Shooting it RAW with Ran Elfassy

Thanks again to the fantastic Rachel Smith who let us use her studio to record, I met up with James for an unexpected tale on how he evolved as an established photographer.    Big smile, easy to laugh, and a great storyteller, James brought us from his early days as a stock photographer through his love of Latin and other classics.    We spoke, I cursed, we traded notes on digi...

Hawaii. One of the high centers of marine and ocean love, culture, science, and advancement. Thanks to Doug Woodring and his incredible network of marine conservationists, he put me in contact with Jan Hafner and the great people of Global Ocean Surface Ecosystem Alliance.    As I seek to bring more researchers and conservationists to the podcast, it's a humbling treat for me to meet and...

Riding out to Lam Tsuen Valley, I enjoyed the view of the distant Tai Mo Shan peak, the banana trees and large trees that look like eucalyptus but I couldn't name off-hand. I arrive at our meeting spot and David greets me with his warm smile. We walk up to his house, lost in a small village and what immediately hits me is the space he has and the earthiness of his environment. We sit in a shed, co...

I love each episode in this podcast, but some episodes transcend what I bring as an interviewer and what the guest brings from their life. In this case,  my exchange with Monica was magical.    Grounding ourselves in the outdoors and what being in our bodies can do for our mental state, Monica began by sharing how she connects to hills and trails. We soon dove into her experience of...

One of the main pillars of the podcast is conservation, under which I put climate science. So, scanning around for some people to talk to, I stumbled upon Charles Addey. So I reached out and we set up a time to meet.    As it happens, he's based in China... Luckily in the same time zone as Hong Kong. Excellent. I asked him for some images and we set up a time to meet.    It tur...

I'm re-releasing this episode because the movie Raugi directed, called "Attic Trunk" is now playing! Check it out and be inspired!   To view the full episode, click here:  https://youtu.be/V2yB-R3szgM   * EPISODE LINKS IN DESCRIPTION – BELOW *   ****   See more photos and learn more about Raugi at:    - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1059765/    - https://...

Hong Kong has 7.5 million people and a world-renown skyline. Although one of the most densely populated cities in the world, just 45 minutes away is a country park with a small village that has about 10 houses in it. One of them is mine, and one of them is where we find Tamera Bedford. Welcome neighbor!   As it happens, I discovered through Episode 30 guest Martin Reise that there's a talente...

Daaaaaaaamn. 79 episodes later, Cadence joins me again to catch up after our first episode, back on April Fool's Day 2020. Two birthday cycles later, we sat down and reviewed some photos that capture her imagination and she uses as anchors to the past.   Listen in as this fun 10-year-old shares her worldview.   Thanks K-Pop! To view the full episode, click here:  https://youtu....

Cadence was an early reader, so the challenge has always been to find an author who can capture her imagination without it going waaaaaaay over her head. New York Times best-selling author Margaret Peterson Haddix is one writer that fits the bill perfectly.    It took a while for our schedules to align, but I was finally able to sit with Margaret for one of these Shooting it RAW chats. A...

Sometimes, a conversation comes out of the blue and moves you to tears. That's what meeting José became. We connected because for years I've been on his peripheral because of marine conservation. I set up the time to speak and then noticed he was out in Brazil. Represent!  He shared how he evolved into a marine conservation warrior, literally on the front lines of protecting whales, sharks, r...

This podcast is turning out to be such a treasure trove of AMAZING people, such as Natalia Mota. Things have gotten so complex that I no longer remember how we crossed paths, but we set up a meeting time and this episode resulted.   Natalia has already built momentum around podcasting (see the link, below), bringing art into people's lives, pushing herself to keep physically and mentally heal...

PAUL IS THE MAN!  We met thanks to Jenny Page, who was my guest for episode 71. Paul is a bit of a mensch for Hong Kong's music scene, helping so many and recording for many more at Sunset Studio. I also heard a bunch about how he loves his chili sauces.    So we agreed to meet and it was PURE LOVE. Everything about this episode captures the fun, energy, and sheer abandon of someone...

For episode 72, I met with the magical Rachel Smith at her Senseless Art studio in Prince Edward. We had the best conversation and as I took my leave she said a great person I should meet with was Sao-Mai Nguyen, the author who was her current artist in residence.    As it happens, Sao-Mai is also from Montreal – even growing up in Pierrefonds. A funny coincidence! From her name, I could...

