So here we are-- another New Year. Seems like these things come around faster and faster each year...

I suppose when you dedicate so much time out of your day to telling the stories of other people, you end up losing track of your own story. And then, before you realize it, another year is gone, and what do you have to show for it? Sure, you made money and friends-- in the end probably lost a lot of both just by moving to a new place...don't forget that new car! But what have you really accomplished? What happened to last year's resolutions? Forgotten, probably no longer than two days into it.

But then again, it's selfish to think about yourself that much, isn't it? With everything I've had to see and endure through 2007, it certainly would be. With all the bad in this world, I've managed to escape the majority of it; feeling sorry for myself would be a sin considering where I am in my life, and I'm thankful.

Still, it's funny, when you think about it. My "normal" work week-- drive (or fly) all over the state, under pressure constantly pressed for time, always carrying 50 pounds of gear (just the tripod and camera alone, the light kit and gear bag account for another 50), talking to countless people, receiving death threats and accusations of being heartless, all while putting myself in weird positions to make what I hope will be a telling picture, and a compelling story.

Then realizing I spend too much time, so I end up having to rush even more and somehow make it back to the station with enough time to slam together a 90-second vignette for you, the viewer, only to have your family glance at the television screen for about 5 of those 90 precious seconds as you eat dinner and share your own stories with one another while the story into which I poured sweat (and sometimes blood) turns into nothing but flickering ambient light for your dining room!

So what's it worth, anyway? Why do I do it, and why will I continue for yet another year? Because I am a passionate believer in the photograph's ability to inform, affect and change. Because out of the thousands of households whose televisions show my work every evening, I still hold onto the hope that at least one of those people will have gained a lasting impression. That I might change our world, one person at a time.

It gives me all the hope I need.

And I will continue onto more adventures, one day at a time, through 2008. And with lots of sweat, passion, and maybe a little bit of luck, I might yet create something significant.