Carry a camera, capture more moments

If I had to pick my favorite saying, it would be “Take a picture. It will last longer.”

Capturing moments through photos makes memories live forever. Coming from someone who works with the art form daily, everyone should consider practicing photography at one point in their life.

My fondest memory is picking up a camera at 5 years old. I accidentally broke it trying to take the memory card out to view what I had taken photos of.

By the time I was 12, I was a photographer. A love that was nurtured by my mother grew into my dream job. There is something about being behind the camera that brings me to life. Capturing those moments that others can look back on makes the job worth it.

I used to take photos for fun at family events or for my siblings during their activities. I quickly found joy in stop-motion sports photography. I spent hours in front of the computer teaching myself how to better use the camera and capture motion more precisely.

Now, I do not go anywhere without my camera. Some like to say it is attached to me. If you ever see me walking around with two backpacks, it is safe to assume one of them contains my camera.

Bringing a camera along with you each day should become a sort of new normal for people. There is always something new to photograph, whether it be architecture, people or scenery. In some ways, taking photos is similar to the work of a historian. Photography allows us to capture history that will be remembered years down the line.

If the price tag on photography gear prevents you from taking up the art, know that how expensive your gear is does not matter. Some of the most famous photographs were taken on simple film cameras. Instead, how hard someone works to capture history makes the photos worth it.

My first camera was one of the most basic models. By teaching myself how to use it better, I produced higher quality images. Since then, I have upgraded my gear and seen a change in the photos I take, but that improvement also comes with the manufacturing upgrades and advancements.

Today, I specialize in mainly action photography but also enjoy photographing families, engagements, seniors and just-for-fun shoots. The small things make my job so worth the hours spent bent over my laptop editing each image.

I have worked under some amazing people and cannot wait to see where things take me. I am proud of my style and my hard work. Photography will always be my favorite art form and it should be yours too.