Life Is Worth Seeing
I’m 33 years old and I’ve been a photographer for almost half of my entire life now. It began with using the camera to photograph things I found interesting like sunlight beaming through a rain cloud or a musician on the boardwalk having a great time playing music. Little did I know prior to 2025, I had been living life mostly on autopilot. My camera would allow me to occasionally sit in the driver’s seat for a hot minute before life switched autopilot back on. My soul was telling me something every time I needed a camera, “see this!”
Photo I took on at my grandmother’s house in my childhood on her digital camera.
2025 began with the wake up call of not only being diagnosed with ADHD, but what comes after that. Taking medication for ADHD lifted a cloud that had began to grow darker as I got older. Before it took a lot of physical exercise or alcohol to somewhat pierce through to receive any sunlight. Now, my eyes needed adjusting with how bright everything was. The birds were singing, the flowers were blooming, I was feeling more alive than I ever had. I began saying yes to everything that came my way like Jim Carrey’s character in 2008s Yes Man. Little did I know that with this sight came new challenges. What I could only articulate emotionally with vague conceptual ideas and photos became louder and clearer. “It’s truth!” is what I began telling myself about what I wanted to start capturing. As much as I still love and appreciate the beauty in the conceptual nature of art and my own work, it felt like it was time to start being more honest with myself and others. I began thinking about those fears I didn’t have the questions for until now. “Why do I fear death? What makes people manipulate others? How can we not see children as the gifts they are? What happened in my past to make me feel this way about anything?” All questions I’d begin to explore through personal work.
My son walking up to our home.
Before going any further, this blog post isn’t meant to be a lead to any particular project. I write this to express the nature of seeing the world through the eyes of not only a photographer but a photographer using his skill to mirror and share with others what they may also need to see.