I’m sitting here at 41—turning 42 this year—having just left a full-time job, and in many ways, I feel like I’m just getting started.
It all began back in college. I was living in Israel during my sophomore year when I picked up a camera for the first time. I didn’t plan to fall in love with photography—I just wanted to document the trip. But my buddy Matt and I had a blast capturing images, and something in me lit up. I was hooked.
The rest of college was spent chasing that spark. I dove headfirst into photography—frustrated often, trying to figure out how to translate what I saw in my mind into an image through the lens. But those early struggles laid the groundwork. Fast forward 18 years: I had built a successful commercial photography business. The work was exciting. I was starting to see real traction.
Then came July 2022. I had just wrapped up a contract with a cycling apparel brand and was back in the commercial photography world full time. Life was good. And video? That wasn’t even on my radar. I actually turned to my wife and said, “You couldn’t pay me to do video.”
At the time, everyone was talking about video, and AI was starting to buzz. But I was stubborn. I wasn’t interested. I was a photographer.
Then a few months later, an agency reached out. Or maybe I reached out to them—I can’t remember exactly. Either way, I was looking for stills work. They didn’t have any. But they did have a video project that needed a tighter budget than their usual production house could accommodate. They asked me if I did video.
And in true creative fashion, I said, “Sure, I do video.”
I didn’t really. But I figured it out. I called friends, did my research, put together a proposal—and they accepted. It was for an internal marketing piece at an insurance company. Not exactly a sexy brief. Honestly, it was the part of the project I was least excited about.
But when the project wrapped, it was the part I was most passionate about.
Something clicked. Sitting down, listening to someone’s story on camera—there was something powerful there. It wasn’t just about the visuals anymore. It was about connection. Truth. Empathy.
Looking back, I realized this is what I’d been chasing all along with photography. I wanted to tell stories. But I’d constantly hand clients a cohesive narrative in photos… only to watch them pull it apart, use pieces out of context, and lose the thread of the story we had created.
With video, that story held. It was whole. It was human.
That one small internal video unlocked something in me.
By February 2023, I had completed my first short-form documentary. I enrolled in The Art of Documentary. I bought a Canon C70. And I dove in headfirst. I didn’t look back.
Now, this is my life’s work. I tell stories—true stories—that help people rethink what they believe about themselves and the world. Stories that connect. Stories that move.
That’s why I’ve launched Josh Loves Light. That’s why I’m pursuing nonprofits and mission-driven brands. Because statistics and data are valuable—but stories are what make people care.
I want to take your numbers and give them a heartbeat.
So yeah, when I said to my wife, “You couldn’t pay me to do video,” I guess the joke’s on me.
Because here I am. Camera rolling. Heart wide open. Telling stories that matter.
Until next time,
—Josh
