I got the invite maybe two days beforehand. A van crammed with camera bags, outfit changes for the model, a box of nature valley bars, and a seat missing, where i decided would have the most space. The six of us filed in around 4:30 p.m. on a Wednesday and set out for the Wichita Mountains.

The Wichita’s are about an hour and a half away from Oklahoma City, where we set out from, and is compiled of some of the most cascading scenery Oklahoma has to offer on the way. Again, I sat in the space where the mechanics of where a seat once was. I leaned my head back and made small conversation as I watched the bricks and alleys spin around me to become sunset fields and radiant outlines.

We stopped to use the restroom at a station just outside the wildlife refuge. Once we entered the mountain range we decided to drive the whole way down to scope out our favorite spots to shoot. Many of us had been to the Wichita’s before, so we expected to see herds of buffalo. As were we talking about not spotting any, one showed himself behind the plains just off the road. We pulled over and gathered our things. Most of us left our bags, and only took our cameras. A group of four, myself included, made our way across the field towards the buffalo, while Michael and his friend from school John stayed behind.

As we made it about halfway across the field I could hear my father's voice inside of me; talking about buffalo charging and mauling people, as an 8 year old me marched beside him as we hiked around the buffalo in the Wichita’s years ago. I warned my newfound friends just in case, but none of us really seemed to mind.

I found a rock I could hop on and get some photos of the buffalo. Michael had packed up his bag and had just started into the field. John was satisfied riding his longboard down the hill we parked under. The other three were trying to flank the buffalo from our left behind a couple of lone trees.

As I looked through the viewfinder and adjusted my settings, I caught the buffalo raising his head. I made sure my exposure was correct and adjusted my color pallette, while the buffalo locked his eyes directly at me. I wondered what he was thinking.

“Leave me alone.”

“Charge!”

Hopefully from this rock I might be able to juke him out from above… probably not.

After some time the buffalo went back to his food, and I  got bored with the scene. The group of three stayed by the treeline, and i passed Michael as I walked back to the car to smoke a cigarette.

Near the exit of the field I ran into John. He was chewing on a piece of wheatgrass like the buffalo. I talked with him a bit, and found out he was a missionary child. He had moved around a lot as a kid, but right now was in school, and just accepted an internship for after he finished in Japan to be a photojournalist.

Oklahoma is Bible Belt country, so I tend to keep my beliefs, or lack of, to myself to not offend or soil any relationships. This works well sometimes for me, sometimes not so well. John was very religious, and I was extraordinarily confused, but for the few hours we spent in the Wichita’s it didn't matter. He didn’t try to “make sense” of what I was confused about.

I made it back to the van to participate in my habit, but about halfway through my cigarette everyone had made their way back. We took a few photos near our parking, then turned around to stop at a creek we saw on the way.

We pulled over into a small ditch covered in soppy grass. We all got out and grabbed our gear. We walked through the trees to where the dirt and leaves turned into rocks, and rolled down into a small, still creek. I stuck with Dalty mostly, one of the other photographers. Dalty, or Dalton, was an IPhone photographer, who was Instagram's top rated photographer to follow this year in Oklahoma. He lived in Guthrie, Oklahoma which is about an hour north of Oklahoma City. I asked him if I could take his portrait, ten stuck to his aesthetic most of the time we were at the creek.

We walked back to the van from the creek, and I posed for a few photos. From there we drove around the fields, kissed with blue hues by the moon. Valleys and small hills that swooped into the grand mountains we have in Oklahoma surrounded us. We headed towards a cove John knew of nar the water. When we ot there we say a large rock standing a perfect viewpoint just over the lake. There large slants of rocks we could hike up, and a few small patches of wildflowers. I climbed the rock with John as the other ventured around.

While we were at the cove I got out of myself a little bit. I had just returned from a train ride to San Antonio to see my parents for easter, and the week before that I had developed a gnarly cold I was still recovering from. But something about feeling the crisp winds of the plains while you’re running about the rocks and fields, with such talented company to push your creativity, it made me feel like I was ten years in the future.

