Taking a day off from our adventure journal (today was a travel day.) to share some excitement, at least for me, it is. I was waiting to share this news with everyone until it was official, and it is now - The Issue is finally done!

I had my first article published in the Journal of Wildlife Photography- Spring 2021 edition. Which is something I am humbled and honored to be a part of, especially since there are so many great shooters who write for this magazine.

Last year while I was chatting with the publisher of the Journal, Jared Lloyd, he asked me if I would be interested in writing for them. I said, "sure, sounds fun." Of course, I thought he was saying it in passing, as we discussed trips and diving and photography, and I figured that maybe he would forget about it since we chatted about quite a few things that day. Well, he was serious about it, and a few months later, the managing editor of the Journal, Jamie Banjak, emailed me to discuss the details on what kind of article I was going to write. My mind went numb, and I was lost for what to say exactly. I was stunned that they still wanted me to write for them, to be honest with you.

The reason is I suffer from imposter syndrome. Not sure why I do, especially after all these years working as a professional photographer, but I do. I look at my work with such a critical eye and am always concerned that it is just not good enough. I asked myself - Is my work good enough to be in this publication filled with such talented artists?

A personal goal of mine has always been to have my work published in National Geographic magazine. Of course, that is every wildlife photographer's dream. It is such a high goal, and the talent level in that publication is insane, so my work needs to be at that level if I want to fulfill that achievement. This is why I have always been so self critical of my work—constantly questioning if it is good enough for the big leagues?

One of the images chosen for the article.

Fast forward to the writing request from the JOWP, and I am super nervous because this is a high-quality magazine written and edited by wildlife photographers for wildlife photographers. The images in this publication are amazing and Nat Geo quality.

Then I start thinking, how am I going to write this article? I don't speak camera. I know how to use it and how to change settings, but I don't speak camera nerd at all, and this is important when writing for a photography magazine. I made this clear to Jamie, and she said I would be fine, that some of their best articles are written in layman's terms. So that helped calm my nerves there.

They wanted an underwater photography article. I automatically knew what I wanted to write. The one subject that is not covered enough is shooting using natural light. The first thing is because most professional shooters always crap on it. I have always enjoyed it - I love the freedom that comes with it, and it has forced me to become a better shooter because of it. So even though most pros, shit on it, I feel passionately that this style of photography can be amazing if its done right.

So fast forward to yesterday and seeing my work published in this Journal. I was filled with pride, seeing my work there. Of course, when I first opened it up and saw all the other images, I was automatically overcome with imposter syndrome instantly because the photos in this issue are so freaking amazing.

However, I must say that when I got to my article, I was thrilled with how the images looked and the pieces chosen for the story. I felt like maybe I wasn't an imposter after all… and maybe one day soon, my images will be ready for that coveted magazine with the Yellow Rectangle.

The only way to find out is to keep shooting and writing.

Thank you for reading!