Powerful Stories: Strong Connections Keep Science Researcher and Photographer On Point

Being a photographer in New York City in 2014 could best be described as hectic and exciting, but rewarding. And when you’re balancing a full-time job and life’s curves, it’s that much more frenetic.  I grew up watching my mother, a full-time professional photographer, strike a similar balance.

When I’m not pounding the pavement capturing New York’s cityscapes and everyday happenings, I’m busy in a hospital laboratory where I work as a research scientist. Throughout my scientific career, I have spent a lot of time capturing fine cellular details through a microscope.  (It’s something I gained expertise in during college.) And that, I feel, is a form of photography in its own right.

"There are photos to be taken and scientific breakthroughs to be made, so the last thing I want to do is wait around...and I don't."

In recent years, my interest in mastering DSLR and mobile photography has steadily increased. My work’s popularity online has followed a similar trajectory. This isn’t by chance, but by a key observation: I quickly realized once my photographs started hitting the Web and social media that there was a strong and fast-growing community.

This community likes to engage and interact with other users, often providing feedback and photography tips. They also like to interact at specific times and around specific events.

I was now answerable to the assembly of Tumblrites and Instagrammers I’d attracted. Timing was the determinant in the equation.

I learned that delivering 'the what' is good, but fine tuning 'the when' was going to make all of the difference.

Being on the go certainly makes it challenging to get my photos posted when I want. But when I do eventually do have a second or two, Verizon FiOS' speeds help me deliver my photos fast. There are photos to be taken and scientific breakthroughs to be made, so the last thing I want to do is wait around...and I don't.