This trip to Japan in 2019 was actually the first trip I took after getting an advanced camera. A trip to Banff National Park earlier that summer rekindled my desire to have more control over my photos, so I finally splurged on a nice camera — a Sony a7iii.

I’d always been interested in photography before, but growing up it wasn’t as accessible, especially back in the film days. Later, in college and when I first started working, digital point-and-shoot cameras were good, but not so good that they were worth carrying in addition to phone cameras.