Over the last few months, I have been trying to pin down what defines my photography. Not really for anyone else. Just for me.

It came to me a few weeks ago and I have crafted it into my own personal mission statement every time I head out to a shoot now.

Capture The Connection.

Ever since this floated into my head, it just feels right.

There is a definitive connection in everything around us.

A person seeing an amazing landscape.
A newly engaged couple.
A mother and child.
A family.
A dog and their owner.

Being able to quickly find that connection, recognize it, and then capture it is what makes the entire photographic process magical, for me.

When I was shooting kids and families a few years ago, I remember printing out other photographer’s work that I admired, and using those images as pose sheets for my own work. But you know, it never really worked for me. I would get frustrated that I couldn’t get my subjects to do the same thing as I saw on my piece of paper. Everything felt forced and I was ultimately left with nothing but really stale, impersonal shots. Very frustrating.

So I threw them away.

I started looking at whatever I was shooting with my own eyes. My own perspective. Challenging myself to really interact and connect with whatever I was shooting.

That is when my images came alive.

As I continue to think about my photography, I realize I have found comfort in a more photojournalistic style. A storyteller if you will. It now guides me in everything I do.

But it is important for me to note that my path is not your path.

There is beauty in authenticity.

Look with your own eyes, listen to your own voice, tell your own story.

Your images will come alive.