The Craft

February granted me with the opportunity of really getting my hands dirty in the photography field.

• I got into estate sales to find vintage gear at cheap prices

• Acquired my first “functioning” film camera, a Nikon n4004s from 89’ that takes 35mm film

• Found a local shop that could give the camera proper servicing but the cost was out of budget so I went to YouTube university and graduated with a MS in camera cleaning & repair

• Found a couple other local shops that specialize in camera gear but the prices sent me to Amazon

• Quickly realized amazon sold me a defective product so, back to estate sales & pawn shops we go

• Hosted a Valentine’s Day themed photoshoot where clients pay whatever they want

• Started doing street photography (and learned that tinned fish restaurants are a thing, stay tuned)

• Shot a surprise engagement, a baby shower, a protest, & and ad for a chiropractor

• Got kicked out of more places for taking pictures than I care to remember

  
  

Most importantly I got to shoot seemingly everything but somehow not enough.

I found myself in the middle of my daily commute finding new angles and perspectives of roads I’ve traveled thousands of times. Taking pictures of people I see everyday and some I’ve never seen before and I’ll never see again.

My vision has expanded more in the last 28 days than it has this decade. I don’t just see things I capture a moment with them and get to keep that moment. However, some of the best times are the pictures that don’t happen. Maybe I wasn’t quick enough to focus the lens or the subject moves out of sight. At those times you’re forced to appreciate something beyond your grasp and accept it’s gone but thankful you could witness it.

I appreciate so much more around me because it’s not just background noise anymore, it’s the focal point. Not photography itself but capturing moments of things / people that usually don’t involve me at all. I’m essentially a fly on the wall.

I’ve transitioned from using a briefcase to using a camera bag that has space for a laptop. I can’t go anywhere and risk missing an opportunity to shoot.

All of that and yet I still know nothing and haven’t event formed an idea of what the tip of this iceberg may hold.

So much gratitude.