From the sidelines to the driver's seat: A photographer's evolution

I have worked as a race photographer, a wedding photographer, landscape photographer; I photographed architecture, food, portraits and hot air balloons. One of the most incredible things about a photography career is how it has this magical ability to open doors—how my camera has, time and again, taken me from a spectator on the sideline and put me right in the middle of the action. In my own career, I've experienced this many times. Here are just three of those stories (and some...