Photography isn’t just a hobby for me. It’s a way for me to combine my passions for artistic expression and education in a creative visual way, and help others learn to do the same. I do this first and foremost by taking a lot of pictures and using software like Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom to store, manage, and edit my images. My wife and I also do family, child, and high school senior portraits through our side project Stevens Creek Photography, which has been a great way to explore photography while also providing a valuable service to others.
All this is just the beginning. As a regular contributor to the photography education site Digital Photography School, I share a variety of tips and tutorials for those who are new to photography as well as seasoned veterans. I have written over 175 articles for the site covering all manner of photography topics from basic to complex. Writing for DPS allows me to reach people around the world to help professionals, enthusiasts, and amateurs learn more about the art of photography, editing, and technology.
In addition to writing for DPS I also have a weekly photo blog that I have been writing since the spring of 2013. Every week I post a photo along with an essay and audio commentary that explains more about the image, how I shot it, what camera settings I used, and my editing decisions to arrive at the final picture. I do this partially to hold myself accountable for using my cameras on a regular basis but also as a way of educating others. By helping people understand my thought process it gives them new ideas to try on their own and, as a result, improve their own photography. As a result of doing my blog for so many years I was invited to be interviewed on some of the top photography podcasts that are currently available, and share some of the lessons I have learned after being a photographer for so long.
I also post my photos with audio commentary on my YouTube channel. This helps me reach a broader audience, and share my photography insights and tutorials with people who are curious about this form of art and want to learn more about it for themselves. A selection of my videos is below, and you can click through to my channel for hundreds more.