Story Obsessed
If I want to help tell your story, it's only fair I share some of my own
Everyone has a story to tell
I grew up as one of the youngest cousins in a big extended family, and holiday gatherings have always been a lively affair. At the dinner table I learned that my favorite part of the season was hearing stories be told and watching my family laugh, cry, and cry from laughing. Since then I've been dedicated to helping others tell their stories, at first with my academic pursuits, and then with my love of cameras and the magic they can create. Here's some of my personal story.
I finish high school in Arlington, VA and head to Boston, attending college studying Sociology at Northeastern University. Boston is cold, both in temperature and in folks' demeanor. I get used to the temperature.
I meet my partner in fall of 2019 because of Twitter (RIP) and Dungeons & Dragons. We fall in love quickly, which is confusing because they live in New York, and I wanna move back South.
I come home in 2020 to finish my undergrad degree remotely. For their safety, my partner leaves New York to tag along. They encourage me to take a leap of faith and make a listing for my photography on the web for the first time.
Fast forward a few months, and they're in love with Virginia now too. Jess is finally out of a lease in Brooklyn, so we rent an old house in Richmond. We get a Christmas tree that's Jess' first live one. I work on a masters degree while my hair gets longer and longer.
I shoot some small, masked weddings until the vaccine becomes available. I get some fun summer and fall weddings while I work my new job with the state government. Jess is able to navigate the complex healthcare requirements and schedule top surgery - and the results immediately create joy.
We have a hectic 2022, filled with illnesses, hard times, and job loss. The wedding industry keeps me afloat, and we make great friends. I do my best to bring the big smiles and eye for photography to every gig. We round out the year in a house we've made our own, in a city we've fallen in love with.
2023 is, frankly, brutally hard. Between some rough physical injuries and trying to split running a photography business with searching for a full time role, things aren't clicking. Despite that, it's really the year we find our people and feel like we finally have roots down in Richmond.
2024 is here and with it is an important development - taking the leap and making Bowler Images my full-time pursuit. Is it terrifying? Yes. Have I learned I'm built for this work and truly love it? Also yes.
2025 felt like a rollercoaster of negative world developments. Despite that, there were still lovely things happening. Year 2 of full-timing things went smoothly and I even brought on a mentee. Oh, and Jess and I got engaged!
I'm a lucky guy.
The pictures below are just some of the shots that captured life for me and Jess. I'd be a fool to take things for granted. In the past 7(!) years I've met my fiancé and rebuilt my life & the plans I had for it. That being said- everyone in our generation had their lives radically shifted by Covid, so I know I'm not alone in recognizing the challenges, lost opportunities, and constant concern the pandemic (that's not over!) brought with it. Like a lot of us though, Jess and I are holding our heads high as we carve out our place in the world.
Solidarity Forever,
Dan
