Shooting it RAW with Ran Elfassy

Dr. Merrin Pearce is a Sustainability Consultant working through Coordinate4U.  His thoughts and ideas reach me a few times a week, mostly when driving in the morning. A frequent speaker on Hong Kong's English public broadcasting channel, RTHK, Merrin usually chimes in to comment with updates on environmental/conservation issues.    I've known Merrin for years, although mostly on th...

In Episode 53 I had a revealing, powerful, and moving conversation with photographer Julia Broad. When we were done, she said I should connect with Kristin Zeising – sure to be a fantastic guest. So I reached out and we finally met for this episode.  For more than 15 years, Dr. Zeising has worked with all kinds of clients at mental health clinics, hospitals, group practices, and her private p...

I spotted Daphne's name and work on a snake page I'm part of. Counting more than 10,000 people, the tag people use when there's a great photo but that isn't a snake is 'NASB' – not a snake but... Well, Daphne was singled out for being shortlisted as a wildlife photographer and I was quickly impressed. I reached out and we set up a time to meet.    Born and raised in Hong Kong, Daphne Won...

I met and have seen Karina all around Sai Kung, if not Hong Kong. Typically, I've seen her organizing and coordinating efforts to protect the feral cows that wander around Sai Kung, in Hong Kong. There are several herds all around the territory, and they're often a surprising part of the urban and rural landscapes. They are a sweet and unexpected side of Hong Kong's softer side. Since we're neighb...

Going back to the vault to Episode 037, I'm reissuing this one because we just passed Earth Day and I felt the ideas and message were really important. Enjoy! Doug Woodring and Ran met at one of Hong Kong's bustling social enterprise hubs to discuss the state of plastic recycling in the world today. After moving to Hong Kong from the USA and spending hours in the water, he decided to turn his frus...

Years ago, at a meeting of great groups doing amazing work to protect the ocean and seas, I was introduced to a guy called Doug Woodring and his group Ocean Recovery Alliance. He was featured in episode 37 (link here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJf-a1VJ8yI). Doug seems so well connected and while speaking he said if I can swing it, I really should talk with his friend, Erden Eruç. As in...

Jayne and I met at her house, where she invited me in and offered me a delightfully strong coffee and an hour's chat around her life as a working photojournalist. I LOVE THIS STUFF!   Starting in Australia, she eventually made it to London, covering the most incredible moments offered up by the newsdesk. From there, she has made her way around on eventful shoots, building an impressive portfo...

I met Michael when Doug Woodring invited me to host a panel discussion for the MAD ABOUT THE OCEAN initiative he put together. I had already seen the effect of Michael's work, as a dramatic Kids Ocean Day was held in Hong Kong and a powerful image of a shark being finned was shared across media and promoted through Shark Rescue.  We met a couple of times and I heard him speak on why he's so m...

On a beautiful spring day more than a year after the pandemic hit, I visited Francesco at his apartment in Causeway Bay. Perched high above the harbor on Hong Kong Island, I wasn't sure of who or what I should expect. I knocked on the door and was warmly greeted by a guy I had heard about but never met.  From the tasteful furniture to the art on the walls, Francesco obviously knows how to tur...

Sometimes, life throws you a curveball, and it's how you react that can set your future. When I set up a meeting with Julia, it was pretty much according to the usual script: email or message introduction with a link to the podcast. The request for 3 or 4 photos we can use to frame the conversation, setting the date to meet or call, and then the session. Julia and I got to the last step and I was...

Andrea met up with me at Tamar Park, off of Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong. With helicopters, landscapers, coffee machines, and other distractions filling up the soundscape, the two still managed to dive deep into Andrea's incredible work. To make sense of the incredible disruption the world has suffered through the pandemic, she launched the '100 Days' series, which has been showing in her Hongkon...

Launching Season 2 of Shooting it RAW was a conversation with Hemant, one of my beloved friends going back to... Jeeze-Louise, something like 1941 or something. We talked about the tension that connects and lives between all parents and children, if not caregivers and their clients, or anyone else who depends on another.   We also talked about Japan, coffee pots, and what's involved when some...

