Ghetto by the Sea.

Day 307 of 365

I learned a lot about surf photography the other day.
At least my interpretation of it.
I learned how opposite the direction of the sun has to be in comparison to my normal shoots.
I learned how inconsistent someone can be while editing the color of water.
I’m experimenting and figuring out which look and direction of light I like the best and I think that’s ok.
I love being outside and shooting and failing makes me really excited to try things again.
The photos below are shot in Rockaway Beach, Queens. Quite literally the ghetto by the sea, but boy do I enjoy this place.
Hope you enjoy.

Think about tomorrow.

Day 306 of 365

I’ve been thinking a lot about long term decision making lately.
Whether your decision is for a few months or a year or for life, I think it’s important to see past instant gratification.
For example wanting chocolate and going to the store the same day to get chocolate.
What if you waited a day every time you had a crazing for sweets?
Would you still want to eat poorly the next day?
If the answer is yes then by all means your body probably needs that sugar if youre craving it for more than a day but this type of long term decision making is important to our conscious mind.

The subconscious screams for things it wants but doesn’t need.
It screams for habits, good or bad.
I think once we control our life more consciously we start to control the outcome.

When you do what your friends do and feel bad about drinking your face off every weekend but continue to do it anyways you will stay in the same place.
Or if you work your weekends away and wish you were out having fun with people you loved you will still be stuck repeating what you hate.


Life is a marathon not a sprint.
I was extremely impulsive as a teenager but now as I am learning more each day I realize the importance of long term decision making.
For yourself, for the environment, other species and for the generations to come after us.
We need to consider the implications of our actions.

Morning Routine

Day 305 of 365

I cherish my mornings wherever I am.
I love to be around people but when I first wake up that is me time.
It’s how I jumpstart my day.
I run through a strict routine and if I don’t do it I often feel a little thrown off.
It starts with a work out.
Followed by a shower, water, coffee, writing.
Then a blog.
Then breakfast.
Then 20 minutes of reading, and 15 minutes of meditating.
Then I start my work day.

This routine takes me about 2 hours.
I know for people with 9-5 jobs that might be unreasonable but if you get to bed at 10 o’clock sharp it becomes a lot easier to wake up at 5:30 am and you’ll have an entire morning to yourself.

The hardest part for me is getting to bed.
I couldn’t get to sleep last night so I woke up at 7:30 today.
It’s not always easy but I will correct it tonight so that tomorrow I can have my morning and not have it creep into my work day.


Photography with intention.

Day 303 of 365

Starting the new year I’ve been reevaluating my practice in photography.
Having photographed objects, light, and everyday details in life for the past 2 years I’ve been longing for the human condition.
I am now returning to what first got me into photography, people.
I like to document people doing things.
Real life happening.
It never felt so interesting when I worked manual labor but watching people work, celebrate, and live has always fascinated me.

We’re so much more connected then we think.
We seek security, consistency, food shelter, and love.
I decided to take 10 portraits today after shooting about 4 or 5 a few days ago and it was a great experience. (not all 10 are featured below)
In just a short amount of time I encountered reactions on all ends of the spectrum.
Most were mainly just cold and wanted to get home.
Some were confused but said okay, some were so happy to get there picture taken and just laugh about it and the least common reaction….1 person in the past few times of doing this wanted to fight me.
We often build up an irrational fears in our mind like rejection, confrontation, and worst of all failure.
These things are going to happen you cannot avoid getting knocked on your ass.
The only failure at this point is not trying.

Bottom line is were social creatures, and other humans are the key to where you want to go and you are the key to where someone else wants to go.
Help someone who deserves it get through a gate you have a key to, and I am sure someone will do the same for you one day.
Do not operate in fear.
If you want to take pictures of strangers go do it, explain to them what you want, or don’t.
Ask for that promotion if you deserve it.
Be genuine, work your beans off, most importantly share with good intention and ask with good intention.
”A closed mouth doesn’t get fed.”

Goodbye Poler Stuff

Day 302 of 365

Back when I first got into photography I remember seeing these amazing photo stories from around the world. Friends setting out to go places most often untouched by the average tourists. To connect with nature a bit and to have a good time. They were more laid back stories about heading into the unknown rather than climbing Everest or triumphing over the most agonizing of feats. Which don’t get me wrong I’d love to overcome some harsh obstacles like running a marathon or hiking to the summit of a mountain but I’d also like to see some amazing things in other countries with my friends and drink beers while doing it.
The fact that Poler stuff was able to do this and be productive on these trips all while making lasting memories amazed me.
Since I first saw their photo stories and the talented photographers they worked with I knew I wanted to shoot one of these trips and bring my friends along for the ride.
I knew for sometime now but just today Poler stuff declared bankruptcy which is okay everything has it time but it was damn fun and inspiring while it lasted.
Poler made some amazing things that I will hold onto for a long time.
I guess my point here is we all have that thing, that person, that job that we look up to and it seems so far away but in reality it’s far closer than we think.
Don’t give up on what you know you can do no matter how small or stupid it may seem, ex. like shooting photos for a small company.
Once accomplished those little goals make us into a better person then we were yesterday and with out them we’re doing nothing but wasting space.

