“I wanna be a photographer, just like in National Geographic Magazine” – Me, 1980-something

“I wanna be a photographer, just like my uncle.” – Jade, 2009

I was fortunate growing up, in that I have parents that supported almost every harebrained interest I could come up with. As long as it didn’t involve personal injury or property damage, I had their support. Believe me, some of those interests were really harebrained too! Thanks Mom & Dad.

I remember the day I said the above words to my Dad. I guess he and Mom had gotten used to me and my never-ending schemes, as he simply went back into his bedroom closet, returning with a camera bag, and said “Okay, here you go.”

That simple moment, twenty-five or so years ago, was the beginning of my passion for this art form, and seldom does a day go by when I don’t think about creating images. Photography has always been like a close friend to me, there for me during the roughest of storms and the sunniest of days.

My niece, Jade, has the same sense of wonder and imagination that I do, and I’ve done all that I can in her ten young years to support and encourage that. I love that about children. They have the ability to live a lifetime in a single day, and have a limitless supply of energy that I’d pay money as an adult to tap into sometimes.

It was a painfully hot day in August 2009. I was at a family gathering in South Carolina, and took the opportunity to do something I very rarely do, take photos of people. Despite the heat and humidity, I couldn’t have been happier, as I hadn’t seen some of my family in years, and was making some great images on top of that.

Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, Jade, who’d declared herself my ‘photo helper’, said the words above, looking off into the field as if she were contemplating her future. I was instantly taken back to that day when I said something so similar to my Dad, and to his response. History repeats itself. So I simply handed my camera to her and said “Okay, here you go.”

She took to it like a fish to water, and all I could do was beam with pride. She took quite a few images, showing a natural ability to make great compositions and choose that ‘decisive moment’ to click the shutter.