My interest in photography began in my youth, when I would spend countless hours in my grandparents' house, pouring through their collection of National Geographic Magazine. They had been collecting for probably close to twenty years by the time I found them, and never threw away an issue, so to say there were a lot would be an understatement. Growing up in suburban southern California, the world seemed so small to me until I discovered the stories and pictures printed on those glossy pages. The impact was immediate and lasting, and to this day serves as an anchor in my photographic journey.
I owe a lot of my inspiration to my grandparents, not just for those magazines, but also for their love of travel, adventure, and discovery, and documenting it all in images and writing. Before I knew it, they had instilled in me their passion for storytelling through imagery, and for that I will be forever grateful.
I first picked up a camera as a teenager - an old beat up Nikon FE from the late 70s/ early 80s - and burned through more rolls of film than probably wise, trying emulate those iconic images which so inspired me. Let's just say that no one came banging at my door to publish my images, but those days gave me a foundation in the craft of photography that may be more challenging to get if I had come in to photography at the birth of digital.
While I shoot on digital today, cutting my teeth on film rooted me in a more conservative philosophy which places a premium knowing your shot before you press the shutter release. It also instilled in me the idea that photography is, above all else, an important means of communication.
Photography is as complex as the world it depicts, and my goal as a photographer is to faithfully represent that complexity. Whether it's through documentary, portrait, product, architectural, landscape, wildlife or any other particular genre, I always want to be true to the subject in front of the lens. As I've been inspired, I hope to inspire others with this wonderful art.
Thank you for taking the time to read this, and I hope you'll join me on my photographic journey as a client, supporter or just someone who appreciates the power of an image to communicate a story. I encourage you to reach out to me with questions, comments, or just to say "Hi." May your journeys be rich.
-Colin
