Where it all began...

Growing up, one of my uncles was a professional photographer who started shooting at just 15 years old after getting a 35mm camera for his birthday.  He taught himself the Art and craft through a mixture of practice, passion, and determination. through his own initiative, he slowly created a name for himself in high school by volunteering to help the professional photographers at the local newspaper and assisting on shoots by carrying their gear.  By the time he graduated, he secured a full-time role and eventually began receiving lucrative offers from across the nation in pursuit of his talents.  Unfortunately, we lost him unexpectedly and way too young, and I never had the chance to learn the craft from him.  After high school, I joined the Army and became a Blackhawk helicopter flying crew chief & Door-Gunner.  When I got to my first ASSIGNMENT, my new roommate had a Canon Rebel film camera and showed me some really cool pictures he took while he was flying.  That's all it took to ignite a spark and I was hooked.  Wanting to follow in my uncle's footsteps, and being a bit stubborn, I chose to teach myself rather than simply asking for help.  My first attempts involved disposable single-use Kodak and Fuji film cameras that I could easily fit in my flight suit pocket.  As you might expect, the pictures were horrible and the vibration of the helicopter made them even worse.  Fast forward, after a lot of wasted film and money, I decided to get my first Nikon SLR camera similar to what my uncle had used.  I was excited to start getting good photos, but for some strange reason, that didn't happen.  I read the manuals, bought several books, researched online, tried tons of exercises, practiced relentlessly, and even asked pro photographers for advice.  After several years of frustration, and finding that I had spent a small fortune in wasted film and processing, many of my photos were horribly blurred and streak-filled.  I tried taking my camera to several shops but they all told me it was perfectly fine and I just needed to study and practice more.  I was defeated and on the verge of giving up, ready to accept my fate as the world's worst photographer when I found a shop in Nebraska that finally identified my problem.  I had them check one last time before throwing in the towel and after initially seeing nothing wrong, he looked at my recently developed photos and asked me to give him another day or two to inspect the camera more closely.  When I returned, I learned that the gear sprocket that advanced the film after each shot was off by just one tooth.  This caused the film to advance and begin moving before the shutter was completely closed, and it consistently gave me blurry and streaky photos.... every... single... time. They couldn't fix it, but offered to give me a discount on a used body, which not only saved me money, but was a significant upgrade compared to what I had been using.  The results from the very first roll of film were amazing!  All the studying I had done over years of failure eventually paid off instantaneously.  I upgraded my gear several more times over the years, and those around me who saw my work started requesting me to shoot for them more and more.  I got exactly what I wanted...I not only taught myself this art I love, but I created a business out of a hobby based solely on the demand from others who wanted my work, rather than self-promotion. Now i'm in NW Houston, and continuing to grow!