My workbench consists of 7 essential items that I really can't work without. Without them, it would be difficult to not only derive inspiration from, but also to retain any intelligible semblance of the thoughts running through my head. Inspiration can arise from a simple word (e.g. sonata ); but also a story, a picture, an experience, a color, a smell, a dream, and many other sources that we may come into contact in our daily lives. With the help of these essential items, I am able to capture an essence of the multitude of influences we are bombarded with, and transform them into a cohesive and comprehensive message that I communicate to my audience in the form of a photo. A photo selected is not just any photo, but a photo that fits the underlying tones and messages developed through the connections of each prior photo, creating a web of snapshots that tell a story dispersed throughout time and space.

With that, these are the 7 items that I work with:

Nikon D80 // All the photos you see on my site (at least up until this point) have been shot with my Nikon D80, paired with either the 35mm f/1.8 or 50mm f/1.8 lens. This DSLR belonged to my father, and he passed it onto me almost 7 years ago. It is the lens, literally, that I look through and bring the world into perspective, trying to compress the magnitude of the world into a skillfully composed shot that is simple yet meaningful.
Macbook Air + Photoshop CS6 // Any great photo that you see in a portfolio, on a website, or any publication has been, without a doubt, touched-up and edited to some extent in a post-production process. For me, that is mainly through my Air and Photoshop, tools that help me render my images into what you see before you.
Moleskine Journal // You never know when a brilliant idea might hit you. Never hurts to keep a leather-bound journal close by to jot them down!
GQ Magazine (Any Fashion Outlet) // Whether it's GQ or Vogue, taking a page from the masters is no easy feat. Fashion magazines certainly offer a wealth of knowledge and inspiration for whoever that opens them. However, nowadays tumblr, Pinterest, and blogs dominate, offering a plethora of meticulous collections of fashion and photography talent.
iPhone 5S // While I'm not toting my DSLR, I'm always documenting my experiences on Instagram. #fomo
Spotify // When editing takes me into the depths of the night, these beats keep me on track.
Kindle // And when nothing else works, taking a break and losing yourself in a book is a sure way to take a step back and regain perspective.