Since 2011 I’ve been interested in the art of photography, starting with a Black and White development class in High School. (Nikon Z70 Link) It taught me the importance of shot count and not just spraying and hoping for the best, to be as intentional as you can be. Then again there are moments when you’re in a car going down a mountain and you can’t stop and take pictures. (Colorado-2022) I got to understand how these old-fashioned cameras work, and even develop photos in a dark room. We’d receive several photo assignments throughout the semester and were expected to process the photos on our own and put together a unique set of images. The most interesting part of the process was when the images were beamed from the film onto this special paper, soaked in several chemical baths, and then watching the photo slowly appear like magic. It was honestly a great way to get exposed to this art, and all the different forms it can take. For me taking photos is all about cementing a unique moment in time of the events that took place that day, whether it’s a game-winning catch, a charity event, or even a trip. I believe that all the moments we experience in life are worth that little click of the camera, and not just for display but for that laugh or smile it may bring in the future. Here are some of my shots from High School 😅.
But even after taking that B&W class I still wasn’t fully sold on the whole photography thing. I remember my parents getting me a Nikon D3000 kit from Walmart which helped me venture outside the B&W world into a digital format. But it was when I got to college that it started, I jumped right into sports photography for my ultimate frisbee team for almost all of our tournaments. Plus, the added factor of having your teammates waiting to see your pictures and share them! Can’t tell you how many profile pictures were updated, and that gave my work a different sense of importance. I eventually upgraded from the standard Kit lens to a 70-300mm Tamron lens to get me closer to the action and for remainder of our seasons (2017-19) when I wasn’t actively playing on the field, I captured hundreds of photos of my team and I enjoyed every second of it. (photo number) Plus, I even got to do some product photography with our jerseys and even spring break photoshoots for the entire men’s and women’s teams.
Although it was a bump in interest, I still didn’t see any further application other than just sports for some reason. So, what was the real catalyst? At the end of 2018 while I was planning a Thanksgiving trip to Chelsea, NY with a friend from High School. Days before I left, the trip came up in conversation most likely over a freaking Facebook messenger call 🙄, and you can say I was nudged to start exploring past sports photography. More like coerced into bringing my camera along for the trip, because Porque no Los dos. Fast forward a bit, I had arrived at the hotel a bit earlier and decided to start walking around with my camera, listening to music, and trying to kill some time. In life sometimes there are these harmonizing moments when everything just feels right, this was one of them. And maybe it was the fumes from the sewage, but it was something I hadn’t felt with a camera in my hand before. Not focusing on a specific subject but just the environment as a whole, and watching it change and capturing its fluidity.
One thing I’ll never forget is the first portrait I took, which was of this random girl that just walked up to me that same day and was like “Hey do you want to take a photo of me?”. It was blurry and out of focus may be due to nerves 😐 or just not knowing the focal distance for the 70-300mm lens I had. But it was the first portrait I had ever taken, and despite it being horrible I was excited that I had the opportunity to take it. Thank you for that, and hope you’re doing well!
HERE IS THAT IMAGE
After that, all those feelings and that little encounter were enough to push me over the edge to explore photography outside of just sports. Capturing moments, places, and people that could speak volumes outside of the normalized aspect of photography. Pictures that could make people think or wonder about the circumstances of the subject of the shot and maybe even my thought process. Although not all photography is like that, a majority is planned and crafted but for me, my first love was street photography. The only thing left to do was to decide on what to do with all the images I captured, and how I wanted to present my work to others. The name didn’t come to me until later but after having an amazing Thanksgiving with family and friends in the concrete Jungle I knew I needed to come up with something. That whole trip was an experience that I’ll never forget because it pushed me to start @iCanShootToo and share my work. Everything that you may see on the site came through word of mouth or just messaging/emailing companies about pro bono work until I felt comfortable enough to provide my newfound passion as an official service. The name while it may be interpreted in several different ways, in my mind it’s exclaiming to the world that HEY! I can be a photographer too despite my experience I’m willing to learn and test the boundaries of the photographic world for you. Since then, I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to work with several amazing clients over the years and learn more and more about the art of photography.
