A closer look: ISSUE 001 - MOMENTUM
001 Momentum featuring Sammie has been a topic of discussion lately.
Questions such as:
How did you meet her?
Why did you choose her?
What is this whole collection of publications about?
All great questions. So I thought I'd use this Field Note to give a little more insight into how Momentum came together and what I'm hoping to build from here.
How I Met Sammie
At the beginning of the year, I made health a priority, which eventually led me to join The Yard Gym. That's where I met Sammie.
I like to think I'm pretty good at reading people. I pay attention to energy, how people interact with others, and the little things that tell you something about who a person is.
Sammie had that kind of presence.
She was approachable, open, and inviting. I would usually get to the gym early, and whenever I had the opportunity, I'd sit down and talk with her for a few minutes.
After a few of those conversations, I told her I'd love to do something creative together.
That was in February.
And I think that's worth mentioning.
I didn't continue sending requests or reminders. I put the idea out there and left it alone. We followed each other on Instagram, and I could see she was busy. She was training, racing, and coaching, with events scheduled throughout the months ahead.
If and when she wanted to do something, I trusted that she'd reach out.
In July, she did.
She told me she'd actually kept my name on her to-do list the entire time. She hadn't forgotten. She simply wanted to wait until she could give the project the attention it deserved.
Five months after that first conversation, we finally set a date.
Why Sammie?
Looking back, I think the answer was there before I completely understood it myself.
I wasn't interested in Sammie simply because she was a runner or a fitness coach.
I saw someone in the middle of something.
Someone pushing herself, figuring things out, and continuing to ask what she was capable of.
I saw someone on a journey of exploration and self-discovery.
So I went into the project thinking I wasn’t just going to photograph a runner.
Why Make These Publications?
Which brings me to the bigger question:
What is this collection of publications actually about?
I'm hoping to build curiosity.
I want these publications to give us a reason to stop and look at people a little differently.
Momentum happens to feature an athlete, but the next story might be about an artist, a musician, a craftsman, or someone whose work doesn't fit neatly into any category.
The common thread isn't what they do.
It's who they are becoming while doing it.
I'm interested in the choices people make, the routines they build, the things they struggle with, and the quiet work that shapes them over time.
The photographs are my way into those stories.
The publication gives me room to go deeper.
And hopefully, when you finish an issue, you're curious enough to learn more about the person on the other side of the camera.
Maybe something about their story stays with you.
Maybe it changes the way you look at someone you interact with every day.
Maybe it makes you ask a few questions you wouldn't have asked before.
That's what I'm hoping these little publications can become.
An invitation to look a little deeper.
Momentum is Issue 001.
It was a story about looking past your own limitations.
