Table of Contents
How did you get started in photography, and what drew you to this art form?
I actually started in the video before moving into photography. I made my first move into using cameras when I watched MKBHD and Jonathan Morrison reviewing tech products and it inspired me to do the same. When I got further into that world, I started examining cell phones.
As a part of that, I found myself taking a ton of photos and learning to edit them, which then turned into composite photography and portrait photography pretty quickly. My biggest draw was memory-capturing and preserving the moments with my family and friends that I held dear. I had seen so many people take lousy photos at events and whatnot, and I just wasn’t content with that. Even just simple photos where friends had their arms around each other’s shoulders; I wanted the photos I look to look spectacular, so I started obsessing over mobile editing especially.
What is your preferred style or genre of photography, and why?
Portrait photography is my bread and butter. I think capturing the emotion of another person preserves the memory and value of who they are in the form of art! I love also helping others see the beauty in themselves that they often do not see on a daily basis. It’s remarkable how often individuals resent the idea of being seen on camera. After they see the results, they’re usually blown away at how great they look, and I think there is something uniquely special in doing so.
How do you improve and develop your photography skills?
It’s such an obvious one, but you have to take pictures very often. I use an app called the Day One Journal and I document every single day of my life! I started back in 2021 and haven’t missed a single day since. As part of that, I always take at least one photo every single day, usually of my son or my wife, but often of friends as well.
This has given me a motivator for daily practice. Beyond this, I look at other people’s work less with the intention of trying to copy them and more with the mindset of asking what they photographed, and why they chose that specific composition, and then I analyze the edit for future ideas around certain elements such as techniques for lighting, selective edit choices, colour grading, etc.
What equipment do you use and why?
I’m kind of weird, but I’m all Sony for video production and all Canon for photography. I don’t recommend this strategy, it’s just where I netted out after building relationships with the Sony team. I started on a little Canon T2i that my mom let me use. From there, I jumped over to the Sony A6500 and made my early videos on YouTube with that camera.
From there, I made a major jump up to the Canon 1DX Mark II and lived there for quite a while. I was obsessed with the photos AND the video that the camera produced and it was my workhorse for a very long time. It was massively heavy though and so when the Sony A7S3 came out, I had started travelling a bit with Sony for events like Sony Camera Camp and thus I jumped to that side for all things video.
I adore their colour science and the level of control that exists in their colour profile settings. In the last year, I also acquired a Canon R5, which I loved for photography. The colours it produces are stellar, it’s also a monster for video, and I had a TON of Canon glass, so this gave me an opportunity to use it for that.
I wanted something with a higher megapixel count than the A7S3 for photography, so I went R5. All this said I’m firmly in both camps. It’s not a financially wise choice, but it’s a highly enjoyable one with the versatility I get by owning both brands.
What do you think is the most important element of a great photograph?
If the initial photo’s composition isn’t interesting and the lighting isn’t intentional, you’ve already lost. Yes, you can recover SO much in the edit, but nailing lighting, framing and composition in the camera from the beginning makes the editing process simply more fun. I think it’s also more exciting to challenge yourself to build scenes, find settings, and position subjects in ways that allow the in-camera result to shine even before any sort of editing.
I took a shot of my son yesterday in the middle of our hallway holding a ball. I could’ve just left it there, but instead of editing light onto his face, I took an LED light strip and illuminated a portion of his face. The entire photo became far more dramatic in-camera and the end result was so much more pleasing. It also led to a quick mobile edit vs. a full Photoshop edit.
What professional photographers have influenced your work?
Gosh… different influencers have had an effect on me in different seasons truthfully. MKBHD inspired me to get into videography, to begin with, Peter McKinnon helped me learn the in’s and out’s of how cameras work and how to think about shooting in a far more cinematic and story-based manner than I had before, Johnny Harris has pushed me to want to be a more interesting storyteller.
Brandon Woelfel was one of the first portrait photographers that blew my mind and pushed me to think about colours in photography more intentionally, VisualsofJulius led me into composite photography, and lately, Adrian Murray has inspired me like crazy to think about incredible portraiture as it relates to my kids!
How do you stay inspired and motivated as a photographer?
The honest truth: I don’t. What I mean by that is when I don’t feel inspired, I’ll put my camera down for a season and go do other things, spend time with my wife and son, invest deeply in my faith in Jesus, focus on friendships, do some travel, and then I come back to it!
When I allow myself the freedom to create when I want to and not for the sake of meeting a quota of what the world wants to see, my enjoyment of the art form goes through the roof. I find too that other people like what I put out more as well because it doesn’t feel forced.
It’s naturally flowing from a desire to make things. Aside from this mindset, I think letting myself be inspired by other people and celebrating their success is huge. Don’t let yourself get caught up in the grind of “winning” in the digital marketplace. It can get toxic. Take photos because you LOVE taking photos!
How do you handle difficult shooting conditions or subjects?
Every subject and every condition creates opportunities for your constraints to build into you the ability to be creative. When the weather, the lighting, the environment, or the subject lead to difficulty, it forces you to stretch, to try new things, to take shots in ways that you may have never considered before and for me, this often leads to some of my most frustrating failures, but also some of my most unique results.
Often, what I’m most proud of was generated in these conditions. Some people are content with simply producing the same style of art over and over again. That’s never been me. I always want to stretch myself, I always want to grow, and I always want to be moving forward. The difficulty is often the catalyst for this!
What advice would you give to someone who is just starting out in photography?
Don’t wait to have the “perfect gear” to start. Your smartphone is beyond capable. Put it into portrait mode, set it on 2x or 3x zoom, and start shooting! Or if you’re into landscape and architectural photography, throw on the wide-angle lens and go hit the city.
Download the FOCUS app if you’re into the depth of field in your shots and start playing around with editing. Lightroom mixed with FOCOS gives you everything you need to create incredibly beautiful photos. Remember too: always hunt for the light! Light, colour, and visual interest create the most fascinating and exciting photos.
The only way you can figure out what looks good and what you enjoy is to shoot! Some of my favourite photos have come from my iPhone though, so don’t assume that you need an R5 to create incredible results. It just isn’t true in today’s world anymore. Serve the people around you too! Be willing to be the shooter for friends and family. This helps you capture what’s important and also get practice. People will love you for it as well!
What do you hope your photography communicates to your audience, and why is this important to you?
The intrinsic, profound value of every person. I believe every man, woman and child is made by our Creator and is deeply loved by Him. Because of this, we all are of incredible worth. In a world where differences are driving people apart and creating a sense of animosity for people different from you, I want others to see the light in the eyes of strangers and feel the joy, pain, excitement, sorrow and love that they feel. Photography has the ability to create this. If I can communicate that in even just a small portion, I will have done what I’ve set out to do!
What editing software do you like to use for your finished photos?
I use a mixture of FOCOS for smartphone edits and then Lightroom and Photoshop depending on what I want to achieve with the photo. If there is compositing required, I will most definitely use Photoshop, but for the most part, lightroom is incredibly sufficient and plenty capable to create the grade on the photo that I’m aiming for. Especially with some of the new AI tools they’re building around subject detection, the speed at which you can create a final look is mind-boggling.
I will say too: I love the ways in which AI is making editing easier, but I’d recommend practising the hard ways first. It will give you a deeper appreciation for the technology, as well as a technical understanding of what’s happening in the background. The tech is moving fast and giving us all the ability in the world to build the end result we’re aiming for at lightning speed!
