My dropout Story: How i Fell in Love with Photography after Losing my Job

Originally when I decided to pick up a camera again after a year hiatus, I had just left my job as a chef in a four star hotel in Montclair, New Jersey. It was a decent job, I made good money, had pretty good hours , but I knew something else was missing in my life. I felt like I needed to put something out there in the world, and simply put, I wasn’t getting that out of this job.

It all started January 1st 2025. The clock struck 12 and I had just finished working at the MC hotel working a 12 hour shift serving about 300 guests that night. I was laid off from work a month later because the business was really slow so I was on temporary unemployment. I had nothing but massive free time until June. I was at the point where I was contemplating is this (working in the food service industry) was really what I want to do with my life. I wasn't looking to find another job immediately, I wasn't trying to figure out what I wanted to to for the rest of my life; I needed to find something creative that would help pass the time.

It was incredibly daunting for me to have so much free time available out of nowhere. I didn't know what to do with myself. I'd finished books in less than a few days. Older pastimes that I’d enjoyed while working in corporate, like video games, I’d felt no interest in anymore. Then came the life-changing moment...

I got a call from my brother-in-law telling me he was looking to sell his old camera. It was a Canon EOS4000D; from my knowledge, nothing really to write home about. What I did know, though, was that if you wanted a beginner, entry level camera, this one was it.

It made me push myself to REALLY learn the basics on standard photography. If I wanted to become a better for photographer and videographer with this camera, I knew I had to do two things: study, and practice. I knew I had to take action immediately if I wanted to improve.

So that’s what did. I was studying non-stop from January-March. I finally picked up my camera and started going to Kingdom Gym in New Jersey for practice shoots, and that’s where I was really in the baptism-by-fire process, just diving into it head on. It took me until the second or third shoot to get comfortable; my creative vision was finally getting attuned. I realized I had a creative eye for key visuals, and hearing that reassurance from other people was honestly surprising to me. So I buckled down, and captured as much photography and learned as much about photography as I possibly could.

8 months later, I am the Director of Photography and Videography for Another Corporate Dropout Agency, I can finally lock down clients of my own. I’ve been able to lock in 2 fitness models that really respect my creative eye and look forward to working with me, and that means the world to me.  It really validates that the work that I am doing is important and appreciated and I’m really honing my craft. 

I’m eternally grateful that I can pick up a camera and change my life for the better.