Do something productive today.

Happiness is doing what needs to be done.

Day 301 of 365

Have you ever been really unhappy?
I’m sure you have, we all have.
From my own experience the only times I have ever been truly unhappy is when I am not doing what I know needs to be done.
Even if someone does something shitty to me it’s more about how I respond that determines my happiness and 4not so much their actions.
For example I came home early for Christmas to hang out with my brother who was working Christmas eve and Christmas day.
When I got there he told me he had dinner plans and I had to leave and boy was I upset.
The only person in the world I cared about spending that day with and he sent me off 30 minutes into being at his house just to have a pizza party and watch football with his girlfriends parents.
He wasn’t wrong doing this.
I was wrong for getting upset and letting it fester all the way through Christmas eve.
What I realized was that one little thing was a huge deal to me because I had bene putting off my responsibilities and allowing the holidays to be an excuse.
If I was taking care of all my business responsibilities, taking care of my personal life, and communicating properly I probably wouldn’t have had the time to see him 1 and 2 I wouldn’t be upset with someone for not hanging out with me.
Filling your time with things that are valuable to your life’s mission is important.
Too much down time is a bad thing.
If you are unhappy make a list of things you should be accomplishing on paper, and as you cross each off just watch and see how good it feels to be putting your nose in the right direction instead of worrying about hanging out with people outside of your path.

Bad hands good Brain.

Day 300 of 365

The hands make what the mind tells it.
The only problem with this is that your brain is far more skilled than your hands will ever be.
At first glance that can be very discouraging.
We’ve all had that moment where we say I want to be a “blank” we try it we suck and we give up, or we try something new, like it then shortly after we realize how long the journey will take and we give up.
First things first, what I am talking about here are passions but can be applied to careers as well.
Whatever you are doing I hope it ignites something in your belly, and I hope you get fired up to learn more about it.
For me that’s always been photography, I can’t get enough I could look at it everyday and learn something new everyday and it’s fun for me, hence why I don’t mind doing it all the time.
Yet so often I am so displeased in what I create for example the pictures below were very hard for me to edit.
Sense I have been editing in a new software I have had to adjust to some new things and it has been very challenging.
I know what my brain wants but for some reason my hands cannot live up to my brains expectations or taste.
We have all felt that.
The secret sauce here is practice.
You will never obtain exactly the specifics of what your brain wants but you can get damn close.
There is a beauty in that imperfection.
Don’t waste time being discouraged by that the important thing here is to finish quick and finish often so that you can critique and move onto better projects.

Whatever it is you want to do keep practicing and if a door doesn’t open eventually kick one open.

Don't waste your life.

Day 299 of 365

A week without alcohol now and I feel similar to what I felt before.
Except this year I am a lot more excited about it rather than feeling punished.
I’m just glad I don’t have a hangover this morning.
It was also really great to stay in this weekend and use that time to learn new things and be productive instead of going out.
It made me feel free to learn whatever useless or useful information I wanted to invest my time into.
This is my 3rd year doing sober January and I’m stretching that this year to go 2 months alcohol free into February.
I first tried the 30 day no alcohol challenge because of my friend James Swanwick he does a much better job explaining the benefits.
What I can tell you is that I am already seeing my productivity levels go up.
I am also a lot hungrier than I was before, but I also have more energy.
I have to sleep 8 hours now which is very unlike me I normally sleep 6.
So far it is a very positive change.

There are a lot of things that distract us in our lives for me I do not need a drink every day but it’s far too accessible in the city and something that can easily distract me from my work.
I have a mission I am trying to accomplish right now, goals, and a lifestyle I want to fulfill.
If you feel the same way and something is getting in your way try removing it for 30 days.
Wether it be drama, youtube videos, instagram, facebook, wine, or masturbation (you know who you are guys)
remove the distractions and get done what you want to accomplish and see how happy it makes you.

Nothing keeps me in check quite like making conscious decisions because for me beer on the weekends is more of a routine than a choice.

What is your routine and what do you really want?


How to make money off photography.

Day 298 of 365

Occasionally I get the random person that bags me for having so many branded products.
I don’t buy them so I don’t care. About 4 years ago when I started working as an in house photographer I realized brands would give me all the stuff I wanted to buy as long as I just took photos of their stuff and sent it back to them.
Often this would lead to more paid work, connections, or references to recommend me to their friends brands.
Clothing in the outdoor world is a small community.

