Tell us about yourself.
I am a husband, a father, and a person of faith from the Upstate of South Carolina. For over fifteen years I have carried a camera into fires, floods, hurricanes, and firehouses across the country. I work from my truck more than any office. I founded Honor Supply Co because I kept meeting remarkable people whose stories nobody was telling, and I got tired of waiting for someone else to tell them.
Why do you photograph firefighters?
Because they will not do it themselves. The culture of the fire service is built on humility. Firefighters deflect praise as a reflex. That humility is beautiful, and it also means their families, their neighbors, and their country rarely see what the work costs and what it gives. Somebody has to stand there and pay attention. I decided it would be me.
What do you hope people feel when they see your work?
If the viewer is a civilian, I hope they feel gratitude with detail in it. Not a vague thank you, but a specific understanding of what these men and women do at two in the morning. If the viewer is a firefighter, I hope they feel seen. That is the whole mission in one word. Seen.
What has the fire service taught you?
That character is built in unwitnessed moments. Firefighters check equipment nobody thanked them for checking and train for calls that may never come. They taught me that readiness is a form of love. You prepare because someone you have never met is counting on you. I try to run my whole life on that principle.
What does Honor Before Death mean to you?
It means we stop waiting. Our tradition honors firefighters beautifully at funerals. Bagpipes, folded flags, last alarms. I believe the people who earn that honor deserve to experience some of it while they are alive. Honor Before Death means saying it now, to their face, while it can still encourage them. It comes straight from Romans 12:10. Honor one another above yourselves. Above, and before it is too late.