I had a Photo Aspired Moment when I was nine years old: I saw the Time Magazine in familiar display on our cedar chest, which doubles as my mother's coffee table even now. It was the photograph of the 1981 assassination attempt of the Pope, in St. Peter's Square. I vividly remember my consideration of the photographer and how skilled he or she must have been; how prepared; how steadied the nerves. I remember incubating the concept of how the photographer had been bestowed a privilege of being able to talk about that shot for the rest of his or her life.

In that Moment, I encountered my own vertical desire of having a handful of those shots under my belt, so I could talk about them for the rest of my life. I became addicted to photojournalism, even at the age of nine. I had already been playing with my father's eclectic camera collection for nearly two years... and I've been playing ever since. I guess it's in my blood. Understandably, once photography enters the bloodstream, it's like an irrepressible disease. That disease is now my passion.

With Stages Photography, you won’t just get pictures. You’ll get the sense of the experience, the spirit of the person, the joy of the moment. I pride myself in knowing the exact second when to release the shutter. I love being able to make people see they are beautiful or being able to produce a photograph that will later make someone say, “I remember that! It was an amazing day!” I’m one of the lucky few who can say my passion is also my life’s work. I get to spend each day sharing those special moments, witnessing beauty… capturing time.

-TJ Lambert, Photojournalist