Meet houston texas toast: photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with houston texas toast and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi toast, can you share a quote or affirmation with us?
One of my favorite quotes is “Amor Fati”, which means love of fate or more specifically, love of one’s own fate. I think that everything happens for a reason and that it is important to not just accept, but to love everything that happens in life. I find it extremely reassuring to remind myself of this when dealing with loss or when things are not going the way I would like them to. It’s like a little trick I play on myself when dealing with adversity, but it’s also good to reflect on when I’m feeling blessed or just having a normal day.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a photographer and I enjoy providing a unique perspective of the world that most people do not get to experience in person. When viewing my work, I want it to transport people to the time and place of the shot, while eliciting strong emotional responses that they won’t forget. Traveling to different places and meeting new people have been the biggest gifts I’ve received from photography and exploring. I am currently still working a 9-5 so transitioning to photography full-time has been a work in progress. While most people are supportive, the biggest challenge for me is overcoming the little doubts I have in my head. I’ve learned that anything is possible and not to limit myself with expectations for the future because reality tends to far exceed anything I had hoped for!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
When my friends come to visit, I like to provide them with an all-access pass to the city. We usually start out walking around downtown and eventually find a nice rooftop to catch an epic Texas sunset from. After this, we would make our way over to Frank’s Pizza for some slices and drinks. The next day would include a trip to the Menil and a walk around the campus of St. Thomas or Rice University. After some casual exploring, we would need to refresh with some boba tea at Kung Fu Tea. At least one morning we will want to get up early for a sunrise over downtown on one of the bridges over Memorial Drive and then go for a walk in Eleanor Tinsley Park. Coffee in the Heights is always a great way to get the day started and we could spend the rest of our time looking at graffiti in one of the many abandoned spots in the city. I always enjoy checking out some of the local record stores in the Montrose area and a day trip to Galveston for seafood and the beach is always fun. Houston is such a big and diverse city with so much to do that a week never feels like enough!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Friends and family would definitely be in there, but a group of people I would really like to shoutout is the recovery community that I am involved with. I got sober in 2016 and none of the amazing things I’ve experienced over the last 4-5 years would be possible without them. I would like to thank the people that have continually been there through the ups and downs, they know who they are!

Website: https://www.outtheframephotography.com/
Instagram: @houtxtoast, @out_the_frame_photography
Twitter: @houtxtoast

Image Credits
all shots by @houtxtoast except profile pic by @driftsrshoots