LocalNavy433 Photography

Hello, how the hell are you? If this is your first time here, thanks for stopping by. In this blog, I am going to take you on a trip. That trip is my story of discovering my passion. I am going to take you through how I really learned to love standing on the waters’ edge waiting for the sun to kiss the landscape and give me that sweet image. The reason for this is simply sharing why I do this craft and why I intend on doing this the rest of my life.

How it started for me and why it took so long to pick it up.

I was watching tv in my house in GA, and I noticed the light outside the window. I grabbed my phone and headed out the door. When I got outside, I was greeted with a scene that was so beautiful that it literally took my breath away. I was in awe of how the sunlight was blasting through the fog. The subject for me at the time was the light hitting a bush. I cannot really explain to you with words how it felt to see this unfold in front of me. I was so drawn to the light that I kept walking to the light. I finally took the photo and I framed it with a few trees that were around me. It was at that point I realized that I could take photos. I was not trying to set out to be a photographer at the time.

How a photo can transport you back in time.

That photo of the bush brought me back to when I was a young man working in the iron pile in Vegas. It was the exact moment that I snapped that photo in my head. I was transported back to when I would walk in the job site and see that golden light dancing across the building. The columns were the trees, and the bush was the street down below. I never knew how just taking a photo is based off your memories. Yes, you read that right. When you are actually lining up an image, you are composing that image from something that you have seen in the past. This is how you know what to look for because you have seen it before. Take advantage of that and start looking for the things that remind you of your past.

I was 30 and had no clue that photography was a thing.

I remember at the time I took that first photo, to me, I was not thinking that photography was even a thing that I could do. I was actually just trying to document that experience, and I wanted a good photo of it. You see, at the time, I was working and had no extra time for me. I was lost and never even dreamed that photography could feed my soul. Fast forward seven years, and I was snapping photos with my phone, and the love of my life said that my images were good. I should take up photography. It took a turn when she was in the hospital just getting out of surgery, and it was right then that I realized life is too short not to follow a dream (even though at the time I just thought it would be a good hobby).

Taking a chance on me

You see, after taking my first image of me holding my love’s hand while she was in the hospital, it changed my look on photography forever. You see, that was the very first image that I took with the intent to make a photo. Yes, it was another example of creating a photo for a memory. I wanted to remember how and why I was doing this now, and that started my passion for creating images that really stood out. I wanted to document moments that mean something to me. I wanted to shape the way I take an image into a great image.

We all start somewhere with a passion.

After taking that image and knowing that I was going to give this a real try, it was time to really learn how to take a photo (even though I already proved to myself that I knew how). There is a lot more to taking a photo than just seeing and snapping the camera or is there? I spent all my free time reading and learning how to make a good, compelling image. I soon realized that I had to actually learn how to expose for an image. You see, at the time, everyone online was stating that you need to know the exposure triangle and you need to shoot in manual. Let me be the first to say that is a load of shit. The one thing that you need to learn and lean into is composition. That is the real key to photography; the rest will come with time.

The natural return to shooting from the heart.

When you have a passion like I did now, you go through so much, and it took me seven years of learning as much as I could about the craft of photography to actually come full circle. You see, right now at this moment, I am finally at the point that I am getting back to shooting from the heart. I have taken all the technical aspects out of my photography. I no longer shoot with the camera sitting on the tripod. I have reduced my kit back to an entry-level set of lenses, and that is so I can keep it stupid simple when I am out shooting. Now, don’t get me wrong; when I want to get really technical, I grab my telescope and start shooting the night skies. Those edits are so difficult and allow me to spread my wings for editing. The natural edits for my landscapes really are what I wanted to do when I first started. Now, you ready for this?

Have you given up all the bells and whistles for gear and tried going back to your OG kit and making just as many images as you are with all that pro-level gear you have? Now if this story made you feel something go right now and take a photo that means something to you. Use whatever camera you have and just take the first step by taking a fucking photo you got this and Let me know in the comments how you did.