FIVE THINGS I {HOPE}

YOU CAN TELL ABOUT ME FROM MY WORK

I love light : I didn’t get into this industry initially for the people. I fell in love with a camera at a pretty young age and what I learned to really appreciate was light. There is something about the very first thing God created that still blows me away. The bible literally says the world was empty and formless and then He created light. I’d go out on a limb and say that what most artists spend their lives doing is trying to recreate the beauty of light and though a photographer’s eye has everything to do with composition and instinct without a love for light it all seems to fall apart. So I love light. I love the way a warm summer sunset wraps it’s way around the camera and makes you feel like you’re standing right where the lens ends and I love the way a cool spring rain leaves you with a chill.

I love people : There’s something amazing about being asked to witness some of the most raw and emotional moments in a person’s life. When the 1.2.3.’s are over and authenticity is all that’s left people tend to not be able to help but be exactly who they are. Those moments, when a tear comes out of nowhere or a laugh bubbles over - when a simple touch or glance communicates every thought and feeling - those moments are rare and beautiful. We get asked a lot if this job ever gets repetitive and the answer is no simply because of the people. Every step of the way over the last almost 10 years I’ve found that emotion sits just below the surface for most people and if you love on them, or lean on them, or provoke them in just the right way at just the right time the emotion will show in a completely organic way.

I was here : Like a silly scribble on the back of the bleachers in sharpie I want my photography to be my mark. I’m a pretty relationship driven person and my friends and family mean the world to me but ultimately what I love about my job is that in a coy but inherent way every time I press the button I take part in the moment in front of me. I experience the experiences, I learn from the emotions, I feel the insecurities and celebrate the successes. I want my time with a camera to be completely present and focused not simply on the art of creating but in the challenge of experiencing along side my job.

I am eager to grow : Every event for me is another adventure. I go into each wedding with clear eyes and the mentality that these people can teach me something about myself. Trying to stay humbled, present, and hungry to succeed has opened a lot of doors for me professionally and though I’m a pretty analytical person, I don’t want to overthink the process that has gotten me here. A lot of hours, a lot of wasted time, and a lot of willingness to absorb bits of wisdom thrown at me from here and there. I’ve got big ideas and big plans for this company and though I’m focused on where we’re headed, I don’t want to lose sight of the blessings and friendships and hard work that got us to where we are in the first place.

I love my wife. People spend far too little time giving their loved ones credit. We talk in cliche and dance around the point or we play emotional thumb wars on social media giving a little corny call out here and there to how awesome our significant other’s are - but we don’t take the time to really understand the sacrifices they make for us. I get to travel, to grow, to watch, to practice, to be a daddy and a photographer and an entrepreneur, and a friend to so many people because of the wife beside and behind me that is keeping all of the other balls in the air. I don’t brag on her because it’s good marketing, I brag on her because I want people to know that the one reason I decided to spend my life documenting love was because I had found such a fulfilling example of it in my own life.