The Beginning
THESE PHOTOS OF MY BEAUTIFUL DOG LUNA WERE MY FIRST ATTEMPTS AT PHOTOGRAPHY. ALMOST IMMIDIATELY AFTER UNBOXING MY CAMERA AND LENS, I BEGAN TAKING PHOTOS OF HER TO TEST SETTINGS AND GET A FEEL FOR MY TECHINICAL ABILITY.
2015 -2024 is so hard to describe. 9 years of balancing Esports with part-time work and university. Grueling schedules and countless hours full of stress, excitment, exhaustion, friendship, and hard work. 9 years with tens of thousands of learning and growth opportunities sprinkled in. Being given the chance to pursue a dream is something very few get and something I wouldn't trade for anything. So many mistakes, so many regrets, but those experiences taught me how to be comfortable and confident with being myself.
For now that journey is on hold. After such an intense ride, a break was earned. January 1st, 2024 my contract with Evil Geniuses ended and I decided to take some time to decompress and recharge. It was long overdue. I'm lucky to be financially sound enough to forget about the world and completely relax for a while. I can finally take all the time I want for friends, family, and myself. Having this much free time is new to me. In my late 20's I never thought I'd be in a position where I'd be struggling to fill my days and weeks. The human mind and body is an incredible machine. Mentally and physically resetting from the 9 year Esports roller coaster only took a few days. I very quickly found myself waking up later and later, filling my free time by binge watching TV shows and movies, and simply being bored. My friendsand family have jobs so I couldn't count on them to keep me busy. I needed a hobby.
I've always had an appreciation for the arts. I've dabbled in sketching and graphic design when I was younger, but once I discovered Counter Strike and began coaching, my days were almost entirely consumed by gaming. One artistic medium that's always interested me was photography. One of my closest friends travels a lot and takes stunning landscapes at National Parks and I also follow a lot of unique photographer accounts on social media. Unfortunately I had convinced myself that I didn't have the time to pick it up... until now.
With so much free time and a desire to pick up a hobby that would get me out of the house, I made the call to full send it. Because I have always enjoyed the arts I knew I had a good understanding of aesthetic. I didn't need to start small and work my way up to better gear so within the first week I bought a full kit. Sony A7ii (which I then upgraded to the A7iii a few weeks later), and 4 SIGMA lenses of varrying focal lengths. Broke the bank a little bit, but I'm committed. I want to do this, so I'm going to do it right, no holding back.
One of the most valuable things I learned from coaching Esports was how to learn. I know that I have the eye, and all I need to do is improve my techincal skills so here we go. This is the begining and thankfully I have a wonderful model right at home to practice on.
