Mostly in Focus: Chasing Light at the Beginning of My Fine Art Journey

I'll be honest — I never expected to find myself on a path toward fine art photography. In fact, I came very close to canceling the workshop that ended up changing everything. The hotel was outrageously expensive, I felt guilty leaving my kids, and I wasn’t even sure I’d enjoy standing around in the cold waiting for the sun to do… whatever it is the sun does for photographers. But something in me said go — and I’m grateful I listened.

The Spark I Didn’t See Coming

My love for landscape photography didn’t begin behind a tripod. It started years ago inside a Peter Lik gallery in Las Vegas. One image — the Maroon Bells in peak autumn — stopped me in my tracks. I couldn’t afford it, but I bought it anyway, and it still hangs in my office. For years it quietly reminded me how powerful a photograph could be. I just didn’t know I would one day try to make those photographs myself.

Fast forward through more than a decade of building e-commerce websites for other people, and I started to feel that itch to create something of my own. I bought a camera with the intention of starting a travel YouTube channel about cruising, and while I quickly discovered that talking to a lens felt a bit awkward, I found myself drawn more and more to still images. That curiosity eventually led me to sign up for a fall photography workshop in Leavenworth, Washington — the one I almost backed out of.

The Workshop That Broke Me (and Made Me)

Nothing could have prepared me for the reality of landscape photography: freezing hands, numb feet, dust spots you don’t discover until after the trip, sideways rain, constantly swapping lenses, 4:30 a.m. alarms, hiking in the dark, and just the right amount of self-doubt to keep you humble.

There were moments I questioned my sanity.

But then I got home.

I loaded the images, opened Lightroom, and suddenly the exhaustion, the cold, and the discomfort became background noise. I caught myself saying, “Wait… did I actually take that?” One edit led to another. Then I binged YouTube tutorials. Then I edited more. Somewhere in that creative spiral, something clicked.

Realizing What I Wanted

Photography, I discovered, offers the perfect mix of challenge, adventure, and expression. It forced me outside — mentally and literally. It slowed me down, made me look closer, and reminded me how much beauty exists when we’re actually paying attention.

That was the moment I knew I wanted to pursue this seriously — to create fine art images that bring peace, wonder, and a sense of place into people’s homes.

Where This Journey Is Going

This blog will be my honest record of the process — not just the pretty side. I’ll share:

• Trip reports
• Behind-the-shot stories
• Lessons I’m learning the hard way
• My attempts to build a fine art photography business from scratch
• And soon, a YouTube series documenting the whole thing (successes, failures, and everything in between)

I don’t have it all figured out, but that’s the point. I want to bring you along as it’s happening — not after the fact in a polished highlight reel.

If you’re a photographer, an art lover, or just someone who enjoys following passion-driven projects, I hope this space connects with you. Thanks for being here at the beginning — wherever this leads.

Here’s to early alarms, cold fingers, unexpected beauty, and chasing light.

— Tim