I grew up in the sleepy town of Monterey, California, which is two hours south of San
Fancisco and six hours north of Los Angeles. At the age of 21, I arrived to the chaos of
New York City. Here in America, people from California are known to be more relaxed
and laid-back than people who live in New York City. In fact, I often get asked, "You're
not from here, are you?
From almost the first day, I found that I really loved the insanity of New York City and
embraced it. I also realized that I would simultaneously need to find a way to maintain
the Zen qualities of my California existence. I thrive on being surrounded by frenetic energy
but, internally, I prefer the emotional waters to be calm.
Three years into living in New York City, I was working as a waiter and I had completely
lost all traces of my relaxed self. In such a short time, I had turned into a jaded and
cynical urbanite. I hadn't lost hope that I would refind my balance but who who had time
for that in this crazy rat race? I tried therapy but realized I wasn't the only person who
found my "problems" boring when my therapist starting falling asleep during our
sessions. I tried meditation but my mind raced and raced with anxious thoughts. I even
left New York City for six months to live in San Francisco but, if you can believe this, I
found it to be too small town for my tastes. I was hooked on big city life and, after a
number of years, I gave up on the idea of being completely serene in the city I loved.
Then I found photography.
It actually surprised me when I realized that, for the first time in a long time, I was
completely in the present and in the moment. I was walking around town with my first
DSLR (a Canon 40D) and, without even intending to be, I was completely engrossed in
my surroundings, taking it all in. My brain wasn't doing the crazy loop-de-loops it always
did. I was so engaged with the visual world around me, my brain experienced a long
overdue break from the choppy existence it had become accustomed to.
I chose to pursue photography as my career at the age of 27. I'm now 36. Photography
is my access to sanity, serenity and contentment. Taking a picture of anything is,
inherently, of way of showing your gratitude for that scene being presented to you. To
create images is to repetitively give thanks for the obscene abundance of visual riches
that you encounter on a daily basis. Feeling gratitude must surely be the first step in
creating a worthwhile life.
Being a photographer slows you down and has you proactively looking for beauty and
opportunities for capturing that beauty. Photography has you become intimate with the
world around you. Through the lens, you become related. Through the lens, you
become connected. Through the lens, you find yourself in the world.
