Progress Report

One of the most significant differences between this version of my website and the previous is the addition of descriptions for each month or roll of film I upload in the “Works” section of austinseyes.com. This change enhances the site’s purpose by providing context about the activities from that month and insights into my photography journey, the gear I’ve acquired, lessons learned, and new skills developed.

However, adding meaningful descriptions for every month and all the rolls of film is a laborious task. This year has been incredibly eventful, with lots of travel and time to focus on and develop my skills and specific photography style.

This year didn't start from zero and jump to one hundred; instead, it began at one hundred and maintained a consistent pace. I’ve had to pack lightly and am currently living out of a suitcase, armed only with my Ricoh GRiiix HDF for photography, as all my belongings are packed away in a crate somewhere between here and Okinawa. I expect to get it all back when it's delivered in a few months and continue my photography journey, assuming my shipment doesn’t fall off the cargo ship into the ocean. I’ve been greatly enjoying my Ricoh, but the difference in quality between it and my Sony becomes more apparent the longer I use it.

Last year, my wife and I created a list of resolutions for 2024, which turned into a comprehensive collection of goals across various categories: relationships, fitness, health, learning, photography, and more. A year may seem like a long time until you sit down and realize it goes by quickly, leaving you less time than you thought. I’ll make a separate blog post more in-depth on this later. 

So, what better time is there than now? If you wait for the perfect moment to do anything, you’ll end up doing nothing. This is the mindset I try to live by, and it’s part of the reason I’m returning to Japan in a few weeks.

Each time I anticipate a significant life change—usually tied to a new duty station, which guarantees some level of change every three years—I envision how I want my “next life” to unfold. I remember pushing a pack in San Diego Bay against the cold water while trying to meet the time goal for a timed fin event during the Basic Reconnaissance Course in late 2022. Although I was in Coronado, I was stationed in Okinawa and had orders to move to Camp Lejeune. I envisioned my life like this: moving back to the USA, becoming a Recon Platoon Commander, getting a tattoo, buying a pickup truck, and learning photography. For the most part, I accomplished these goals. However, my career took a different direction, and I sold the truck. Now, my wife and I are in the final stages of transitioning back to Okinawa.

With that said, I’ve decided to finish uploading the photos for each roll of film and each month’s work. In the meantime, I plan to go back and update each post gradually. If I try to do too many at once, it becomes repetitive, and the quality of the text suffers. Each post is associated with great memories and deserves careful attention.