Let’s start with the spoiler: My career pays for my house, my insurance, my 401(k), my gas, groceries, the roof repairs I’ve been putting off, and roughly 117 Pop-Tarts a month. (Give or take.)

And while I love photography — love capturing real moments, real faces, real laughs — I also really love having electricity and a retirement plan. So here’s the truth no one wants to put in bold on Instagram: Don’t quit your job for your passion if your job pays the bills.

That might not sound sexy. It might not sound like the dream-chasing, risk-taking, “build your empire” narrative we’re all sold online — but it's real. And it's sustainable. And if you play it right, it can be wildly fulfilling.

If you’ve ever tried to photograph a dog, you know the chaos.
The excitement.
The complete lack of regard for your fancy camera or careful posing.

It’s like photographing toddlers — only they can run faster and lick your lens

By day, I swim in spreadsheets. I juggle metrics. I crunch data. I have deep, impassioned arguments about qualitative vs. quantitative findings like it’s the championship round of a nerdy debate club. And honestly? I love it.

But I’d lose my mind if that was all I did.

That’s why I blog.

Let’s talk about the real MVPs of my personal development plan: Jude and Scarlett. Age four. Equal parts chaos and charm. They are wild, unpredictable, sticky-fingered bundles of pure energy — and also, low-key, the best training I’ve ever had for working with people of all ages.

People occasionally ask me about my lighting. Not like in a “teach me, oh wise one” kind of way — more like “what the heck are those blinking boxes doing on stands?” But either way, it's worth talking about. Because while natural light is a beautiful thing, it can also be rude, inconsistent, and gone before your clients even show up. Candidly, I prefer the ease of natural light for most shots — But off-camera flash is so useful for “sportraits.” Tastefully utilizing off-camera flash is an important tool to have in your bag and can level the playing field when natural light is being a jerk.