For a photographer, the perfect photograph can be an idea in the back of your head that can last for weeks or a single, spontaneous moment that you just have to capture. I tend to find the beauty in both. I always go out to shoot with a central idea in mind, but I wait for that perfect spontaneous moment which is the true reason I’m a photographer.

Photography is all about lighting, the subject, and composition. However, I find that it’s purely the moment. The moment can be anything. A glance, action, scenery, an event…the possibilities vary in millions of different ways, just like the millions of little moments you can capture in a single day. These moments mean the most to me. They are why I take pictures and what keeps me taking pictures.

Throughout my journey of photography, I have found that I simply enjoy taking pictures of people and my life around me. I like to document things as they are and find something special about them at the right time, creating this moment I always strive to capture. Photographers are natural observers. Whatever style they are practicing, whether it be fine art or photojournalism, they are constantly looking at what’s around them. Even when I don’t have access to a camera or the moment comes too quickly, I find myself acknowledging what the composition would have been; what the smile would have looked like, how the busy background would have contributed to the subject...It’s almost like I’m taking a picture mentally. Seeing as if your eyes are an aperture is something that a photographer grows to do. Ever since I’ve seriously worked with photography, I’ve found that I see life more meaningfully and little moments that often go unnoticed are the most cherished to me.

Photography has escalated from being just a hobby for me to a future career. It is what I go to school for and spend most of my time doing. This can be a little scary, putting something you’re most passionate about in a line of work, but sometimes I think it makes it more thrilling. Don’t get me wrong, there are still times of stress, doubt, and even failure, but that’s what builds me up to be the photographer that I am. Through these times, I’ll still observe and look for these moments that define what my true love for photography is, and fall in love all over again.