About Me

I’m Quigs, a photographer who enjoys traveling, meeting people, and capturing the feel of a moment or place. My first photo was taken with a 35mm film camera when I was 7. It was an underexposed portrait of my dad in the dining room, but I was thrilled to finally use the tool the grownups used.

My first camera was a one-megapixel digital camera with a fixed focus lens, designed like a digital disposable. It had terrible dynamic range and could only take about 30 photos before filling up. All my shots ended up overexposed, but I still took pictures of my friends at summer camp.

Next came a Kodak EasyShare CX6330, a 3-megapixel "beast" that became my trusty adventure camera. I took it everywhere during my teens and snapped countless photos until college.

In college, I upgraded to a used Pentax K-100D and discovered interchangeable lenses. When its sensor died, I replaced it with a white Pentax K-X. Both cameras joined me on volcanoes, adventures, and family gatherings. I leaned into portrait photography but struggled with landscapes and street shots. Frustrated by limited video capabilities, I embraced Micro 4/3rds.

The Panasonic GX8, with its affordable lenses and excellent (for the time) 4K video, became my primary camera for photography and film. I still use it occasionally today. With it, I captured the 2015 Guinness World Records Mini Cooper Parade attempt in Mackinaw, Michigan, climbed mountains in Yosemite, and finally took street photos I was proud of in Ukraine. But my skills plateaued, life got busy, and I barely picked up a camera for years—until the iPhone 12 Pro Max came along.

Excited by how good iPhone photos could be, I justified the purchase by taking and posting a photo every day for 100 days on Instagram. I loved its low-light performance compared to the Panasonic’s marginally larger sensor. From then on, I took photos semi-regularly and was happy with the iPhone—until its fixed aperture and over-sharpened look started to clash with the types of photos I wanted to take.

My current white whale is capturing the landscape shot of my dreams. I'm still trying to figure out what that even is. I discovered medium format photography and considered renting a digital Hasselblad before giving up on the idea. But in late 2024, I stumbled upon inexpensive medium format film cameras and took the plunge on a whim with a 71-year-old Yashicaflex A2. With the Samsung AI moon controversy and Apple’s focus on computational photography, I wanted to go in a different, less-perfect direction. Film has become my obsession. I love going out without worrying (too much) about winter temperatures affecting the camera because I can bring one that has no batteries or electronics of any kind. I embrace the imperfections, limitations, and constraints of film, believing digital’s "everything is possible" approach left me overwhelmed—I didn’t know which skill or photographic element to focus on, especially when it came to composition.

For now, I’m focusing on perfecting my composition and storytelling with film. It’s exciting to move slowly, deciding if the subject and my skill level are worth spending upwards of $4 to take, develop, and edit a shot. I enjoy being more aware of my surroundings, studying light and exposure closely instead of snapping a photo, checking it, and moving on if it didn’t work out.

I’ve started this website, newsletter, and YouTube channel to document my work and journey as I take photos for my own enjoyment—and hopefully others’. Come along if you’re interested!