When I graduated High School back in 2014 I watched Neil deGrasse Tyson’s “The Cosmos”. I became fascinated with space and the cosmos. The idea of how vast space really was blew my mind. I bought a telescope that summer and spent many nights out in my backyard observing the night sky. Saturn became my fixation. The first night I saw it though my eye piece, I was in awe. A few weeks later i discovered r/astronomy on Reddit which then lead me to r/astrophotography. I spent hours reading through posts of people photographing space from their backyards. I made the decision to buy a camera after reading a few budget guides. I settled on a Canon Rebel Ti4 and a 300mm lens.

That summer before going away to college I spent many nights in my backyard attempting to capture photos of the stars. It was a learning experience. During the day I spent hours learning how to use my camera and different techniques used for night photography. By the end of the summer I walked away with next to no decent photos. Looking back it seemed like I spent too much time fidgeting with the settings thinking that was the reason why my photos weren’t looking like I pictured they would. I now know the magic is in the editing.

During my time in college I used my camera sparingly. I left it at home because I was afraid of damaging it or loosing it. It wasn’t until the pandemic hit in 2020 that I picked up my camera again. I worked in retail and rode as an EMT during the pandemic. I began to realize there was more to life than what I was prioritizing. In an attempt to find some sanity during the pandemic I started hiking again to get out of the house. I took my camera with me on a whim to Ramapo Valley County Reservation and since then I haven’t looked back.

I began taking trips with my camera anytime I got the chance. I spent many hours learning about different camera settings and ways to frame certain photos. Its been over two years since I started down my photography journey and I’ve grown a lot, both as a photographer and as a person. Landscapes were always my favorite to shoot. To quote Peter McKinnon

“but shooting a landscape, there's just nothing like waking up early before the rest of the world heading out when it's still dark you can see nothing. But you know that landscape is right there waiting for you, it's only a matter of time before like the veil is lifted and the light starts to make it come alive and you're the only one there with your camera and you're capturing every moment of that. That's a feeling that only photographers know well“. (THE BUCKET SHOT, Peter McKinnon)

I love being able to capture and share what I see through my viewfinder. The good, the bad and the bangers. Since starting on this journey I’ve traveled across the country to places I never thought I would see. I’ve met many different kinds of people and learned so much. Both on social media and off. I had the pleasure of taking part in the Brooklyn Art Cave’s first photography only weekend show case where I was finally able to put a face to many of the talented photographers I met through Twitter’s photography community. I’ve also had work hung in The Art League of Ocean City during their monthly galleries. Its been a long journey but I don’t see an end in sight. There’s still so much to capture and share.