Why I Call Them Images

In my last post, I shared how I got started in photography — from pizza deliveries to chasing golden hour in the Arizona desert. This time, I want to talk about how I see things and why I make the choices I do. Spoiler alert: this isn’t a technical breakdown of camera settings. It’s about why I call them images (and yes, I’m going to keep saying it), why my colors are unapologetically “wet,” and why the process matters less than the feeling you get when you see the final piece.

This image (see what I did there?) isn’t a documentary. I’m not here to provide courtroom evidence of the Arizona desert. I’m here to share how it feels when I’m standing out there, chasing light and color.

If you like it, great. If you don’t like it, also great. How it was made doesn’t matter. People sometimes get hung up on whether an image is “edited” — but what’s the difference between a painting and a photograph? Just a different medium.

Every image — see, I can’t stop — ever taken has some form of an edit. What you left in. What you left out. The moment you frame the shot, you’re already making choices. Every type of film has its own color and light quirks. Every digital camera sensor sees the world a little differently. And every photographer interprets the scene through their own lens — literally and figuratively.

That’s why this isn’t a documentary or a news story. It’s my view. My experience. My wet colors. My “sunset juice” moments.

I do what I like. If you like it, great. If you don’t, great. The word image is in imagine, and that’s the whole point — to invite you to imagine the desert the way I see it. Thanks for being here and have fun!