Bill's Blog

Earlier this evening, as I was shooting Senior portraits, a bystander commented, “If I could do anything else, I think it would be great to be a Photographer.” I suppose I hear that sentiment at least once every month. Most people who’ve spent time with a camera quickly realize—Photography is an addiction! It’s exciting to see a scene in your mind, put it together, watch the play of light and shadow, and then render it on paper [yes, I said “paper.” If you’re not printing out your digital files, then do it today!!!]. Creating the photo, though, is only half of the fun of being a Photographer!

If you’ve read the homepage of my website, you know that I call myself a “Storyteller.” It’s one thing to create photos—capture faces on paper—it’s quite another to visually tell someone’s story. I’ll go ahead and confess: I still sometimes struggle translating some stories with my photography. I’ve done too many sessions where I simply recorded faces on paper. I’ve found the common problem in the sessions where I struggle . . . I didn’t spend enough time listening!

For all of the things that I’m not, my closest friends would agree: I genuinely love hearing people talk about themselves. So for me, as I look back on my young life [I’m only 35/practically an infant!], storytelling is a natural expression for a guy who loves hearing a great story. Photography, a silent medium, is especially fitting for me. It may surprise you to know that I actually consider myself an introvert. I honestly enjoy the company of others, but I’m really a loner at heart. Given the choice, I would always choose to listen rather than speak. Lucky for me that I didn’t fall into the Theatre Arts, where I’d have to actually talk all the time! [I'd have never made it.]

Half the fun of being a Photographer is creating the work. The other half, often overlooked, is the joy of hearing and seeing so many amazing stories! I’ve been blessed to see and hear so many fascinating people . . .people that I would have never met without the camera around my neck. Now that I’ve stepped into this decade [started blogging], I’ve got a forum to share these stories with you. Make sure you subscribe to this blog, so you’ll always know when I add something new. Soon you’ll hear the story of a true miracle baby, and you’ll hear what I learned from the original “shock rocker” himself: Alice Cooper. You’ll get sneak peeks into some of the sessions that I’m able to shoot, and you’ll see some of your friends here. So keep checking in! I look forward to hearing your story soon.