Parents want the best for their children and my parents were no different. I grew up in a small North American town in Western Missouri and my mother and father ran the local store. They worked hard to build up the family business and at least once a week my father would say ‘One day this will all be yours, son’. While the other kids were out playing, I spent my weekends and vacations helping out in the store. I hated it.
I knew what I wanted to do with my life. I wanted to be a photographer. At first my parents were disappointed with my lack of interest in the family business, but they accepted my decision and they helped me to find a photography course. When I had my first photos published in National Geographic, they put the pictures up in the store and invited all their friends over.