Allow Myself to (Re)Introduce My...self
Once upon a time in the land of steel and bridges, there was an engineer. Earning a mechanical engineering degree in 2007 from Carnegie Mellon University, one the best engineering schools in the country, and landing a job at home in Pittsburgh just wasn't enough. Our engineer was unhappy, and as you've probably guessed, I was that unhappy engineer. Luckily, the rest of our little tale is a happy one.
Hi, I'm JP Diroll, and I'd like to reintroduce myself. All my life I've been an artistic and visual person, fascinated by wildlife photos specifically. But I needed to make my own so with the extra scratch I had in my pocket from that engineering gig, I bought my first digital camera, also in 2007. It was a sweet little Nikon D50 with a whopping 6.1 megapixels. I had NO clue how to use the thing but to this day buying that camera remains the smartest dumb thing I've ever done.
Gone were the days of pining over someone else's photos. Those photos would still inspire and motivate me, but the creative process was now going to be MINE and it immediately began, and continues, to consume me. I was no longer taking photos, I was creating art and what I felt in my soul all along had finally been confirmed: I was never an engineer, but rather an artist and a good one at that! So I took a leap of faith in 2013. No more 9-5. No more steady paycheck. Just a camera, a vision, and the determination (and support - thank you Alyssa!) to pursue a dream.
Fast forward to today and the dream is a reality. As a full time fine art photographer, I'm happier than ever. Here in the city I love, I get to share my journey and my art, showing YOU the city you love too, but through my eyes. And I GUARANTEE, you'll LOVE what you see!
But wait, there's more! Over the years I've also developed an appreciation and maybe even a bit of a penchant for accompanying my imagery with the written word. That's where this blog comes into play and here's what you can expect from this new adventure into somewhat familiar territory:
01
Awesome imagery
Photos are my sweet spot, obviously. But I'm still growing as an artist and this blog will help that!
02
cunning wordsmithing
I'm a photographer who writes, not the other way around. But I'm not too shabby on the "paper."
03
cheesy dad jokes
There's going to be a lot of puns, bad movie references, and "see what I did there" moments. Are you ready?
Over the next few posts, I'll be sharing some more insight as to who I am as an artist and a person, what inspires and motivates me, and some stories about some of my (and your) favorite images! I hope you're in for a fun ride.
Thanks so much for tuning in. See ya around dahn tahn! -JP
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