A lot of things have been going through my head the past few weeks, since leaving my fulltime job. Money has been a huge part. Getting clients another. But this past weekend, something else entered my head…

Last Saturday I drove up to Ruston, LA, home of Louisiana Tech University. I have taken this trip, probably 100 times in my life, since the beginning of my college life, all the way through last football season and all the other stuff in between (like living there). I love it in Ruston. I really do. It’s very laid back and relaxing. There is a different vibe there. It’s a much simpler life, and I do miss it. My wife and I often talk about moving back, and maybe we will when this photography thing takes off and it doesn’t too much matter where I live. But that’s a different story.

This trip was different. This trip was to move my brother Gus into his dorm room. Yes, my brother who is 10 years younger than me, is going to college. So I ask, where has the time gone? Upon entering the dorm, the smell hit me. The smell of 3 months of empty building and sanitizer. The dim lit hallways were all to familiar. And I as I walked up the stairs, the memories came flooding back to me. It’s been 10 years since I left Baton Rouge and all of my friends behind to go to this foreign land and start a new. And in the blink of an eye, it is now his time.

I’ve always loved the camera. I’m drawn to it. It’s magnetic. It was at Tech that I decided, photographers don’t make any money. I’ll be a graphic designer. And I did it. BFA in hand, I went to work….as a video editor? The funny thing is, a week before graduation, the Dean of Art told me that I was on the verge of greatness….strange. A year later I stumbled across the great Kelly Moore’s site, whom I worked with at the Louisiana Tech yearbook, and I thought, ‘I can do that’. I bought myself a Canon 20D and the rest was history. I’ve been giving this photography thing a ‘go’ ever since.

Three weeks ago, I walked out of a secure job. I had no clients and no clue really how to do the business side of this. I blinked. It’s three weeks later and I’m trying to fit everything in. It’s strange how fast time can go by. Two weeks ago I thought I made a mistake. Now I feel like I’m on the brink and it’s very very exciting. I get some praise for the work I do. I never in my life would have thought I could bring people to tears by photographing their loved ones. After all, to me it’s just a camera. It’s what I know how to do. I forget that it’s a talent. And I don’t mean that to sound conceited. It’s true. I don’t get it. It’s second nature. So what is going to happen 10 years from now? After all, 10 years ago I was just a punk kid coming out of a public school in Baton Rouge with a few bucks, some dissatisfied parents and knew everything about everything…..riiiiiiight. So now I’m 28, married, a dog, a cat and a dream. Will I be considered ‘old’ in ten years? Will life expectancy be 130 by then and I’ll still be young? 30 is the new 20, but I’ll be 38. Will 40 be the new 20?

To my younger brother….don’t blink. Take it all in. When your eyes open again, it will all be memories. Enjoy it. I did. Here’s to the future.