A friend once asked me why so many photographers - especially the male ones - don't like to be photographed. I don't presume to speak for everyone but personally, it isn't that I don't like being photographed but rather I usually don't like the end results. I find it hard to act natural when a camera's on me. Plus, I'm one of the few "lucky" people who have the sort of face that actually looks different in 2-D so the end result is usually pretty weird looking.

And there lies the key. As a photographer, I hate seeing bad photos, and since I know I don't look good on film, avoiding being photoed equates to avoiding having a bad photo. It's an aesthetic thing.

Anyways, the photo you see here is one of the few photos I have that I actually feel comfortable with. It was taken during an interview for a magazine article. Ideally, I would have preferred to pose without my camera (it's such a cliche) but the magazine insisted. All things considered, it's the closest thing to the real me. I'll probably be using this photo for years...

If you want to read more about my photo experience, you can check out my Profile. Or you can visit my Blog to read my latests rants and raves.

BTW, since I'm asked this question a lot, I might as well answer it here. Teru Kage ("teh loo ka gei") = ½÷¼v = てる かげ. It's the Westernization of the Japanese pronounciation of my Chinese pseudonym.

I said that I'm asked it alot...I never said that people understand the explanation.

Current Equipment:

Nikon D700
Olympus E-PL1
Nikon F65D
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ7
Canon Ixy 910IS
Casio Exilim EX-Z850
 

AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D
AF Zoom-Nikkor 18-35mm f/3.5-4.5D IF-ED 
AF-S Zoom-Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G VR
AF Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4-5.6G

Sigma 10-20mm f4-5.6 EX DC HSM
Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro
Tamron AF28-300mm F/3.5-6.3 XR Di VC LD Aspherical (IF), Model A20
Tamron SP AF90mm f/2.8 Di Macro
Sigma APO 150-500mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM

Olympus m.Zuiko Digital 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6
Panasonic Lumix G Vario 45-200mm F4.0-5.6 MEGA O.I.S.
Panasonic Lumix G 20mm F1.7 ASPH

Sigma EF-500 DG Super NA-iTTL
Nikon SB-400

Velbon 530 tripod + 263QL head
Cullmann 1747 monopod