Sunset, Entlebuch, Switzerland 1997

I was hanging out at my parents house the other day when I went downstairs, down the hallway that led to my old room. On the way, I noticed my first print “exhibit” on the wall. Placed there nearly 15 years ago, this was a veritable blast from the past, and one I couldn’t help but study and ponder. Wow–talk about photography 101! I gazed at the images sheepishly, wondering what I was thinking with the blown highlights here, centered composition there and numerous other nitpicks in between. And then it hit me–I wasn’t thinking. I was simply shooting.

Sunset, Eiffel Tower, Paris, France 1997

It was a simpler time during my senior year in high school. I had taken my only photography class the year before and had learned just enough to operate my father’s old Canon FTB. It was a literal aluminum tank that hung from my neck, with a light meter that bounced up and down in an unsure motion as I panned across shadows and highlights. To this day, that photography class at Highland High School remains my only formal education on a medium that would one day define my career. Who knew? I certainly didn’t.

Fall color, Mill Creek Canyon, UT 1996

This is less of a “look at me now” post, and much more of a “look where I started” reflection. The simple truth is this: we all start at the same place. A place unfamiliar, curious and rarely comfortable. It’s an insecure place, where one is pestered by self doubt and a lack of knowledge. Conversely, however, this place also bursts with a desire to create and explore. It’s a place illuminated by the glimmer that comes from rounding every unknown bend, and returning with a new morsel of skill or knowledge…

Eiffel Tower, Paris, France 1997

Times have changed a great deal since I first picked up a “real” camera. Film has been replaced to a large degree by digital sensor. Notepads with scribblings of apertures, shutter speeds and focal lengths have been replaced by high tech programs that record it all for you at the click of the shutter. Entry level cameras can do more now than the best pro cameras could ever dream of mustering 15 years ago. One factor, however, remains the same. Creativity, passion and the will to achieve can never be replaced or switched out. They are the photographic foundation that will never crumble.

Sunset, Lake Powell, UT 1996

Think about where you started. Maybe it was ten, fifteen, or even twenty five years ago. Maybe it was yesterday. Remember not what you didn’t know then. Rather, remember that all you knew was that clicking the shutter brought mystery and joy and crazy, care free satisfaction. What a cool thing…