At the cove I saw Michael taking pictures of Dylane, the model. I stood behind to watch what they were working on, and when Michael finished up he asked me if I wanted any shots. I stepped to a different angle than from where Michael was to see if I could think of anything to shoot. Dylane was wearing a black canvas coat, jean shorts, choco's, and no shirt underneath. I adjusted some colors and my exposure, and tried to focus on the composition. I was admittedly distracted by the outstanding scenery around me, and a little awkward finding my direction. I took a few photographs, and continued to move on.

The longer we stayed at the cove, the more I was flooded with ideas, and the more I wanted to learn about true adventure photography. After some time I saw everybody heading back to the van, and heard someone asking where I was at. We piled into the van then darted out as the sun was finally setting.

It was around 8:00 p.m now

As we drove around the main road that loops around the refuge, we started to get daring. The van we took belonged to John, and he was driving us at the moment. At some point Chloe, the videographer of the group, was trying to film out the van window, when John said we could slide open the back door. Not long after she did John somehow ended up outside the driver side door on his longboard, while Michael steered from the passenger seat. We were all shouting and laughing, having a good time. Dylane eventually ended up in the driver seat to accelerate faster so John could spin around on the curves. The entire time Chloe was filming

I had never met Chloe either. Before that day Michael was the only person I knew, and even he and I didn’t go back that far. Chloe worked at a coffee roastery, but was about to leave because Michael hired her on as the videographer for his media company. When we would all be shooting I would often find her in the background, quiet and capturing everyones movements and emotions. A few days after the trip, I was tagged in a short video on several of the accounts Chloe had access to. The video portrayed the entire mood of the trip.

It’s strange for me to live in the city. Oklahoma City is still small, but progressing at such pleasurable rates. I grew up an hour and a half southeast of the city in the woods. I got to grow up riding bicycles up and down the backroads, and laying back on the dead wheatgrass hills looking at the stars. As much as I love being an adult living in the city, I never forget that I can’t see all the goddamn stars here. Most of the people I met that day came from the Oklahoma City metro, with a few exceptions about twenty minutes away.

After living in the city for a couple of years, I remember going through a phase where I always felt exhausted. I couldn't put my finger on what I was feeling until someone took me out to a parking lot on the outskirts of Deer Creek. The parking lot sat up on a hill, so it had the same view of the OKC Skyline as some of the hills where I grew up. It was about a half mile West of where Lake Hefner Parkway turn into Portland Avenue towards Guthrie. The point being it’s far enough out to be quiet.

When an ex girlfriend of mine took me to that spot I felt relieved. I felt like my everyday life there were cars spinning, and people shouting, and work to do, things to get done, bills to pay, and emotions to feel! When I first stepped up on that hill I felt my entire world stop, and slow down into the drifting car lights wandering around the highways, all my problems fade into the glimmer of downtown, bursting into dark silhouettes as the stars construct a galaxy for you just above your head. You feel so close to the world, and so far from life.

When Michael invited me on the trip to the Wichita’s I left his message unread to think about what reasons I had to keep myself from going. I felt like shit still, and I was broke as a joke. I knew I could probably go, but I thought I should use the time to rest and budget. But when I thought about all of the things I would stress myself out with in the short time it would take to go to the Wichita's, I responded back immediately to confirm my “seat”.

The trip for me was to get out. I hadn't taken the time to venture out of the city in too long. It had been over a year since I had gone to the Wichita’s. It was clear very early on my intentions for going. I needed to get the fuck out, even if just for a handful of hours.

As the trip went on I found out that Michael and Chloe ha planned the trip for close to the same reason. They had some time off and just wanted to get out and create. They thought it would just be that much more of an experience to invite anyone else. John came because he said he was getting “senioritis”, and spent a lot of time hiking in the Wichita’s as a kid. It seemed like Dylane thought the whole trip would be fun, and seemed excited to meet new people. Dalty enjoyed meeting everyone, and said he didn’t get out enough to do stuff like this, so I assumed that’s why he was there.

