My goal this year with photography is to make pictures with a purpose, to aim to tell a story with each image and not simply post a photo for the sake of keeping my posting quota up.

The opportunity to walk out the door and start shooting here in Ottawa isn’t nearly as present as it was when I lived in Toronto, and that is one of the few things that has bothered me since making the move out here. With that said, I have decided to change my focus and “retrain” my mind’s eye. I have made it a goal to seek out specific opportunities and work on focused projects that I have laid out for 2015. Some projects I will keep under tight wraps until they begin to take shape in the form of real photographs, but one of those projects is to properly document my children.

I likely won’t share many of those images on this site, but I hope to capture a collection of images that they can look at years from now and feel the moment well after it has left their memories. I like to think of it as being a National Geographic photographer making images and documenting lives for a really long article. Perhaps I need a super wide angle lens and get right up in their faces to achieve the true NG feel.

The image above is one such image. This is my little guy’s second time on cross country skiis, and it’s clear that he truly loves it. Winters here are long and cold, but the good thing about Ottawa is that the locals embrace the outdoors no matter what the temperature is, and I want my boys to grow up with that same mentality. I’m really excited about this year and the plans I have. I just hope that the right combination of hard work, luck and timing help to make my goals a reality.