Why I Love Photography

I love a good story. Especially when I can get lost in the plot. The characters, their backstories, the struggle, love, heartbreak, success, etc.; it's all so beautiful to get carried away in. My favorites are autobiographical, where the author highlights different situations in life that seemed minuscule at the time until something pivotal happened later to change that perception. Likewise, I love photography, specifically lifestyle and documentary photography, for the very same reasons. They both allow the story to be told with little to no interference from the photographer. The stories are real. Some are raw. Some people look at this as embarrassing or cringe worthy, believing that they must be on their P's and Q's or doing something exciting when being photographed. But to me, a person who's alive has a story to tell. 

I love to be behind the camera, anticipating what's about to happen, being caught off guard with the unexpected, and being able to show my subjects that what they are going through is normal. Their reality isn't something to be ashamed of. Blow outs, spills, unwashed dishes, piles of unwashed and unfolded laundry are REAL LIFE, and it's STILL beautiful.

Photography is the way to keep people with us who may no longer be with us physically. What comfort to know that you have a picture of a lost friend or loved one, and it's a photo where they are totally themselves? The person you knew, as you knew them to be, for better and for worse. That, to me, holds more sentimental value than the posed Christmas card photo with the matching sweaters. While important, the photos we place the most value on are the ones that take us back to a natural moment. That, I think, is the ultimate comfort. I want to create photos that, when you look at them, transport you to that place, that time. The smell of dad's cologne, the way the carpet felt under your bare feet when you'd run around grandma's house, the way the oven door creaked, etc. Something so seemingly minuscule but full of so many stories and memories.

My goal with photography is for you to be able to see your photos as a one day representation of that time in your life. Creating moments that can be both underrated and cherished.  I appreciate learning to navigate that space.

It has been said that taking a picture kills the moment. I see it as preserving a moment that, no matter if it was photographed or not, is gone just as quickly as it came, never to be experienced in that way again. I want the genuine feelings of the moment to shine through in my photography. The love, happiness, sadness, whatever it may be. Remember the good times. Bad ones too. Treasure the moment. Tell the story.