personal

Blair Bunting Train Photo

Photography and The Art of Moving Forward

The tracks begin to ring. I listen closely with the engine roaring louder and louder as each second passes and ready my camera... my finger resting steady on the shutter.

The Value of Self-Assigned Work as a Professional Photographer

Commercial photography is as saturated a marketplace as any these days. With such stiff competition, it’s no wonder brands are raising the bar on those of us trying to break our way into the industry. No experience? No thanks.

When COVID-19 Hits Home

Weeks ago, when we all started to lock ourselves in our homes and started to live new, confined lives, we thought we would be safe. Early February, I bought gloves and masks for what was feared to come. We talked about safe practices and social distancing, and we believed everything would be all right.

How Emotions Mold the Art We Create

Have you ever wondered why the images you created a few years ago look very different from the pictures you are taking now? Chances are you became a better photographer. You trained your eye and you got better at post-processing. But I am not talking about the craft. I am talking about the art behind photography. The art that feeds off your emotions.

20 Square Meters: A Summer of Photos on My Patio as a Creativity Challenge

The great photographer Jay Maisel used to talk about color, light, and gesture being three essential elements of a great image. With 20 square meters, my goal was to create a body of imagery that transports viewers into the scene and allows them to imagine the whole range of smells and sensations of a summer outdoors.

Consistent Players: My Portrait of Tim Tebow

There are certain people that seem to play a consistent role in your life. I'm not talking about friends or family -- being part of your life is in their job description. I mean people that seem to always be around. People you know in passing. A name that keeps popping up. A face you recognize from days gone. For me, that person is -- oddly enough -- Tim Tebow.

My Dad’s Chair

My parents bought this chair and a matching couch not long after they were married in 1951. This was my dad’s chair. If you were sitting in it when he walked into the room he gave you the friendly thumb twist, which simply meant: get up.

Photo Essay: My Road to Recovery from Traumatic Brain Injury

My name is Trevor Gavin and I'm a photographer based near San Francisco. I'd like to share a very personal story of my darkest time. It’s a part of my healing and a part of moving on. It’s the only way I know how to express my emotions.

The Snowball Effect: Transitioning from a Hobbyist to a Full Time Photographer

I started getting into photography when I was in my mid-to-late teens. I bought a 35mm Minolta XG7 at a local yard sale during my freshman year, and around the same time I took a 3 week summer darkroom course at a local community college. I got really in to it, but when I finally finished high school I went straight into the workforce. I jumped around various manual labor and retail jobs until I was 21. This is when I got married, and shortly thereafter I began considering the distant possibility of making a career out of my hobby.

10 Ways Photography Can Change Your Life (It Changed Mine)

I have always been interested in photos. When I was younger, I used to pore through drawers of photos and photo albums that my parents made, looking at them, rearranging them and remembering the moment that they were taken.

I loved those photos. When I went to college and returned home for holidays and summers, I would always return to those drawers, collect the photos to view the new ones and to catch up on everything that had happened while I was away. When I looked at the pictures, I tried to imagine myself there and what I would have been doing at that time.