Photography with a Fresh, New Vision

The past couple of years has been a crazy journey of self-discovery. One of the more transformative moments was when I was diagnosed with Autism as an adult; a diagnosis now combined with ADHD and Aphantasia. However, I refuse to look at my neurodivergence as labels to define me, but rather as a pathway to a deeper understanding of myself. Suddenly, many past experiences make more sense and I am now able to see the world through an entirely new lens.

This site, however, isn’t dedicated to Autism or even neurodivergence. Rather, it’s a photography site – created by someone who happens to be neurodivergent. While that part of me isn’t the central focus here, it undoubtedly shapes the way I experience the world and, in turn, is an integral part of my perspective from behind the lens.

With that, welcome to my website, blog, and creative outlet! My name is Andrew Turner and I love just about all things photography. This blog is where I share my experiences as a neurodivergent photographer whether it’s trying or sharing new techniques, experimenting with light, color or texture, or simply sharing a photo I took that I’m excited about. I’d like to extend an open invitation to anyone wishing to join me on this creative journey.

What is a blog, or any journey, without a goal?

Lately, I’ve been reflecting on what I want to get out of both my own personal photography goals and my blogging goals. These goals not only keep me motivated but also serve as a foundation for the kind of content I want to share here, because let’s be honest, my ADHD side might just take over and I’ll end up rambling on about anything and everything if I’m not careful!

So, setting some clear goals feels like a smart path forward to keep my ADHD side at bay. Below is an outline of these goals at the time of writing. I’ll dive deeper into each one in a later blog post to really expand on what the goal means and why I listed it.

Personal Photography Goals:

1. Become more active with the local communities
2. Experience more of the outdoors
3. Improve my photography in various styles
4. Continue participating in local art & vendor shows
5. Don’t make photography too much of a second job

Blogging Goals:

1. Contribute to the photography community
2. Create more content than just simply posting photos
3. Encourage photography as a hobby and profession
4. Help raise awareness for neurodivergence (and how awesome we are 😀 )

The Path Forward

To help achieve these goals, I decided to split my website into two different parts:

1. This site/blog which will be focused on various content creation, and
2. A gallery site (coming soon) where my different works and publications will be available including photographed events.

This separation allows me to keep the content-focused side of my goals here on the blog while giving my completed work a dedicated space to shine.

Looking ahead, these personal and blogging goals are more than just a checklist—they’re a roadmap for how I want to grow both creatively and as a member of the Sioux Falls, SD community. 

This blog will serve as a space to document that growth through images, stories, and shared experiences. It’s my hope that by staying focused on these goals, I can create something meaningful not just for myself, but for anyone who stops by. 

Finally, I will continue to focus on sharing my work at craft and vendor shows. These shows have been a great opportunity for me to get out and meet new people in a way that is easier for me to participate in. They have also proven to be a great way to sell my work and promote my website and social media.

Thank you for joining me on this journey. I’m excited to see where it leads.