The story of a photographer

I can’t recall the first time I clicked a shutter button, but I do remember the first camera I called my own. It was a Kodak Instamatic 126, followed quickly by a swanky Vivitar 110. I had to drop the cartridges off at the corner drug store and wait what seemed like years (ok, it was a couple days, but I was a kid so time stretched) to lay my eyes on grainy little out-of-focus prints of my little dog, Mandy, running out of the frame just as I snapped the shot.

By the late 2000s. I had gone through the a couple 35mm cameras and graduated to the magical world of DSLR via a Canon Rebel T3i which was soon backup to a Canon 80D. I took that 80D to three continents, 28 National Parks (29 if you count Tanzania), and at least half of the United States. Friends and family seemed to really enjoy my photos and then, low and behold, they wanted to buy them to hang on their walls.

Then came the crazy part, people started asking me to take photos of people. You know, portraits. I’m thinking to myself, have they lost their minds?! Next thing I knew, I was running around Washington DC with two cameras around my neck and a bag full of lenses on my back, capturing marathon runners, Cherry Blossom Festival events, and parades galore. That quickly grew into my current passion for portraits and now it seems that’s most of what I do. Surprise surprise, I LOVE IT!!!

So often, a client will tell me they never like any picture of them and that they hate having portraits done. A little time spent getting to know them, then before you know it we’re laughing and thoroughly enjoying ourselves. Oh, and they end up with photos that they love.

But the greatest joy is the clients, models, and peers who have become great friends. I welcome you to join me on this journey, whether as a client or just someone who may want to share your own love of photography. The beauty isn’t so much in where you’re going, but in getting there.

Peace, love, and all that jazz!

-      Eric