/15/2019

This little milk mustache was one of the first people we met when we moved into our home last year. He could only say one-off words here and there he’d keep giving me rocks in front of his house ("Rock!"). Now, a year and change later, he’s doubled in height and talking in full sentences (“Uncle Raj, what are you up to?”). ⁣
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We’ve been extremely fortunate to have some wonderful neighbors around us and to be able to build a great community together. Some of my favorite times have been in our cul-de-sac, trading brews and jokes, with everyone. It’s been one of the absolute best parts of moving out here. ⁣
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📸 Nikon D850 | Tamron 14-24mm | f/2.8 1/1000s 24mm ISO2000

11/11/2019

I did not like Salt Lake City the first I visited. We didn’t enjoy the food, the weather was bone-chillingly cold, and got hurt skiing our second day in town (I’m still trying to get her to enjoy the sport again). I didn’t think I’d go back there again. ⁣⁣
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As fate would have it, I started making frequent trips to SLC for work and in typical me fashion, I was narrow-minded my first few visits out there. I kept it strictly business, only splitting time between the office and my hotel, and then flying back home.⁣⁣
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But I tried something different this last trip. I went out to the mountains every evening with a drone to see them with a thin blanket of snow and I explored a different part of the range each day. My photographs came out better every session, but the snow was melting, and it was almost completely gone by the time I got this image. ⁣⁣
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Don’t let that fool you though. It was still obscenely cold out there and I was woefully underprepared for the frigid temperature. I’m looking forward to growing my outerwear collection now. ⁣⁣
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📸 DJI Mavic Pro | f/2.2 1/40s 4.73mm ISO100⁣⁣

@ Grandeur Peak

11/07/2019

This peregrine falcon refused to look at anybody else except its keeper. The two of them maintained a constant line of sight the entire time the bird was out of its enclosure. And if anybody else broke that line by coming too close, the falcon got spooked and immediately attempted to fly away. ⁣
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However, because it only had one wing, the bird fell over on its side every time it tried to take off. It was heartbreaking to see such a majestic creature of the sky unable to fly, and only able to awkwardly hobble around on two feet that obviously weren’t meant to be walked on. And there were similar stories for most of the animals in the park.⁣
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But this keeper was a gem. Always patient, and loving with all of them, no matter their injuries or quirks, she exuded such an obvious love for the wildlife. Witnessing the strong bond between her and the animals, it was apparent this was more than just a job to her. And the birds, especially this one) reciprocated that love. ⁣
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📸 Nikon D850 | Tamron 150-600mm | f/9.0 1/400s 850mm ISO1600

10/29/2019

I had a conversation with a few months ago about how there’s no better place to live than California - and how much we take it for granted. From where I live, the beach, desert, snow, mountains, city, and wilderness are all short drives away. You just have to want to see them. ⁣⁣
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Yosemite is the pinnacle of that. It took us years to get a family trip together and go visit this heaven on Earth because we knew it was in our backyard and never prioritized actually going there. But once we got to the park, we were in a state of constant awe the entire time. Every few hundred feet there was a different view, something else to see, or a new vantage point for something we’d just seen. ⁣⁣
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I left the park with my best hit rate of any trip, by a wide margin. I couldn’t snap photos fast enough and I literally couldn’t take a bad picture there. Yosemite is nature at its finest and rest assured, I’ll be back there soon. ⁣⁣
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📸 Nikon D850 | Tamron 24-70mm | f/6.3 1/3200s 58mm ISO160⁣⁣