IT ALL STARTED WITH A CAMERA AND A MOMENT I DIDN'T WANT TO FORGET.
I still remember this day like it was yesterday.
The year was 2020. I was an ambitious freshman at the Savannah College of Art and Design, anxious for my first real opportunity to photograph a sports car, when an owner reached out about shooting his blue, drift built Nissan 370Z.
A friend of mine drove me to our first location, an abandoned racetrack outside Savannah, I remember looking down to see my hands trembling. I could hear the Z’s exhaust rumbling behind us as the owner pulled up, and my heart dropped. Excitement mixed with imposter syndrome in the most intense way.
The racetrack went okay. I was getting cool shots, but nothing close to what I had envisioned. I kept telling myself it was fine because I had planned a second location, a garage rooftop at sunset, perfectly timed for golden hour. Not fully satisfied with how the first images came out and battling some self doubt, I told everyone I was ready to move to the second location.
As we merged onto the bridge heading downtown, I was trying to shake the disappointment when I glanced at the driver’s side mirror and saw it.
THE composition.
Without hesitation, I told my friend to keep driving straight. I ripped off my seatbelt, jumped into the back seat, rolled the window down, and hung halfway out of the car. I started motioning to the owner. Closer. A little farther. Horizontal shots. Vertical shots. And then,
Click.
The perfect roller. And I had never shot rollers before.
The rest of the shoot felt electric, and to this day it remains one of my favorites. But more importantly, that moment taught me something about myself.
My best work happens when I trust my instincts and lean into who I actually am. Edgy. Creative. Spontaneous. Willing to do whatever it takes to get the perfect shot.
I never fully fit the mold in high school or college, and from that day forward I made a promise to myself: I would stop trying to be what I thought I was supposed to be and fully commit to my true,
unfiltered self.
That same belief drives my work today.
The strongest marketing doesn't come from performing perfection. It comes from brands being brave enough to show up as their authentic selves. Because when the energy is real, people don’t just see it.
They feel it.