For years now, I've heard about and wanted to start doing some Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. I always knew it would be outside my comfort zone, but being a beginner at this kind of practice is exactly what I was looking for. When I found out someone was offering BJJ courses right here at the Hive in Sai Kung, I thought how perfect! As soon as I met Jonathan, I could hear right away the warmth and slow pace...

Cadence, Delian and I hiked over to Ham Tin when I spotted a few letters in Hebrew. I caught the guy's attention and chimed in with, "You know, that tat says 'Hummus and Falafel.' "    We laughed and within ten minutes, I invited Jared to be on my podcast. We could even record it at his place in Wanchai.    This is the result... An incredible, unexpected, endearing, and totally...

A fascinating thing is happening with the podcast guests. At first, the contacts are direct or indirect, and over time the links to people outside my circle seem to reveal themselves. For example, all of a sudden I became aware of Rachel Smith, her artistic work and the Hong Kong Stories podcast.    We have both called Hong Kong home after growing up Canadian. Living almost in parallel,...

No idea how we connected. It was through Facebook or Instagram that I saw Jenny Page’s eye-catching image. Was it the one she was in cosplay around Lord of the Rings? Was she as Legolas? Or was it a shot with her shooting a traditional Mongolian bow at a shooting range? Or was it with her with a fiddle at her neck playing some musical venue? Again, no idea. But here we are. We agreed to meet becau...

I love that I can meet people like Galiano. A few weeks ago, I read a thought-provoking article about Elon Musk and where Tesla is investing. The journalist mentioned how one such company was this outfit from Las Vegas is trying to reinvent house production. They're called Boxable.    So I reached out to the CEO and said how about we meet? He agreed and we lined up a call. Turns out that...

Such a treat! I called Jacqui who's back in Capetown, South Africa to get a deep dive into her engaging, engaged world. The first time I saw her speak was at a CSR Asia event, and since then I've seen her involved with various conservation campaigns.    The more we study a subject, the more fascinating it becomes and also the more we understand, the more complex things can be. Namely, ma...

We live in AMAZING times! I was uploading images to Instagram when I spotted an incredible photo. Some hidden algorithm found that I would probably groove to a guy called Jayanth Sharma. He was obviously incredibly talented, and with that name he was clearly of Indian heritage. But sure, why not?   So I went through his photos and this is one extremely talented photographer. I reached out, he...

For episode 59 (link: https://youtu.be/julnLiti3oc), I spoke with Karina about her amazing work with Animals Asia. This was a great stepping stone to speaking with Jill, who had founded Animals Asia and who I already knew would be an incredible guest.    For the conversation, we recorded at Jill's house where she reviewed the most recent achievement they had just completed: saving more t...

John could so easily be someone you pass one day, lying on the ground, sprawled with a camera on a tripod before him, making a photo of the most... Peculiar scene. You would notice that he's got a good kit and obviously knows what he's doing, but why would he spend so long photographing a close-up of a scratched-up boat hull? Or paint-splattered plastic seat?   And yet, here's a man who both...

Charmian met me on Lockhart Road, in Wanchai, Hong Kong. She took the ferry over from Lantau Island.   What inspired me to get Charmian on the podcast is how dedicated she is when it comes to making an accurate record of Lantau's incredible fauna. I had also seen her book, called "Lantau Life: A Year on Lantau Island by Charmian Woodhouse" and just knew we would have TONS to talk about. &nbsp...

Sometimes, we see names floating by here and there and over time they become so familiar... Marco Chan. I've seen his amazing photos on the snakes page I'm on, as well as where people post local insect shots. Whoever this Marco guy is, he sure knows his stuff and is a fantastic photographer.   I reached out and we agreed to meet on the campus of the University of Hong Kong. Enthusiastic, inte...

The first time I met Dean, I was waiting outside my village for a bus, minibus, or car into town. I love to hitchhike because I love meeting people and hearing their stories. Stepping into his sedan, I was greeted by a perfectly lovable man who I've admired ever since.  This is a LIVING surfer. A life designed and shaped to be out on the water.   We met this week by his house – that is,...