Photography has been on my radar for a while now, but I’ve never thought of pursuing it until today. I guess it started back in 2011 when I was 13 years old. My grandma and I found out about a new event happening in the Cuyahoga Valley. “Steam in the Valley” is an annual event hosted by the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad (CVSR). This event boasted the NKP 765 (Nickel Plate 765) Steam Locomotive. Over the weekend it would make trips back and forth from Akron’s Northside Station to the Rockside Road Station in Independence.

This massive steam engine enthralled both of us. We spent the entire day following it through the valley trying to pass it and stop for pictures of the drive-by. We finally found a great stopping point at Indigo Lake. My grandma passed me her digital camera and told me to take some pictures. I wanted to take great pictures of this locomotive. I needed to do it justice. To show its size, and its raw power. I scooted close the tracks and snapped some pictures. I even remember my grandma grabbing my shoulder to pull me back a little. She thought I was getting a little too close! When we got back home, we decided to look at the pictures I took. She got them printed out and to this day she has them hung up in her home. I’ve always been proud of the images I captured that day.

We’ve since made it a tradition. Anytime it’s in town, we make the trip to experience this marvel. I’ve been honored to also share this experience with my 10-year-old niece.

Since I graduated high school in 2016, I’ve been on the search to find something I’m truly passionate about. At first, I wanted to find a career I actually enjoyed. Boy has it been a task. I’ve hopped around from a lot of different things. Nothing has really stuck. The past few weeks have been a discovery for me. I’ve been looking at it the wrong way. I’ve been so stuck on trying to figure out my future with a career, that I’ve left other parts of life falter. I quit most of the things I enjoyed most: video games, reading, even just hanging out with friends and family. From now on I want to look for things that truly interest me. Even if it’s just for a hobby. I want something to be passionate about. Something I can spend my lifetime learning and sharing with others. Something I can be proud of. If it blossoms into a career, then that’s great, but I won’t try and force it unless I truly know that it’s right for me. I want to learn it for fun, not because my future depends on it.

This is where I decided to dive into Photography. Over the years my main interests have been astronomy and meteorology. I’ve always wanted to get my own telescope and stargaze all night looking for deep space objects. I always follow current astronomy news and yearn for more information on our vast universe.

Every summer I pray for storms to pass through. Have you ever stared up at storm clouds in wonder? The way they form, the colors that surround them, and the dangers that they hold. Quick flashes of lightning, loud claps of thunder, howling of the wind. So much mystery held in those clouds.

Photography may be the chance to combine my interests into a hobby that allows me to share my excitement with others. I want my main focus to be Astrophotography and Storm Photography. These fields of photography hold such wonder for me. From beautiful nebulae to terrifying branches of lightning. I cannot wait to learn how to capture these spectacles.

I’m hopeful that photography will stick. For now, I’m enjoying it a lot and will remain as a hobby. But it’s a hobby I wish to share with others. I’m starting all this from scratch! I will document all my progress here on this blog. From learning how photography works and my first photos, to my main goal of gorgeous pictures of The Milky Way Galaxy over beautiful landscapes. I hope you enjoy and follow me along this journey!