So folks sometimes ask me how I got into photography.... Well I always tell them I learned how to edit over 15+ years ago. See while I was your typical BROKE college kid, I learned about something called OPEN SOURCE software. To those that don't know its FREE software it has most functions and features of the paid software we use today. I didn’t party much in my early years of college. Instead I’d sit in my dorm room most weekends and find new software to play with and learn. I looked at it like those were my new toys or new pair of shoes.
To take my mind away from being homesick, I would go to NFL.com and save photos of the players from the games. Then I would edit them; cutting out the players and switching up the backgrounds. Like everything else, my skills got better over time just doing something that I enjoyed. It was a happy reprieve to go from coding and looking at blank screens of 1’s and 0’s literally. This was something I could do for fun to be creative.
See when I say I was homesick I really felt it on Sundays when I couldn’t watch my team.
You would never know this but Orlando is a Tampa(Bucs) and Miami(Dolphins) heavy market so I would have to go or call every bar in the UCF area asking if they had NFL ticket and/or if they were playing the Jags games that upcoming weekend. Which often depended on WHO the Jags playing more than the Jags themselves.
Anyway digging through some ancient files I found some super old edits I figured I'd share. I’ve always enjoyed art, imagery, cool videos, electronics and what not but who knew in 2003 it would turn into what it has become today. Around 2015ish i was still editing things and creating while living life. The problem I would always run into was I can't do anything with the things I've created without permission by the original owner approving it. I said to myself “Sir you need to own the end product from start to finish” and thus began this journey. The last step was learning how to work a camera. It took about 2 years (2015-2017) but through trial and error the outcomes have really been rewarding and such a joy. One of my Uncle’s said it best, “God gave you a gift and PRAISE GOD for that”.
See some of my first edits below and a few extras as a fan (not a photographer) on the sidelines during some old training camps. circa ~2007 ~2008
Enjoy….
