Something surprising happened when I inherited a cheap Brownie camera as a youngster. I had tended to live inside my own thoughts, but taking pictures forced me to look outward and observe my subjects as closely as possible. This creative urge finally lured an introverted kid out of his own head. At sixteen I splurged on a real camera — a Canon TLb. Ever since, photography has taken me outside, to travel and explore. Wherever I go, it still keeps me looking closer.