My 100th Instagram Post

Ok, so not really. Technically my 100th post was two weeks ago, but here's my 102nd post.

Reaching post 100 is honestly crazy. I started this account a little over one year ago to document my progress in photography in the hopes that I would be able to use it to look back and track my growth. Wow...I can certainly do that. A quick scroll through my feed reveals different presets, styles, and even types of photography. I began shooting random candids for my school's senior trip, worship sets at my church, and other portraits of my friends. I had a weird black and white season of editing where I let the reds come through—and of course, so many random shoots with my buddy, Cort.

And then I made it to DBU. When I first got here my pride was off the charts. I was scheduled to be shooting for Ben Rector in a couple of months and I believed that I deserved it. I believed I was that good when in reality it was just a blessing that I even had the opportunity. 

Because of that confidence (deserved or not) I brought my camera out to DBU's Welcome Back Party and shot photos of the band: Gable Price and Friends. Technically, I should not have done that without permission, but no one stopped me. Gable loved the photos and reached out as soon as I posted them.

Not long after that, God humbled me fast. Ben's show got canceled and I lost everything that I had built myself upon. I had put my entire identity into that shoot and it was gone in a second. Confused and disappointed, I stopped shooting for two months and tried to figure out what I wanted to do next.

Then came Skillet, my first "official" concert shoot. I shot that first "official" concert exactly one year ago on Thursday. It was crazy, and I was pretty overwhelmed. I was nervous and had no idea what I could or couldn't do. The entire time I kept expecting someone to get onto me or tell me I couldn't be there. The photos came out decent, however, and I slowly began to build my brand.

Over that semester I would only shoot one other concert: Kolby Cooper. I traveled to College Station and got more experience in the concert world. I worked on angles, and different camera settings, and tried to tell the story of the night the best I could. That story is crazy in itself—see my previous blog: The Longest Night.

Life was rough with some personal issues for a few months after that and I wouldn't post any more concert content until March of the next semester. Grady Spencer and the Work brought me out and it was probably the hardest concert I had shot up to that point. The lighting was terrible and so I had to try out new methods like long exposure shots. That being said, they were spectacular images. To this day I consider them some of my best work.

After I sent Grady the images, he sent me the kindest email I have probably ever received and just encouraged me as an artist. It was something that I really needed and he probably had no idea was so important to me. One of the four images I have hanging on my wall is from that concert.

Following that, I began to land bigger and bigger gigs and I continued to gain experience in the industry: Clairo, James Arthur, AJR, etc. I was so blessed to have so many amazing opportunities.

But what now?

After spending the summer off, my business lost a lot of momentum and I've taken a small step back from shooting. However, I am super excited about the projects that I am currently working on. One of those projects includes a magazine featuring stories and images from some of my concerts last year. It's still a work in progress, but I hope to have it out by December in Dallas coffee shops. It has been so fun to work on as I have interviewed different artists over the phone.

This season of my life looks wildly different than the last. I used to chase gigs all over the place, whereas now I have a few projects that I am working on. However, I believe that I am creating my best work right now. I have no idea what lies in the future because I would never have imagined I would be where I am now.

I'm reminded of Proverbs 27.

"Don't brag about tomorrow, since you don't know what the day will bring. Let someone else praise you, not your own mouth—a stranger, not your own lips."  -Proverbs 27: 1-2

When I began photography, I felt a desire to prove myself. I felt like I needed to be the best always. People needed to know who I was and what I did. I constantly brought up my accomplishments and, honestly, was so filled with pride. It took God taking away what I wanted the most for me to realize that it was a gift from Him the whole time. Losing the Ben Rector shoot was probably the best thing that could have happened to me. It forced me to realize who had given me my creative eye in the first place and made me question who I would use it for. Once God removed that idol from my heart, he gave photography back to me with a new perspective and used it in ways that I still cannot believe.

As for the future? I have no idea. I'm still chasing the dream, but it's a new dream. My future looks wildly different than it did when I started. New people, new passions, and new experiences have shaped me over this past year and I would be kidding myself if I said I knew what I would be doing in December, let alone a year from now. I'm sure I'll still be creating, but it may look a little different. I'm just thankful for the people around me who will let me discover whatever that may be.

-Luke