Like a Phoenix

Henri Cartier-Bresson said, “Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst,” so I’d like to think my first go-round with photography got the shitty 10,000 images out of my way.  Truth is, I love photography.  I love to look at images, I could stare at photos all day everyday in an effort to figure out what excites my brain about certain images.  The other truth is I lost my drive to make my own photos a few years ago.  Spending days on end shooting a bunch of crap photos just for the money is the quickest way to hate a camera.  Trust me, I know.  I used to shoot professionally in an arena that offered me no sense of self-fulfillment. (I know, woe is me, my job making money with a camera didn’t heal my soul, some of you want to beat me with chains right now and thats ok.)  I had no passion for the images I was making and it took a toll on me both mentally and physically.  Ultimately I ended up depressed, burned-out, fat and miserable.  I walked away from photography in February 2012 and I went on a year plus self loathing bender.  

Finally, in the fall of 2012 a friend of mine helped me get my life back on track.  Through hard work and dedication to a goal I got healthy again, I started running and I took back control of my life.  Nothing is as empowering as the feeling of getting yourself healthy and happy!  Although, I still hadn’t had the urge to pick up a camera in over a year.  

Enter the year 2014!  After almost two years of not making any photos or even having the urge to look at my camera, my passion started to return.  Slowly I started thinking about a personal project to get me back into the world of photography.  My direction is simple, I’m doing a personal portrait project highlighting endurance athletes.  My main subject matter is ultra-marathoners and triathletes though interesting characters are always welcome!  

So far I’ve been back to thinking about and making my own photos for over a month.  I’ve shot three sets of photos and I just attended Photoshop World in Atlanta.  I’m finally lusting with the camera again, images are once more enriching my life instead of sucking out my soul.  I’m really looking forward to getting back on the path to image making!  I hope a renewed spirit with an open mind and a more seasoned understanding of the craft can mesh into my vision!