From Paper to Pixels: My Dynamic Journey to Photography

I’ve always been an artistic person. Ever since I could hold a pencil, crayon, and pen, I felt compelled to imitate the world around me, marking up whatever medium I could get my little hands on: paper, homework, walls (much to my parents’ dismay). I don’t know that in my earliest years I was considered talented for my age, but it made me happy.

As I grew so did my need for artistic outlets. In high school I began acting and even considered submitting an application to Julliard. From there I went on to sing in my high school and college chamber choirs as a tenor. Shortly after my first go at higher education I found myself obsessed with digital and graphic design. Having secured a copy of Photoshop 6 from a friend of mine, I began creating composite images, website layouts, and applying special effects (like lightsabers!) to digital photos. Wanting to know more about graphic design I briefly attended a trade college to learn more about it, and shortly after started a logo design business which lasted for a few years. Eventually I began accepting jobs as a graphic designer for a few small media companies, some full time and some contracts.

Artistic life ground to a halt for a number of years due to life circumstances but eventually made my way back to graphic design for a short time. During one of the best jobs I ever had as a digital asset manager and designer I worked with several photographers, and slowly started becoming interested in photography. I went to the nearest Best Buy and bought myself a Nikon D3500 with a kit lens (18-55mm), a cheap tripod, and ventured out into the world to capture everything I could. I was quite satisfied driving out to the beach or the desert to capture landscapes, but I wanted to become a better photographer. To that end I enrolled in a photography class during my second (and final) go at college (which I finished this time!). One of our assignments was to shoot portraits, something I’d never done before. I photographed some friends, family, co-workers - basically anyone I could find who would tolerate having my camera aimed at them - and it turns out I absolutely loved it - moreso than photographing landscapes.

There is just something deeply personal and intimate about portraits and headshots that all other forms of art I’ve ever tried sorely lack - it’s that connection to other people and other ideas that makes portrait photography so attractive and so inspiring to me.