5 years, 3 cameras, 1 guy

“Photography is an austere and blazing poetry of the real”

I’ve given an idea of my journey with photography but I wanted to expand a little more on it.

I was always so drawn to photography even at an early age but I let self doubts, fears and logistics keep me away from it. I always greatly struggled to know what I wanted to do with my life. I would think through all these different career paths and most just didn’t feel to fit me. I especially didn’t like the idea of a 9-5 desk job. I just didn’t see the purpose in a life where I worked hard until 70 and then I could finally enjoy my life and do what I wanted to do. I desperately wanted to do something I wanted to do/loved but one major thing stood in my way.. getting over the fear of failure and anxieties that come with starting your own business.

I struggle greatly with calling my own shot and so self promoting is just so awkward and cringy to me. I knew that if I went the creative route I would have to get over this. Even knowing that I tried to do things my way.

In 2019 I bought my first camera. A ‘beginner camera’ that was recommended to me. I went absolutely no where with it. I talked to hardly no one about it and even when people approached me about it I was so hesitant. I tried a few times to step out of my comfort zone but if it wasn’t a big success then I viewed it as a failure. I used all of this as fuel to say okay well if I can’t have this my way then surely this just isn’t the route for me and I let it fade way back to the background.

Looking back, I just wasn’t mentally ready for this step. I had the eye and talents for it but I didn’t know myself well enough/ wasn’t ready to conquer my own internal battles.

A few years passed. I explored a few more job career paths but still felt so lost in it. I went through some short time jobs just to get by.

I entered into a relationship I knew was gonna end in marriage and the pressure to figure life out began to ramp up. Not because she added this but I knew marriage meant adding a lot more responsibilities.

I aggressively looked at what to do to support this marriage I knew was on the horizon. I applied to a wide variety of jobs and even looked back into photography again but the logical side of me feared things like health insurance, a steady paycheck etc so I took a job I never thought I would. A 9-5 desk job that was a huge opportunity for most people. It paid well and supported the marriage to be. I took it because I was so excited for marriage and even though incredibly hesitant to do something I knew would be against my nature. Quickly I found out how right I was in that. I was having success but I just couldn’t live a life of clocking in and out on life. I left. Leaving that job was incredibly hard because I didn’t have even a rough idea what was next. In doing so though, I decided I was going to go for life. I wanted to live it to the absolute fullest I could. Determined to find a life of purpose, worth and honesty. Not in the sense of its all about me but quite the opposite. I wanted to live authentically and love those around me well. To be used wherever I was. I wanted to map out the patterns of myself and be good to those around me. Unafraid to love fully.

I took a job for the short term just giving me the space to work on myself and figure things out. I got married during this time in 2023.

I started to feel a huge push towards photography again. I could feel how different this was from the first time. I took all the lessons I learned in the last few years and I found a camera fitted to me. Not a safe option at all but one I was proud of. I immediately fell in love. I went out as much as I could and began to gain supporters around me. There was such a stark difference between last time in 2019 and this time. Everything including how I approached the things that scared me were different and I began to see starting this business as a true reality. I have since changed cameras but the passion has remained the same.

So since then I’ve been working to get to this spot. Determined to push past any fears or doubts and to savor life as it comes. The authentic and the messy. I don’t want to live a life behind a mask. I want to live in truth and I want my relationships around me to feel that.

2024 has been the biggest year of growth in my life. I think the point of writing this is kinda simple. I want you to know your photographer on a personal level and also I think this shows how much can change for you if you learn from failures and try to discover yourself.

So what does all of this mean for you? It means I don’t take any of this for granted. All of these words on this website aren’t just slogans or tag lines. They are truly what I’m about. I want to make your event feel like everything it should. I want to know your story and have your pictures reflect that. This isn’t a transaction but a creative partnership. I want to be more than just pictures for your event, I want to add to the experience and I believe you’ll absolutely find that to be the case. I want to deliver to you pictures full of emotion and memory. Not just staged beautiful shots but shots that make you say ‘wow that is so us’ or ‘man I can feel the emotion of this moment in this photo’.

If this resonates with you then we are gonna do great things together. I’m so excited to learn about you and to hear your beautifully messy story and maybe even learn something from you.

Let’s live in Truth.