I have spent the last months trying to dissect my path as a photographer. It has not been easy to separate the documentarian, from the quasi-artist, from the man who wants to establish a business, and he who is fascinated with life itself.

Back in 2013 I set out to film a documentary that would get me to the award shows. I sold my car to buy gear to make my vision come to life. I had great ambition, and drive. However, gear, ambition, and drive, do not a documentarian make. I was inexperienced and a little foolish.

By definition, a photographer is: “A person who takes photographs, especially as a job.” It is interesting to me that, in a sense, a photographer is merely a person who takes photographs. Under that definition, a very large percentage of people in the contemporary world are—in fact—photographers. However, I think that most would agree with me that there is more to being a photographer than just being the person behind the camera.