Authenticity

Authenticity.

It’s everything people want—someone who’s real, genuine, and true about who they are and what they’re about. Kind of like a solid District Attorney (I’ve been binge-watching SVU on Prime, so bear with me).

When it comes to your voice as a photographer, people want to feel who you are. Can they see you in your work?

Like, if you’re this bubbly, high-energy person but your photography is super dark and moody—nothing wrong with that—but it can throw people off. There’s a disconnect.

I’ve been behind the lens for over 10 years now.

Started off taking photos of clouds with my iPhone… then got into blogging, designing T-shirts, street photography—and now, sports.

Along the way, my gear changed, my editing style evolved, and even the people in my life shifted.

Now I’m a dad and life feels more meaningful than ever. I’ve got a real reason to get up in the morning. And I think that shows in my work. These days, I feel less like a photographer and more like a documentarian—telling stories through life as it unfolds.

April has been the busiest month of my career—shooting, editing, backing up files, managing storage, and driving all over. By the end of each week, I didn’t even want to touch my camera. I just wanted to exist, be present, and soak up moments with my people.

Anyway—I know I’m rambling. It’s been a minute since I posted anything online.

Back to authenticity. Being real with yourself and your art—it’s not always easy. I’ve wrestled with labels:

“If you own a camera, you’re a photographer.”

“If you train jiu-jitsu, you’re a fighter.”

Cool. But when you look in the mirror… are you truly showing up as your real self? Are you being honest with your craft?

We’re living in the age of AI now. People question everything—“Did a human write this?” “Is it real?” “It’s too perfect to be true.”And the truth is—someone might fake it and win for a day. But when people dig deeper when they sit with your work, your story, your presence… the truth surfaces. They’ll feel the real you—or they’ll see through the performance.

So yeah… I could talk about this for hours.

But here’s the heart of it:

It matters now, more than ever, to just be you.

Because the world’s been full of fakes for too long.

And there’s so much peace and power in showing up as your authentic self.