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I’ve actually been to Japan 3 times. I only count two, but my passport says otherwise. I got stranded for a night returning from Singapore when my flight got canceled during my connection at Narita. United Airlines put me up in a hotel for a night. Back in 2008, that meant I headed straight to the bar. I ended up drinking about $100 of Japanese Scotch. Which was delicious by the way.

Early next morning at the airport (hungover), I searched for fluids to begin the healing process. No stores were open. This only led me to Vending Machines. And so an obsession began. This was the first Japanese Vending Machine I met.

Vending Machine 1

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Filed under: Flickr, Japan, Photography, Travel by Daniel
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I check Flickr every day. It’s one of my favorite sites and I joined in October 2005. So long ago. When you check the same site everyday, you get to know it well, and you catch a lot of striking images.

I write a lot about photography and Flickr You can see a lot of my my posts regarding them, here. I also did a ton of analysis and interpretation of how IndyCar uses Flickr, here. I guess I’m trying to prove my Flickr street creds.

As I write in the Ohio Heat on this Saturday evening, I thought it appropriate to share some images that have inspired me recently. Yes, on Flickr. So enjoy some of my recent thoughts, obsessions, inspirations and the images behind them.

Another Pete Rock remix....

I don’t think any other artist from any other discipline has inspired me as much as Pete Rock has recently. I’m slightly embarrassed by the play count in my iTunes library. Think Twice, What You Say, Don’t You Love It and They Reminisce Over You have been way overplayed. Listen to any of these songs and you’ll get an immediate understanding of his music – complicated combinations of diverse musical backgrounds, sampled into an elegant, catchy unforgettable beat. Any of his stuff – 90′s hip hop, jazz inspired or his instrumentals will reveal this.  Pete Rock would play my soundtrack (if I had one), open up for my Hip Hop Chop pilot, and definitely host RobotoWear’s first big party. I’ll be in touch.

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Filed under: Flickr by Daniel
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Early today I got to shoot an IndyCar race. I’ve taken many racing photos. But never of actual on track action. My previous shots were limited to pit lane or the garage or a stationary car. Turn 1 at the end of a fast, long straight was an entirely different proposition.

I know the racing culture very well. Mainly because of my father. I’ve come to have immense respect for the mechanics that work on teams and the photographers that capture such captivating imagery. I could never be a mechanic (I can barely handle something from IKEA) and I only dabble in photography. So I quietly respect from afar.

I can’t hold a disposable camera to my photographic colleagues from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LAT Photo USA, Japan media, Firestone, local media and many, many more. But today I was a willing and very, very happy imposter. In fact it was unforgettable. I went out in the field and actually shot cars at speed. For real.

Dude, I shot the start of a race

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Filed under: Flickr, Motorsports by Daniel
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Late last year, a friend forwarded me a link to the New York Times website. I clicked it, and it took me to Why We Travel: Submit Your Travel Photos 2011. I was sold immediately. Travel, photography, online and writing. All things I love.

So I had 250 words to: “Share your best travel photos and tell us the back story. Where did you go and why? What’s happening in your photo? What does it mean to you? A selection of the top images will appear in the Travel section.” It took me no time to pick a pic and write.

So here is my image and my reasoning behind the shot and selection. Enjoy. PS – not sure if the NYT’s picked it or not.

Vending Machine Land

For many years I’ve dreamt of visiting Tokyo and there were many reasons for this.

Sushi (Yum). Electronics (I’m a geek). Robots (I collect them). Anime (It’s cool). Fashion (It’s so unique). Lights (It creates a great atmosphere) Bustle (The energy). Culture (I studied anthropology). Foreign (I speak English). And vending machines (It’s a culmination of the above).

I had less than 24 hours in Tokyo this past September and I enjoyed every second of it. I walked. I walked a lot. And I carried my camera everywhere, looking for any possible moment to capture.

I took pictures of the electronic and shopping districts. Train stations. My lunch. Various views. Street scenes. Hotels. Shops. You name it.

I also stopped at countless vending machines. Sometimes I knew exactly what I was getting. Other times it was a complete surprise. Now, that’s traveling.

I love this picture. I love that the frame is filled. I purposely shot this without a flash because I wanted to capture the glow of the friendly, robot-like machines. I love that it says COMICTORANOANA. I have no idea what it means – I love these moments.

I grabbed this shot late at night in a Akihabara – kind of the electronic, anime, fashion area. These vending machines represent all of that to me…in a weird sort of way.

I returned to Akihabara the next day and it was packed. The vending machines looked completely different in daylight. I’m glad I found them late at night, alone.

Filed under: Flickr, Photography, Travel by Daniel
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I worked at an art museum. Now I work at a race track and for a racing series. They seem very opposite and I catch people off guard when I reveal anything about my career. There are many differences. There are many similarities. But all in all, it’s incredibly different.

I loved my time in the museum field. I will always look back with fond memories and understand that it was a critical period of my professional life. It was a time to make mistakes, learn, take risks and importantly, deliver success. But I don’t miss it. I left at the perfect time.

Before I left I got to present in New Zealand

There are considerable differences between the museum field and the for-profit racing industry. In my current role, ‘more’ comes to mind. More projects, more content, more deadlines, more expectations, more opportunities and so on. These are all good challenges. I’m in a smaller team but with more resources. More/larger departments to interact with, across more companies and stakeholders, more collaborative relationships with drivers, teams, race tracks and sponsors. More. In fact, I’ve never seen so much content in my life. Speed comes to mind too – which is an obvious parallel to draw, but it’s true. Everything happens in a New York Minute. In the museum field, I remember working with exhibition calendars planned 3 years out. In racing, we have that kind of planning, but there’s also intermediate, current, pressing and last minute schedules. It’s an amazing juggling act that is sometimes smooth as glass and sometimes rough as sandpaper.And when you work online, you have to respond instantly. I’ve never worked so many hours in my life, or been awake and such strange times. I’ve slept with my laptop countless times, sat in a million meetings, traveled at the drop of a hat, over committed, barely hit (and missed) deadlines, consumed lots of energy drinks and so on.

You can catch me in the mirror

The bigger the challenge the greater the reward. That’s what I love about this job. As a museum professional, I felt a similar objective – be the best, be innovative, develop projects that would change the field, be immensely proud. I did all of these things. Which is why I can look back with no regrets. It was an incredible career.

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Filed under: Random by Daniel
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