Barrister and dedicated animal-welfare advocate Kim McCoy sat with me in Hong Kong. We talked shop about photography, how COVID-19 can force a person to launch new projects, and why we must expand our appreciation of animals in our lives.   Specifically, Kim highlighted why he founded the Hong Kong Animal Law and Protection Organisation – HK-ALPO – and the need to mobilize the law to get...

In this episode, my cousin Maya Bilalis joined from Sydney, Australia to share a bit on what she's been up to. From what it is to be an entrepreneur to using the Wim Hof breathing and ice-bath techniques to give your insides a reset, we reconnected and had a few laughs.    Can you pick out the gem that revealed itself about online coaching in times of COVID?    ****  More...

Delphine and I connected as best as we could, with Delphine calling in from the Indonesian island of Gili Trawangan and me from my home in Sai Kung, Hong Kong. Delphine shared the two passions that have carried her across her life: horses and the water. Starting in Paris, she eventually landed on the island paradise of Gili Trawangan where she both rehabilitates horses and is the head of the eco-t...

Asher is a self-described perfectionist who found inspiration to take the leap into professional photography when COVID-19 put her and her family in quarantine for two weeks. She kindly invited Ran into her joyous, bright home for a chat and a view into her life.    What communicated loud and clear was Asher's generosity, warmth, surprisingly big heart, and the love of people. It's kind...

Jo and I met at Jo's studio in Chai Wan, a massive district at the northern tip of Hong Kong Island. Nestled away in a large industrial building is Jo's studio, where we exchanged on what it is to dedicate yourself to photography.  In Jo's case, she's been inspired to find and document women from across cultures and how some have gone to what 'we' consider are great, maybe even questionable l...

Elizabeth and I caught up online for an inspiring call around what it's like to be a 'committed' artist in these COVID-19 times. From her work as an artist-in-residence in Hong Kong, she tried to complete some international travel to Turkey, only to realize Hong Kong raised the mandatory quarantine from 14 to 21 days. Sharing her experience with being processed, treated like a pariah, and locked i...

In this second check-in with 'Dr. E', Yael and I spoke from Café Rona about the shame and consequences associated with a COVID-19 infection. Like last time, the conversation got off the rails soon enough, again moving from Shooting it RAW to maybe Shooting it Wrong. Tune in, have a laugh, and maybe even learn something valuable about how to protect yourself and your loved ones.  Together, we...

Living legend. Personal hero. Conservation champion. This is Paul Watson.    We met for an inspiring conversation around his work in marine conservation, how Sea Shepherd came to be, how the organization has grown into a thriving worldwide network, and more. At the heart of our greatest challenge, says Paul, is humanity's ability to adapt to a world that is continuously being diminished...

How do you react when the world serves you a double-scoop of bad luck and unexpected loss? What do you do when things fall apart?    Tim and I reconnected to discuss the healing power of travel, the unexpected generosity that surrounds us, how we can sometimes find beauty and wonder when you least expect it, and what it's like to be there for other people at their greatest times of need...

Join us as I interview my daughter on what it is to record our experiences with photography.  The backdrop of this episode is the COVID-19 coronavirus health scare that has shaken the world, and how a small family has coped with making sense in these CRAZY times!  Enjoy this window on the world from an articulate eight-year-old's eyes. - See the photo and find out more about Shooting it...

Ying Ying Liu and I met to discuss the power of sound to reach a deeper level of connection and understanding with ourselves and the outside world. Ying Ying shared how her deep training in classical music and performance was the foundation on which her commitment to preserving the environment, and then Lumivoce was born.      2020 has been such an extraordinary year. A great m...

How do you see the world? Not only what shapes your perspective and point of view, but also how far can you accept what your eyes and mind tell you is the world as it actually is? In this fascinating conversation with David Stuss, he shares his thoughts on what it is to be a thoughtful educator, a perceptive individual, and a person who'll go to great lengths to get the perfect image. But don't ca...

Gary Stokes has been a conservation champion for years. Working as a photojournalist and dive instructor, he would often see first-hand the destruction of marine habitats around the world.  Often commissioned to underwater photojournalism and videos, Gary eventually realized he simply had to get involved. This commitment eventually had him join Sea Shepherd on various expeditions as their tea...