Start Up

I was up all night. My wife would say I was sleeping, but I was awake. I had ideas running through my head. Ideas for video shorts. Ideas for photo shoots. Ideas for so many things. I couldn't quiet those voices. Just as they about shut up for the night was when my wife snuggled into my section of the bed and pushed me out.

I guess crap rolls downhill. I got up and saw that the three year old was pushing her into me and me into the abyss. I gave up and got up. 

I guess this was the perfect metaphor for what I have done. I had a idea, a big idea, but it needed money. So my wife helped me take that idea, scale into smaller bite size chucks to achieve a larger goal; proving my theory that behind every good man is an even better woman. All of it so that I can provide for the little monsters that we call kids. 

Last night our little internet shop opened to a little fanfare, I tweeted a few links, put some stuff on Facebook and people came and viewed the shop. It is a leap of faith I never knew I was going to do and let alone do together with my wife. What happened next was awesome. People reaching out on how they can help promote. "Send me a flyer", "E-Mail me a link", "Do you have..." It was amazing to see so many people rooting for us. Refreshing actually. One email I got stuck out. It was from another internet shop owner. "Why do you photograph firemen?". So I thought about it and responded back: 

We have photography that shows real men and women doing extraordinary things. There is a print of a firefighter in a smokey building. You can barely see him, but if you were trapped in that building you would easily mistake the hands that pull you from that hell as the hands of God. I have another print of a vintage fire engine with bright reds and greens that any little boy would want in their rooms. I think people relate to it because when we were kids, that was the engine we imagined riding in one day. There is even a print inside of a structure as it is set on fire, a rare glimpse into what firemen see and the public rarely, if ever, sees. 

These aren't just photos to me. Behind every frame I've made there is sweat, passion, and desire of someone who absolutely loves the job they are doing. You have to love firefighting to do it. That passion is what I am after, a photo is the only way you can capture it.

A friend of mine has a saying about photography:

"A photo tells a story...a good photo starts one." - Adam Watt 

This is the start of our story.