This trip's direction was to stop all the damned noise and create. I think we accomplished just that.

If you don’t have a permit to camp overnight you have to leave by sunset. After we got out of the wildlife refuge we headed towards another spot John knew of right by the lake, looking out on the Wichita’s. It was a campsite of the property near some trailer homes. The juniper trees were thick, and the mountains had turned into black outlines below the orange skies. We stuck near the lake for some time before starting a fire within some stones. The shadows grew thick as we photographed John starting the fire.

Someone brought a french press and some coffee from work, so we brewed a pot by the fire. While most of us sipped the campfire coffee, Michael and John went back to the shore to capture some long exposures. We joked about telling scary stories, and sort of just bullshitted.

Michael and John got back and we started to put out the fire.

Thirty minutes later we had everything cleaned and back in the van. It was near 9 or 10 p.m. by now.

We were all tired, and some of us passed out on the way back. We stopped at a gas station to fill up and John offered to just cover the whole trips gas expenses. I was tempted. This was a strange scenario for me. Of course I thought about how much I needed the money, no matter how small, but I was also conflicted with having my pride and wanting to pay my own way. After going inside, I came out and gave John a $10 bill while no one was looking. At first he wouldn’t accept.

“After how many times I told you I’ve been institutionalized, and you want to try and play the hard-headed game with me?”

He stuffed the bill in his pocket and said “Thank you Will.”

We got back to all our cars at Michael’s house in the Plaza District, where we had met earlier that day. I had made some plans to get a drink with someone, and I had some personal late night things to tend to, so as soon as we got back I said goodbye. Dalty and Dylane both left right behind me, and everyone else went up the street to grab some pizza at empire I think.

It was close to midnight by the time we all left. The streets were still and the moon was a madman. I was exhausted when we got back, but in a good way. I felt like my soul had soared today.

As the moon got lower in the sky I made my way home. It felt nice to think about how close to the city we just were, how it still gets wild just an hour and a half away; shit an hour away. I laid in bed and thought about the next time I would get to just go go go! It was exciting to dream about. A taste of a little day getting to create, my instincts always turn, like an animal tasting blood for the first time. Where shall I go from here?

Here's to the next adventure.

   Taking portraits are, by far, my favorite aspect of photography. I love taking a photograph of someone, and seeing a story in their face. When I look at photographs of people, I like to think of the individual's story; the course of events in their life that had led them up to that moment, and exactly why they smile, or look off into space.

   Recently I was informed of one of the concepts behind Black and White photography. By taking away the color we take away any distraction from the image itself. Shooting in black and white, for me, has become a way to push me as an artist; it pushes me to focus on my subject and composition, and less on the tone of the image.

   This is another ongoing project for me, with all images being taken and processed by myself. It is in my hopes that in this collection I will be able to see my growth as an artist, and that you all will stay tuned and enjoy the process.

Recently, I reached out to several talent agencies in Oklahoma City to collaborate. My reasoning behind this was to heighten my exposure as much as I can if I’m still going to be here for some months.

One of the agencies I heard back from was “Cause and Affect Models” based out of Edmond. I talked with a Mr. Baldinger, and he seemed excited to get to work together. We discussed me having access to photograph some his models for my portfolio, and in return both the models and the agency would have access to the files for their own uses.

We started setting up dates and faces, and finally had something scheduled. The plan was to send me one of their newer faces with a smaller portfolio to work with, then two of their faces that had some more experience with C and A.

I contacted a close photographer friend of mine, Isaiah, and asked permission to use the studio lights and backdrop he left at my apartment; then asked if he could come over the day of the shoot and help me figure out the lights.

We used a dark gray backdrop, and something similiar to a low-key lighting setup. I moved some furniture out of the way, then had the entire living room to build the studio on.

It took Isaiah and I almost an hour to set up. Before Isaiah even came over, Raymond from Cand A made it. I sat with him and started unpacking the lights and getting familiar with him. I studied some photos I had seen online and saved for inspiration.Isaiah arrived and we got to work.

