I am a brand, lifestyle, portrait, and documentary photographer based in NJ. Originally trained as a full stack web developer I wanted to mix both worlds. Sometimes coding can be very isolating. So I decided to find a hobby that would allow me to connect more with the outside world. I found that photography let me explore the world away from the screen. It's great that I am still using coding skills to become a better photographer. Coders are very resourceful and I have learned that it has helped with my photography learning curve. I purchased a Canon Rebel T7 Most of my gear is beginner gear and most of my accessories are budget accessories.

When it comes to what I am doing I decided to deviate from the traditional route of editing and using environments like Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom. Now, it's not that these are not great. Of course, they are! They are industry standards for editing, organizing, and more. I, however, am very frugal ( the Adobe Cloud Suite is $79.99 per month), and also I am just an amateur, I need room to learn before splurging. I knew there were available alternatives. Yes, I know you are thinking about other photo editors and phone apps to edit a photo and those apps are great for Instagram edits which is the way most people will see my content, but I wanted to be able to manipulate an image in the same way as Adobe and learn to edit almost professionally. I did some research and found a few open-source apps I have been using to edit and sort my pictures. I am currently learning how to use GIMP for picture editing DarkTable to edit, cull, and add my watermarks, and I am using Inkscape to make my watermarks. GIMP is the editing app that I have fallen in love with. It is just powerful and extensive as Photoshop BUT IT IS FREE!!! I am learning how to use GIMP now and it is really quite impressive. I think it is a little intimidating for someone who does not have my background because it is less automated than the Adobe Cloud Apps. But there are a lot of great tutorials and online classes that have really helped. I love how DarkTable is like Lightroom, where I can organize my pictures and do some batch editing as well.

“Curiosity is gluttony. To see is to devour.” ― Victor Hugo, Les Misérables