**Help Me Capture Moments That Matter (with a lens way too expensive for normal humans)**

So here’s the thing: I’ve had a camera in my hand longer than I haven’t. At this point, it’s basically a fifth limb, except it doesn’t help me walk—just helps me freeze time. Whether it’s a fleeting smile, a memorable dance, a baptism splash, a last second score, or a cheer stunt that makes your heart stop for two seconds, I live for capturing those moments you’ll look back on years from now and say, “That mattered.”

Now, full disclosure: I am not a professional photographer. Not yet. Translation—I don’t get paid for this, but I pour myself into it anyway. Why? Because when I was a kid, I wasn’t the best, or the most elite, or the one everyone lined up to photograph. Nobody was snapping my action shots. So I picked up a camera and decided I’d do it for my friends, teammates, and now—decades later—for kids, parents, and families who deserve those memories just as much as anyone else.

These past few years, I’ve been the cheer dad on the sidelines with the lens that’s "almost" enough, sneaking photos for parents I don’t even know, hunting down their emails or coaches just so I can send them the pictures, spending hours culling photos, editing, and finally sharing the finished photos—for free. No business cards. No Venmo QR code. Just joy. My joy and hopefully their joy too.

Here’s where you come in. The dream —the Nikon NIKKOR Z 400mm f/2.8—isn’t just a lens. Nikon literally called it “the new pinnacle of performance for sports, action and wildlife shooters.” It’s faster, sharper, stronger… basically the superhero lens Marvel would design if they were into glass instead of capes. The downside? It costs almost $15,000... Which is, coincidentally, also the amount my bank account screams "nice dream...never happening...".

So here I am, swallowing a little pride and asking for help. Not because I want gear for gear’s sake, but because with this lens I can keep gifting people photos of the moments they’ll never get back—the smiles, the touchdowns, the baptisms, the performances, the small slices of "forever" or "seems like it was just yesterday" caught in a frame.

If my photos have ever made you smile, if you believe in investing in captured memories, or if you just want to help a dad with a dream chase the impossible, I’d be beyond grateful for your support. Every bit helps.

Thank you for even reading this far. And thank you for believing with me that sometimes, God places a passion in your heart not just for you—but for the joy it can bring to others.