What makes you nervous?
The pressure to always have it figured out. The unknown.
“To find inner peace, you must learn to observe yourself. The more you know yourself, the less you let outside events control your emotions.”
— Shi Heng Yi
But I’ve found the antidote isn’t in overthinking or trying to force control—it’s in stepping away. Into nature. Behind the camera.
When I’m out in the wild—on a trail, by a river, or waiting patiently with my lens focused—those feelings start to fall away. Photography forces me to slow down and observe. It’s not about rushing or overanalyzing. It’s about waiting for the light to hit just right or watching a bird’s quiet movement through the trees.
Fly fishing adds to that stillness. Each cast requires intention, rhythm, and awareness. Out there, nerves get replaced by focus. The anxiety fades with the sound of moving water, replaced by the simplicity of the present moment.
Nature reminds me that life isn’t always meant to be figured out in a single breath. And photography captures those reminders—frames of peace I can return to whenever the world feels like too much.
In a world full of pressure and unpredictability, it’s the still moments with a camera or fly rod in hand that bring me back to myself.
Beyond the Cast 