Whenever pursuing anything in life I always ask myself the same big question,

Why?

Why spend thousands on pieces of plastic, metal, and glass? To put together something our civilization has only had for a couple hundred years? What is so important- what's the Purpose...? Photography that is.

It was that time of year, the basement a mess. My mom and I were organizing when it was time to go through the photo books... and that beautiful box of miscellaneous photographs piled to the brim. Deciding which to keep and which to throw away, my mom pulls out a slightly out-of-focus photo she took of some cows in Iowa in the '90s. That obviously could be thrown out, it's a photo of nothing... Obviously... Right? Something just didn't feel right to me. Were they the greatest photos? No. Out of focus, overexposed and all but it was evidence of something- a previous time- a time before I even existed- of a cow that most likely isn't alive today but... was.

Memories, documentation of past knowledge- visual knowledge of what life was, that's not nothing.

Photos of the past can inflict a sense of nostalgia and euphoria. Of wonders, curiosity, and even answers. Which is why I believe every photo matters in my book.

Then again, why? photography as a whole isn't necessary for survival... is it?

In recent years, thanks to some of my inspirations (just a few being; Lily Anderson, Hannah Sutherland, and Pie Aerts) I've been shown another side of photography and the purpose it holds not just for the past but the present and the future. I've not only seen but I've felt the power- the impact of a photo, the impact it has had on 'ME'. A photo can spark hope, understanding, and empathy, not to mention the countless- just as important negative emotions, which in turn can inspire change within one's self and can even open minds, it can be a torch In a dark forest. That's not nothing.

I am no professional but I am a human and I hope to give you a lens to the experience I call my own and hope to showcase the light in our world