An Obsession

I was obsessed.

A younger version of me was absolutely one thousand percent, all in with photography. A constant barrage of shutter clicks and clacks echoed out from wherever I was hiding. A never ending stream of photos being written to memory cards filling far too fast.

There isn’t a moment I can remember when the camera wasn’t in my hand. A trusty D850, a 200-500, and an undying passion to not miss a single moment. These years made me who I am today, without a doubt. They forged a passion for an art form, they instilled a different view on the world, and they gave me a new purpose moving forward.

Each moment frozen in time became another piece of my own story, just as much as it was part of the story of my subjects. So many hard days in the field, countless hours behind a computer and an unbelievable amount of things to learn in such a short period of time. Oh, the lessons learned.

I sit and reflect on those days that seem so far away now and am surprised at how recent they actually were. I realize how much life has changed since then, but also how much is still so similar. Sure, I don’t take nearly as many photos as I once did. In fact, I feel like my brain shifting towards video before photography these days. But the one thing that has never wavered is the absolute obsession to capture these stories.

The desire to show the world what my eyes see, to translate the feelings and power of these moments, and to shine a light on the wild lives there are to live. I never would have imagined I would be in the position that I currently am, but am so thankful to be here. Cannot thank those who have been along for the ride and part of the journey enough. There will be many more adventures, many more stories, many more moments to freeze forever, but nothing will be quite as special as these years shown here.

Nothing will stand out in my mind like the years I spent absolutely obsessed, building the foundation to carry me through this absolutely wild life.