So on the 28th of this month (Dec) I will be leaving the tiny island of Okinawa and leaving my beloved ball & chain the USMC behind to pursue my career as a photographer. I'm going into fashion, beauty, and editorial work leading with a conceptual and surreal style. I've been focusing hard over the last four years to do shoots, learn the needed skills, build my portfolio and buy enough equipment to have work that qualifies me as a professional photographer.
I've been in the military for 9 years now, it's 20 years until you're able to retire. I've had a few too many people tell me that "There is no work outside the military!" and "That you're stupid to give up such a career!" My thing is this. If nothing else the military teaches you two things.
1) To be very appreciative of the small things in life because you never know when they will be taken from you.
2) Life is fucking short!
With those two things in mind how could one expect me to stay in the military and not chase my dreams. The military takes me away from my friends and family, the things that are most precious to me in the world, and puts me directly in harms way. So I don't know why I am being criticized for deciding to leave behind a career that I don't even like to pursue something I love.
Although some would question my sanity, I like to think I would have to be insane to do anything other than follow my dreams! Whatever they may be. Right now I realize that if I'm not with my family I have to risk my life to feel alive, I need the adrenaline to keep me going. Family or ridiculously risky adventurers are the only two that keep strait. Luckily my wife is smart enough to know when I'm out of control and to reel me back in. .... okay maybe I'm beginning to share to much but Fuck it. I'll treat this damn thing like my journal, no one reads this crap anyway.
Well anyway, after almost my first deployment in 07' I realized I had a love for photography. Iraq was my first time being outsider the U.S. It was a blessing and a curse. Iraq was an enigma, we had great times, and we had shitty times, but once I returned I realized I had taken more photos than I had ever before in life. I looked at the photos and felt linked to the places where I had snapped them.
So now my goal is to be an outstanding photographer. I want to shoot for magazines, and for beauty, and advertisements. I'm excited about getting home and making it all happen.
Humiliating one another is just what we do!
Myself and some Iraqi kids we had just handed candy and food to.They were pretty cool kids, tough SOB's!
