After two and a half months of construction I made the trip over to Seattle and purchased my very own DSLR, I couldn’t be more excited to shoot and happy to survive the wrong turn that took me through a tunnel on highway 90 with my mountain bike. Once I made it back safe and sound, began to shoot and save for my first laptop, couple months later, once again did just that. Now with the power to edit I was complete, or at least had a solid start and no money. So I saved and shot and lived till I had enough images and money to put together a show for a local restaurant. After it was all said and done I broke even on cost, and felt great all around from the solid feedback. This show was an eye opener and taught me so many little lessons that I still keep in mind today.

It was my nineteenth birthday and nearing time to take the photos down. I had plans to pack up the show, buy a ticket to San Francisco and hang them in the gym my sister had opened. I ended up doing near all of that, only with a mode of travel that would give my life for the next three years a drastic turn. It was the last night of the show, sitting down with the family for a birthday dinner a captain whom I had apparently met as a child made his way over to end up asking if I was still interested in boats, and if I wanted to help him take a boat to San Francisco. It was a surreal moment; someone was listening to my thoughts. It all fell into place and there I went with my work boxed up heading out the straights and down the coast on a one hundred and fifteen foot motor yacht. I lucked out to say the least, and ended up getting a job as deck hand aboard for nine months. This is where my photographic journey really began. After three months working and shooting in the bay area, we headed north.

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The Galápagos Islands