Long story short if you love taking photos and want to get compensated via free stuff and money heres what I did to get started.

First shoot everyday. Watch youtube tutorials so you can learn to edit.
You do not need school to learn how to make lifestyle photos.
Develop taste, find a specific style of photography that draws you in.
Emulate that.

Second email, email, email all the brands you can and try to keep it specific to things you are already doing.
I wouldn’t ask for golf clubs to shoot because I don’t golf and I live in NYC.
So if you’re a mom/photographer email companies that sell really amazing and expensive mom products or baby products. EX. Strollers, and other mom things.
You can collaborate with these companies on shoots and ask them for a budget as well.
At first most of these shoots will be for trade but once you’re comfortable knowing you can give the client what they want they you should work on budget projects only. $$$

Lastly, there are millions of ways to make money in photography or any creative endeavor for that matter you just need to find your nitch and build your skills.
Wether it be weddings, family photography, commercial, travel, fashion, fuck you can probably make a living being a turtle photographer as long as you’re good.
You can make up your own genre thats the beauty of this.

Whatever you’re interested in a brand will pay you to do it and here’s how you start.

Dear _______,

I am a photographer based in ______ . I really love your _____ blank and think it would work really well in one of my personal projects.
I will link my website (or portfolio) below.
Please let me know if you are interested.

All the best,
Atticus
AtticusRadley.com

Don’t be afraid to share what you know.
There are no secrets in any industry other than hard work.
Hope this helps some of you.

Day 297 of 365

There are two choices to make with every bad situation.
You either treat it with love or you treat it with fear.
Last night I put my clothes in the wash and I accidentally paid for the dryer first as the payment part of the machine is parallel to each other.
Theres about 20 other dryers in my building with none of them being used I figured no one would be such a jerk to come and use my dryer that I already paid for, no biggie.

After my clothes are done washing I head down to the laundry room in my building to find my clothes done and someone else’s clothes dried above mine.
I was pissed at first but I figured after a few minutes they 1 either need it more than I do or 2 are just an asshole and I should feel sorry for them that they need to steal from people.
That will catch up to them in some capacity.
The point I’m making here is that I should have started with love to begin with.

Wether it be someone hitting your parked car, stealing your stuff, or just being a dick to you treat them with love and keep your happiness.
Do not lower your energy to match theirs.
By reacting poorly you only reinforce negative beliefs for example me getting mad about a $2 dollar laundry only reinforces that money can be scarce.
Which is not true their are trillions of dollars in our country fresh for the picking and you can work on your own terms to get it.
React conciously.
Chose love not fear.

Practice positivity.

Day 296 of 365

With anything you get out what you put in but more importantly you get what you believe.
Obviously you have to have self awareness, I am not a 5’10 blonde supermodel, or a professional hockey player but I am generally a happy person because I chose to perceive most things as positive.

Positivity for me ebbs and flows particularly because I haven’t been practicing it enough.
With all things we need to train to obtain our desired outcome.
The same goes for our brains.
Naturally our brains seek out errors, in an effort to make things better.
When solved this makes us feel good.
This practice doesn’t work so well for things like relationships, or our lives, it’s better left for problem solving.
If all we ever notice in our partners are problems and things we need to fix, all we will ever see them for is an issue.
The same goes for our lives, I think it’s a balancing act.
Know that life is great and a blessing but that no one is perfect and that we should be excited to learn new things.
If you’re happy you’re doing something right, if your not well guess what you’re lucky because you’ve got some new things to research and implement into your life.

Chose to perceive your surroundings in a positive light and you will find yourself happier each day.

For me I’m grateful for the struggle of being a new freelancer.
Yeah at times it’s really tough but with each day I’m figuring it out.





Chose your pain wisely.

Day 295 of 365

Almost 10 years seasoned.
With cuffs still around my hands and ankles.
In love with the shape of this city but not with the shape of us.
It’s a toxic wave.
With the tide comes sludge, garbage, and the feeling of hypodermic needles.
You can only pine for the future with a present so sharp.
The only escape to swim with the tide, not against it.
Eventually the pain will escape you.

Any old day.

Day 294 of 365

I’m 26 today and it doesn’t feel like much of a big deal to me as 25 did. I guess with all things repetition can diminish value. Like going out to bars etc. In other ways repetition increases value for instance photographing and walking only become more appealing with each cycle. I woke up this morning questioning the value of my photography or why I do it at all. I started taking photos just to preserve memories I quickly noticed it made my friends really happy. It gave me some sort of purpose, some value other than just being there. I have come very far from that practice. Photography is simply a tool for me these days, like a paint brush or wrench. I use it more to preserve and express my current state. I am thankful for that. I don’t know why I feel the need to make marks, to preserve, or to pollute the world with my own confusion but I do. It makes me feel good to accomplish these small tasks, to vomit on paper or to preserve with a camera.

