I was driving to a shoot recently with AC-DC playing, a band I listened to constantly when I first started playing guitar. Riff-heavy, driving, powerful, everything that works for a young musician finding his feet. And somewhere in that drive, a thought crept in.

There wasn't a specific memory that surfaced, more a connection. I was on my way to a paid photography shoot, listening to music from when I was fifteen or sixteen, a time when I was creative, ambitious, full of ideas, but working with minimal equipment. And it hit me, where I am now is way beyond what my younger self would have even imagined.

What Would Actually Surprise Him

It's a mix of things, really. It's the fact that people book me for photography work because they like what I do, and they like who I am as a person. That matters as much as the technical side. It's also the gear. There were times as a teen when I could barely afford the most basic equipment. Now I have gear that genuinely enhances what I create. It's easy to forget where you started, and that goes for both music and photography.

There's No Timeline

I don't think you ever really feel like you've made it. It's gradual. You build your clientele, you build your portfolio and it just develops… like film.

The strange thing is, there's no official timeline for any of this. Nobody hands you a schedule saying you'll get there in a year, or five years, or ten. It could happen in six months, it could take a decade. And that's exactly why it's worth trying, no matter your age. You could land incredible opportunities at any point, it's just about going for it because you love doing it.

What I'd Tell Him

If I could go back and speak to my teenage self or even me 15 years ago, I'd tell him to go for every opportunity that comes his way (which I feel I did, most of the time). I'd also tell him not to get so hung up on gear. Over the years I've spent a lot of time chasing the best equipment I could afford, and honestly, in the grand scheme of things, it doesn't matter as much as you think. Use what you've got until it dies.

I don't think I'd change anything else, though. Everything I've done has led to this exact moment, and I'm fortunate to be doing what I'm doing now. Any other path might not have brought me here. So really, I'd just tell him to keep being himself, and maybe just shift what he considers important along the way.

Gratitude, Wherever You're At

This is really about gratitude. Whether you're fifteen and thinking about your future, or you're my age and just starting out, or things aren't quite working the way you hoped, you've probably come further than you realise. Nobody really knows why we're here. But if you're doing the things you love, for the reasons that matter to you, that's the important part.

My Younger Self Wouldn't Believe This

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