20 Years

 It's an anniversary. Two decades, twenty years, or 7300 days; that's how long it's been since I quit my job and decided on being a photographer full time.

 The last 5 years of my career as a bartender was a quick nosedive into despair. So much so that a barely remember the last year of it. I hated where I worked but it's funny what you can tolerate when the money is great. But this nightclub was rapidly nearing the end of "good". So I began to loath the place, the owners, and my coworkers. I seriously doubt a night didn't go by where I did not have at least a half bottle of Whiskey or Scotch in me. In the end, it wasn't enough to get me through a shift. I wanted out. I wanted to do something more creative than destructive, and getting people drunk for a living, including myself was destructive. So one night I reached my limit, the end of a bottle, and I walked out at the end of my shift and never looked back.

  Shortly after I was free, I walked into Calumet Camera store and purchased what I considered my first real digital camera, the Nikon D70. A few months later, at the end of 2005 I bought my first Ricoh GRD camera. At the time I considered the Nikon D70 a serious camera, so I wanted a serious project, but no people. For the next couple of years I had a hatred of people, thanks to tending bar, and the last thing that I wanted to do was photograph them.

  I use to do my best thinking while sitting on my lofts fire escape, and the solution to my project was right in front of me; the Ben Franklin Bridge. I mean right in front of me, the bridge was 300 feet from my door.

  My career was off with a bang and I quickly began to get recognition for my work. A solo exhibition, a few group shows, I was included in several auctions where my photos were always in a bidding war, the inclusion in the most prestigious black and white photography magazine Lens Work, several newspaper articles, a digital exhibition in Chile, and more. Best of all, people wanted my photos hanging on their walls, including the Wharton School of Business and the owner of the Philadelphia Eagles. Prints were selling well, even in Europe, Japan, South America, and Australia. This was a dream come true.

  My first ten years was fantastic, the following four was ok, but the last six has been a struggle. Even though it's been extremely tough as of late and I've seem to have slipped off the world of photography's radar, I can't imagine doing anything else. For the last 7300 days, I don't think I've taken more than 14 - 21 days off. And they were because of having Covid twice and then emergency surgery. 8 to 12 hours of every day is occupied with my photography. Hopefully there's another 7300 days in front of me.