The very first image

I took a trip home to surprise my dad for his 70th birthday.

While I was there, I went through my old box of stuff. Everyone still has one of those at their folks house, right? A time capsule of my teenage years, filled with bits and pieces of who I was. Mine is packed with photos, sheet music from my high school band days - concert band, jazz band, pit band (yes, I was a band geek) - along with small trinkets tied to key memories.

But what stood out the most? Piles of negatives, darkroom prints, and test strips from when I first fell in love with photography.

Among them, I found the very first photo I ever took. Back in grade 9, my dad gave me my first SLR camera. Instead of pointing it at the dog, a tree, or a person, I grabbed my brother’s toys - a GI Joe and a car - set them up on the driveway, and took my shot. Without even realizing it, I had chosen still life.

At the time, I didn’t think much of that first photo - just a kid experimenting with a camera. But now, standing where I am in my career, I see it differently. That moment was more than just a first image; it was an instinct, a pull toward the kind of photography I was meant to do. Even before I understood lighting, composition, or the artistry of making objects come alive, something in me already knew.

Photography has taken me in many directions over the years, but still life has always felt like home. And in some ways, it’s what I’ve been chasing since that first photo in my parents' driveway.

Funny how life has a way of circling back to where we started.