As a 51-year-old criminal defense attorney, husband, and father of two, Brian has spent his entire life living in Philadelphia. He admits that he never truly saw the beauty of the city he calls home until he stumbled upon an iPhone photography course in 2020. The pandemic hit and as a trial attorney he suddenly had free time to get outside and explore. After watching a lesson in the online photography course, he would go outside and shoot anything he could find that looked interesting using the camera in his pocket. Suddenly the mundane was unique as he worked on his composition skills. He had and still does not have any formal photography training. Brian finally gained the confidence to move from a private Facebook group to posting publicly on Instagram. Fellow artists reached out and invited him to attend local photo meetups where he met so many incredibly inclusive and friendly people. He learned that photography was not just an art form, but a social outlet during a time of isolation. The online friendships turned into real world relationships and an addiction for all things photography. He invested in a full frame camera, multiple tripods, and ultimately a telephoto lens. He met others who welcomed him into the moon chasing community and soon he was doing the same using the Philadelphia skyline as his backdrop. When shooting he feels present and at peace, and it serves as a wonderful outlet from his stressful day job. Without any formal training, he tries to gain knowledge and tips wherever he can to try and improve. He is excited to continue to branch out as he does not feel like his photography needs to be constrained to one genre.
Instagram: @brianfishman