I hope to make things until the day I die because it’s the only thing that makes me lose track of time.

Don't spend your holidays alone.

Regressing is a choice.
So is happiness.
I guess holidays once used to be a good time for me.
I don’t feel that way anymore I haven’t for a while now.
Distance grows between siblings and family members they have their own lives now and it makes you question why don’t I have my own.
How do I start building my own?
Am I doing something wrong? Am I wronging them? Do they just not want me around anymore?
The answer is yes.
Family for me is not about blood, and it’s not about who’s there for you when you need them most.
Family is about who’s there for you when you need them least, and who’s most honest with you.
All else follows.
I know growing apart is natural it’s life but their are just some people you never want to grow apart from.
All that’s left to do is what makes you most happy.
Go to your favorite place, work out, do whatever you love to do most.
Invite people to join you if they don’t want to forget them.


Photographing downtown Waterbury, Connecticut.

Day 293 of 365

No matter how hard I try to get away the love I have for this city somehow finds me. Below these words are some selects from only a single roll of film I shot in downtown Waterbury, Connecticut. I met some really nice people, and I met some really not nice people. Luckily everyone in these photos were the nice ones. Beautiful people just looking to have a good day, get to work, fill their bellies, spend time with loved ones.

The heartbreaking part for me is the disparity in part because of the economic collapse of the industrial brass industry after WWII. The fact that the city still hasn’t found a way to bounce back after all these years blows my mind. I know little on the matter but from my memories growing up, Waterbury has had a slew of corrupt politicians. Not only that but we have not taken the time to invest in our schools, specifically at the high school and collegiate level. No 18 year old wants to go to a school that doesn’t have a massive sports facility, great job opportunities, and passionate alumni.

In the future, I’d like to see Waterbury rebuild itself. I’d like to see the beautiful, shops, law firms, bars, and restaurants filled with the immigrants that made this city all that it once was. I’d like to see successful people leaving a college town, and not the current state of which it sits. Getting stuck and dying from overdoses in the parking garage of the Waterbury mall is hardly what this city should have turned out to be, but that seems to be the reality here now.

More photos of this will be coming soon.

Focus consistently.

Day 292 of 365

Focus.
Black and white until cardinal red.

Hardly have I spoken of focus.
Consistency yes.
Disregarded the most important part.
You can live in a consistent gray all you’d like but until you take aim while you’re pissing you’ll never hit the toilet.

She focused in cardinal red. 

Photography in the physical world.

Day 291 of 365

I don’t think often about being remembered or about death.
I find when I am thinking about death too much I am doing too little and looking at other peoples lives over social media too often.
With that type of lifestyle it’s impossible ever to feel enough.
This brings me to my next point.
When your making all the time it’s easy to feel good but it’s hard to feel satisfied.
The tricky part is keeping your standards high and your quantity up while knowing that some projects are by nature going to fall short.
Not every project will be a winner.
Finish, focus, frequency, and most importantly quality have always been my goals but sometimes I have to remind myself of that to light a fire under my ass.

In the digital age we are living in it becomes hard to let our work marinate in our minds and our hearts.
We see one post and want the next and the next and the next faster with each cycle.
It’s making me crave the physical world.
Gifting photos, printing for my journals instead of them being just filled with words.
New photos correlating alongside the visuals of my life in each year as it passes.
Like a scrap book or family album of sorts.
There is a story to tell from each life and lessons to be learned from others mistakes and triumphs.

I don’t expect to be remembered when I die but while I’m here I hope I can make somebodies day just a little better in the physical world, not just online.

Break your cycle.

Day 290 of 365

(This was meant to be posted yesterday but we had a busy afternoon)

You can only bury somebody so many times.
This year finally did it for me. 
It was the last time I could mentally bury my father. 
I’m close to wrapping up a project I shot and curated about his existence and the empathy we should all strive for when dealing with our wrong doers. 
I was also able to speak in the presence of the man that killed my father this year and it felt pretty damn good. 
In some sense it was a form of closure for me. 
A chapter finished. 
From now on I’d like to remember my father for the good he did, his trips to Maine, his love for running, his passion for talking to strangers, and ability to have a good laugh. 
My mom painted a pretty picture of the man that would have raised us, she took us to his favorite places, and told us stories of him growing up.  Boy do I appreciate that now. Thanks Jeannine,
and as much as I don’t want to drink right now please bring on the Jager.