Just before we started shooting Raymond, Davvy called and said she was downstairs. I walked down and met her. Davvy was C and A’s new face they sent me; so I made sure to get a lot of ideas with her for her portfolio. We started shooting as soon as we got back to my apartment, and we spent about four hours in studio; taking small breaks to change, then hopping right back in again. Raymond had let me know earlier that the third model was feeling sick and the roads were still bad so she wouldn't be making it. Nevertheless, we still got a lot of beautiful shots of him and Davvy.

Four hours later and we called it. It was getting darker outside and the roads might freeze again. My SD card was almost full, and my first battery was starting to feel the exhaustion. It took two weeks to gather enough time to edit all of these, and I can't confidently say that I’m done editing everything I wanted from that shoot. But, I gathered all the images I have and put them in a gallery format. I hope this gallery can do a good job at both showcasing my work, and showcase two of the stunning faces at Cause and Affect Models; and the good work they do there. It has been a privilege working with them, and I look forward to any opportunities in the future we might have together.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Davvy and Raymond of Cause and Affect Models!

  This is Diyahna,a very close friend of mine. I met her at an awkward time in my life, and without my consent became incredibly close friends. I was caught up with finances and wasn’t making the time to shoot. On a day I had off I met up with Diyahna to hang out and maybe take some portraits. She said no, but I made he aware it was happening anyways.

  I’ve known Diyahna to be a very strong woman, when talking to her about it she always brings up her mother. When we went out to take portraits I began to talk to her more naturally. I asked her to tell me more about her mother. I’ve never seen someone talk about another person so highly. Without even knowing the woman I have the utmost respect for her. When Diyahna communicated with me her feelings about her mother I could understand.

  This is why I got a camera, this is why I take photographs of people; to document these experiences we share with each other. My concept for the shoot was to capture the mood when I asked her about her mother. These are the images I got, I hope I was successful in creating my concept; and I hope what audience does see can feel the same thing we felt that day by the lake.

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   It’s a new year, and I’ve never been big on resolutions. I’ve been the person I am for some time now, and I doubt that an idea and toast in the right direction will do much good at this point. But, in the year of 2016 I’ve learned a lot. I’ve learned that the American people don’t know how to vote, despite how far we’ve come there’s still racial conflict, that America is’nt the greatest country in the world...maybe never was. But mostly, I learned about myself. I learned certain coping mechanisms I’ve learned throughout the years, I’m tired of now. I learned I'm worth loving, in fact, I’m a pretty great man. That my dad and I are so much alike, and that's a good thing. I learned how to truly love someone, and grew at unfortunately having to let them go. I learned how to want better for myself.

   They say that how you spend the first 5 minutes of the new year will determine how your year turns out. Well if that's the case, 2016 I spent my first 5 on the road with my best friend, barreling back to Oklahoma City. At exactly midnight I turned on “ALL the Time” by The Bahamas, windows down, screaming at the top of our lungs. In the year of 2016 I grew. . In 2016 I got three years sober. Most of all I learned how to love myself, make myself a priority.

  Most of my life I’ve tried to put others before me, and I think today I’m a very good person, worth loving. One of my resentment I take away from the year is that no matter how hard you try to be a  good person, anyone can screw you over if they want to. This is unfortunately how I learned to take myself as more of a priority.

   So with that being said, I'm here to announce my first ever resolution: To marry myself, make me a priority. I hope that I can take this work a day at time and grow further into the person that  want to be.

   I shot my first wedding this year. I was at home editing the photos with a very close friend of mine. When he saw a photograph I took of the bouquet of flowers, he grabbed a dead plant in my apartment and wrapped his arms around himself; to give the illusion that someone was holding a bouquet and hugging him. At a low for me, i fell in love with the moment; I wanted to capture it. The cover photo for this album is that moment. To me, it speaks my resolution: to marry myself.

   So , with that being said, let this be toast. Happy 2017, lets hope it goes well. This year I got married to myself.