I feel that before I write a testimonial about Cory, one first needs to understand the necessary non-technical components in making a person a great photographer. First, it requires desire. The desire to not only pick up a camera, but more importantly, the desire to tell a story through images. A picture really doe… Read more

I feel that before I write a testimonial about Cory, one first needs to understand the necessary non-technical components in making a person a great photographer. First, it requires desire. The desire to not only pick up a camera, but more importantly, the desire to tell a story through images. A picture really does tell a thousand words and in order to be an effective photographer, one has to be able to recognize which words are spoken and to be heard by the audience. Second, it requires passion and emotion. You can view a photograph that was not born from love - the love of the subject, the love of the craft, the love of life - but you are left feeling cold. What drives a good picture is the emotion that is put into each and every camera click. A piece of soul is captured in each snapshot - bared for the world to see. Third, it requires honesty. You have to view the world with an honest and somewhat critical eye. Not every detail in the world is asking to be captured by film. You must have the ability to discern which details are necessary to tell your story; otherwise you are left with a cluttered image and no clear story to tell. You must first be honest with yourself and through that, honest with the world in order to have that discernment. There are other qualities that make a person a true photographer, but I think that these three are the most important to me, as an audience. Cory embodies these three qualities to the point where he is the very example of what a great photographer is. Because, for him, photography is not a choice, it’s an extension of who he is as a person.

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