I’ve always been fascinated by the natural world, so it’s no surprise that photographing severe weather eventually led me to wildlife photography. My first wildlife trip was to Yellowstone in the dead of winter. With temperatures a balmy -25°F, it made for challenging conditions to learn an entirely new style of photography — with new equipment to match.

Much like my first time storm chasing, those early photos weren’t much to look at. But I learned quickly. After a few long days in the field, I started feeling more comfortable with this new form of photography. And then it happened.

On our last day in the snow coach, just as the light was beginning to fade, we spotted a black wolf. We quickly exited the vehicle and dropped into a snowbank along the side of the road. He trotted toward us, stopping just twenty meters away. He lowered his head, yellow eyes fixed on us as if posing for a photo, before disappearing into the brush.

That did it. Just like storm chasing — I was hooked.

I used to say I was a photographer who specialized in weather and wildlife — and for a short time, that was true. But it didn’t stay that way for long. Next, it was voodoo in West Africa. Then urban scenes in the streets of Tokyo.

One of the most pivotal moments in my photography happened just fifteen minutes from my front door, when protestors clashed with immigration agents at a local federal detention center in Chicago. That single incident sparked a months-long project documenting immigration raids across the city and, once again, introduced me to a new form of photography I grew to love: photojournalism.

That’s the beautiful thing about photography — it’s endless. There’s no shortage of styles or stories to explore. You’re forever a student, and that’s what continues to draw me in every day.

It’s a craft that’s reshaped my worldview and how I move through life, and I’m forever grateful for that first moment I picked up a camera and chose to learn rather than quit.