Since graduating from Syracuse University, I've been living out of a school bus with two friends traveling the country making media for small businesses as part of Out There Productions. The project has been a hands-on learning experience examining how others survive all across our country, and how culture and location changes our outlook on life. I'd recommend living in a bus to every new college grad. It's really helped me learn how to be a fully functioning human.

The best thing about being a human in the real world instead of stuck in school is doing what I'm passionate about all the time. In my mind, photography is an awesome art that brings together the humanness of genuine moments, and the beauty of the world we all live in. I do it a lot out of my school bus home. As an homage to how much photography rocks, here are some photographs I made of rocks (and one of a man named Trevor's back).

I've been making photographs for a long time, but my camera takes video too. My bus friends and I decided to have people pay us to make those instead. What a great idea! The videos always come out so well and everyone is happy. I love making videos for people too. 

Of course, I haven't lived too long yet, but in the short amount of time I've experienced I've learned one pretty dynamic thing: stuff changes. I think that's why I enjoy times like autumn so much. The changing leaves scream out that fact of life — stuff changes, and it's gorgeous when they do.

If I'm to afford groceries as a real adult I can't just make things for free. When people pay my to make photographs, it's usually of things they sell. Sometimes executive boards sell things, and sometimes executives sell boards. I prefer working with the latter.

I've met a lot of people so far in adulthood. When I was lucky some of those people asked me to make photographs of themselves. That's when it gets really fun because people can make so many different faces compared to inanimate objects. It's a bit trickier, but way more fun to work on those projects.

When my photographs are of what people sell, I usually set up someplace outside. One time someone was selling a big portable battery that looked like a blue Camtainer. That was really awesome because I could charge my extra camera battery during the shoot and make even more photographs of their battery.

Of course, living in a bus means you get to travel to a lot of places. I generally prefer spending my free time where there's no cell phone reception, but photographs of cities are awesome because there's always so much happening in every frame. They're also a good place for adulting because there's plenty of people around to pay you in cities.

In all those places we went in the bus, I tried to earn a media pass. 90% of the time a place gives out media passes, it's because they have cool things to show off. This one time my media pass let me take pictures of hot air balloons for free. That was fun, but it was even better than expected because they gave me free food.

When people started complimenting me on the photographs I made, I decided it was time to invest in a nicer camera. After that, people started complimenting me with money. I really appreciated that. I also appreciated my camera's ability to take pictures of things in the dark. It came in really handy whenever we left the cities and went where there were no street lights. I love my camera.

Most of the time I can drive my bus to photoshoots. Sometimes getting there is a bit more complicated. Thankfully, I'm pretty good at canoeing. I'm so good my camera doesn't even get wet. That's great for me because the photos I take on canoe trips I'm paid to lead are some of my favorites.

I'm a fan of the sun. Not for staring at, but for napping in and using to light my photographs. Sometimes people want to pay me to make photographs, but only ones that are inside in a studio. I usually remind them that I don't have a studio. In Fort Worth someone was really determined to give me money. They needed studio photographs, so I just made a studio out of some sheets. It was pretty interesting because they had me make photographs of a bunch of different models wearing scarves and pull-on sleeves they were selling.

Every photographer will tell you it's all about lighting. Lighting lighting lighting (sorry, it's a fun word to type). Anyway, pinball machines have a ton of lights on them! I made a bunch of photos of some in Albuquerque, NM and then the guy running the event gave me money for them! In a strange twist, he also gave the winner of all the pinball rounds a skateboard (awesome, right? I told you I prefer projects involving skateboards).

The ocean has always captivated my camera. Water can capture so many different feelings and emotions. It's power, fury, peace, serenity, emptiness, vastness, and shape adds so much to every frame that I can't help but shoot it every time I see it.

I never really know where I'll end up next. My personality, my photography, and my perspectives push me towards change and travel. A few physical and metaphorical lighthouses have guided me to where I am now, and I only wish that you be the next lighthouse guiding me to safe harbor in the port of my next adventure. See you there!