Growing up on the very end on Long Island certainly had its ups and downs- the summers were short, and the winters were cold and long. With that being said, I was lucky enough to attend a school were art and expressing ones self was greatly emboldened. Before photography I was really interested in drawing, painting, and graffiti specifically- my art teachers would always support my ideas no matter how crazy, and I couldn't thank them enough for that.
I've always had a job, and to no surprise most of my money went towards art supplies. I actually remember having my mom drive me to the closest Best Buy (about 40 minutes from my house) so I could buy myself my first digital camera- a Nikon CoolPix P90. I would say that's when I first truly became interested in photography. I'll be posting some of my first ever "edited" pictures to this post- keep in mind these are from late 2009.
From 2009 forward I continued experimenting with photos, and then video as well. In 2011-2012 I was filming for a local skate shop, which was quite the experience to say the least. I began receiving art awards from school, had a few pictures in a local paper, and won a few photo contests.
From all of this I realized a few important things. First, what you shoot with doesn't make you any better of a photographer. Sure I shoot with a Sony a7rii and it truly is an amazing camera, but when I comes to posting photos on Instagram I'd much rather go out and shoot with my Fujifilm. As long as you have a camera, and you're taking photos- you're doing the right thing! Next, I self taught myself Lightroom, Photoshop, Final Cut Pro, After Effects, and Illustrator- learn at your own pace, and if you're truly determined you'll know your way around those programs in no time. One last thing- shoot what you want, and edit how you want. It'll make you much happier, following trends is great for building a following quickly- but personally I'd rather be happy photographing what captures my attention. It'll make going out and taking photos so much easier and much more pleasurable. I found that doing this brings a lot of loyal followers that also inspire me- so thank you as well!
Thanks for reading, I'll be blogging regularly from this point forward. If you don't already, follow me on Instagram to stay up to date with my posts!
