One of the first memories of photography I have is of my dad buying me a Kodak Tele-Instamatic 110 Film Camera when I was five or six. When I was little we would read the paper together in the mornings, but being a kid I was always more interested in the pictures.
I learnt to photograph through many hours of trial and error in high school. When I started to think seriously about it I found an amazing mentor who introduced me to photojournalism.
When I was a junior in high school, my family had just moved to a suburb of Houston. We were all in the car driving home when we came across a vehicle rollover crash. I ended up making an image. I took it to the local weekly and the next day it was on the front page.
The assignment that left the biggest mark on me was a story I shot about 88-year-old Harold Palash who was blind and nearly deaf, yet he didn’t let that get in his way. Every day he still lived his life. He went out shopping, cooked meals, washed clothes, went to church, and everything. It made me think about how I approach the challenges I face in the world.
I really like unusual assignments or assignments on things I know little about. It is always interesting to learn something new. I use photography as a way to explore my world and community.
My biggest lessons? Show up early and leave late. Always keep looking around the room for moments. Be patient. See the light.
I really respect photographers who see the world in a different way and are able to convey that through their images. People who have strong ethics have my respect.
