

I grew up in the small community of Mission Valley in northwestern Victoria County, Texas. Not long after college I moved to Goliad taking up residence in the family homestead of my grandparents. It's a simple home that has made me and my wife understand a little more about life without all the luxuries so many people enjoy. I have come to appreciate a cool night on the front porch underneath the glow of a hunter's moon. With every snap of my camera, I hope to tell you a story or show you some piece of the world that maybe you overlooked.
Since I began snapping photos I have now won several awards and been published in one book. If the photos don't touch you in someway then I have not done my job as I should. Photography is about more than freezing a frame of time. It's about catching someone's eye or touching their heart. F-stops and aperture values can be taught to anyone with a mind to memorize. But that alone doesn't make a photo. Lighting, color and a passion that surrounds a photo is what separates those with a job to do and those with a pure love of the art.
Many of the photos here are copyrighted to the Bee-Picayune. This is the newspaper where I work. Some, however, are owned by me and belong to my personal collection.
If you have a moment, let me know what you like and what you don't. I can be reached at jlcollinsphoto@gmail.com.