Why I Love Photography: Capturing the Moments That Matter

Some of my fondest childhood memories happened outside.

Camping with my family. Hiking. Exploring the woods. Wandering around with my cousins without really knowing where we were going and turning an ordinary day into an adventure.

One time, my cousin and I actually did get lost.

We wandered so far that my dad eventually called the police looking for us. Somehow, we ended up miles away from the house.

I can laugh about it now, but those are the kinds of memories that have stayed with me.

The adventures.

The people I was with.

The places we explored.

The completely unplanned moments that eventually became some of the stories we still remember.

I think that's part of why both nature and photography mean so much to me today.

There are so many real moments happening around us every day.

And I love capturing them.

Some Moments Only Happen Once

Photography gives me a way to hold onto a little piece of a moment that otherwise would have disappeared.

A certain light.

A storm forming over the mountains.

The colors of a sunset that only lasted a few minutes.

A flower growing somewhere I almost walked past.

A landscape that made me stop whatever I was doing just to look.

But some of my favorite photographs aren't landscapes at all.

They're people.

I often find myself taking someone's phone and offering to take their picture when I see them together somewhere beautiful.

Or I'll notice a moment between friends or family—the kind of natural, loving moment that nobody is posing for—and take a picture.

Sometimes I don't even send it to them until later.

There's something I love about being able to say, “I saw this moment, and I thought you should have it.”

Because those moments are priceless.

Years from now, we may not remember what we talked about that day or exactly where everyone was standing.

But a photograph can bring a piece of it back.

Nature Never Gives You the Same Photograph Twice

The same thing happens when I'm photographing nature.

You can return to the same mountain, trail or overlook a hundred times and never see exactly the same thing.

The clouds change.

The light changes.

The seasons change.

The landscape changes.

Sometimes you head outside hoping for an incredible sunset and almost nothing happens.

Other times you aren't looking for anything at all, and suddenly the entire sky lights up.

Those unexpected moments are some of my favorites.

There's something special about realizing that what you're looking at is temporary.

A few minutes later, the light will be different.

The clouds will have moved.

The storm will have passed.

The sun will have disappeared behind the mountain.

So I take the photograph.

Photography Makes Me Pay Attention

Photography has taught me to notice things I might otherwise walk right past.

When I'm carrying a camera, I'm looking differently.

I'm paying attention to the way light moves through trees.

I'm noticing reflections in water.

I'm watching the clouds.

I'm looking at the shapes of mountains, the texture of bark, the details of a flower, and the colors that appear right before the sun disappears.

But I've also learned that I don't always need the perfect camera or perfect conditions.

Sometimes the most important photograph is simply the one I was there to take.

Because photography isn't only about creating a technically perfect image.

It's about seeing something.

Feeling something.

And deciding that moment is worth remembering.

The Outdoors Still Feels Like Home

When I think about those childhood adventures with my family, it makes sense that I'm still drawn toward the outdoors.

The scenery has changed over the years, but that feeling hasn't.

There's still something exciting about heading somewhere without knowing exactly what I'm going to find.

I love mountains for their scale.

I love forests because there's always something beyond the next turn.

I love watching storms develop.

I love sunsets because you can watch the entire landscape change in minutes.

And sometimes I love simply walking around with my camera and seeing what catches my attention.

That's why so much of my photography includes mountains, forests, sunsets, storms, flowers, wildlife and other parts of the natural world.

Those are the places where I feel most like myself.

Not Every Photograph Needs to Become Something Else

As Stems from Love has evolved, some of my photography has started becoming inspiration for my artwork and apparel.

I love that process.

A photograph of a mountain, tree, flower or sunrise can eventually inspire something completely different.

But I don't want every photograph I take to have to become a product.

Sometimes I photograph something simply because it's beautiful.

Sometimes because I want to remember where I was.

Sometimes because I want someone else to remember.

And sometimes because being outside with my camera is exactly where I want to be.

I think it's important for me to keep that part of photography.

Creating without always asking what something needs to become.

Sharing the Way I See the World

When someone looks at one of my photographs, they're seeing a moment through my eyes.

They weren't standing where I was standing.

They didn't see the clouds moving in or watch the light change.

They didn't know what happened five minutes before or five minutes afterward.

But for one instant, we get to share the same view.

That's one of the reasons I've chosen to offer some of my original nature and landscape photography as prints through Stems from Love.

Someone else may look at one of those photographs and see something completely different than I do.

Maybe it reminds them of somewhere they've been.

Maybe it's somewhere they'd like to go.

Maybe it brings back a memory.

Maybe it gives them a feeling of peace.

Or maybe they simply think it's beautiful.

I love that.

Because once I share a photograph, the moment doesn't have to belong only to me anymore.

The Moments Are What Matter

The older I get, the more I realize how quickly life moves.

People change.

Kids grow up.

Families change.

We move.

We meet new people.

We lose people.

Places change.

And ordinary days that didn't seem particularly important at the time can eventually become memories we'd give almost anything to experience one more time.

That's why I take so many pictures.

Not because every photograph needs to be perfect.

Because the moments are priceless.

I want the mountains and sunsets.

But I also want the laughter.

The adventures.

The people I love.

The unexpected moments nobody planned.

And maybe even the occasional childhood adventure where you wander a little too far into the forest and your dad has to call the police.

Those are the stories that make a life.

And if I can capture even a little piece of them along the way, I will.

— Stems from Love