Five years ago, if you had told me I would be a coaster enthusiast, let alone get on a rollercoaster willing, I probably would have laughed at you. I was the kid that was deathly afraid of them, and no matter how much you tried to bribe me, I wouldn't get on them. And then, I rode Wild Eagle. I remember crying the whole way up the lift hill, and then about halfway down the drop, something changed.
I let go of my dad's hand, put my hands up in the air, and at that moment I knew what I was going to do with the rest of my life. Flash forward two years and to 2017. My dad and I attended Kings Island’s Coaster Stock and I decided to take my grandmas camera for the behind the scenes tours. I was hooked.
I “borrowed” my parent's old Nikon D40 and started taking pictures at every park I visited. In 2018, my dad and I took a two-week-long road trip to all 7 of the Cedar Fair parks east of the Mississippi and Knoebels. On that trip I took over 7000 pictures and not long after that trip ended, the Thrilling Moments Photography Twitter page was born. It would take me from the end of June to February to get 100 followers, and from there, it took off. In 2019 the page became less of a hobby, and more of a job, but in a good way because of how much I enjoy it. I have also been able to see my growth over time as a photographer and it amazes me how much better I have gotten the last three years m. Through running TMP, I have had the chance to attend media days, have images published on various websites and print publications, and meet so many people, some of which have become lifelong friends, that have made my life all the better.
I am constantly reminding myself how lucky I am to have such a great following on Twitter that is super kind and enthusiastic about the industry we all love. So to everyone, whether you started following me last year or last week, thank you for being such an amazing community for me to share with! I can’t wait to see what 2020 has in store for the page and as always, Ride On!
- Jack
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