Keeping himself busy with his teaching career and the management of his own business, Timothy Paul lives and resides in La Porte, making a magnetic mark in The Region.
One of his jobs is at La Porte Middle School, where he teaches seventh-grade math and pre-algebra full-time. Obviously, Paul works with kids, and it's something he’s passionately fond of. For him, it’s always been a pleasure to see the expansion of knowledge in young minds, to even perpetuate those processes.
“I graduated from New Prairie High School in 2008, and I wasn't the best student, I'm not going to lie, but with teaching math, I really love it. I love working with the kids. This year, I have over 100 kids, and to have the kids learning foundational skills, skills that they might’ve forgotten over the summer, it's just amazing when things click in their head. When that spark goes off, they seem to begin understanding things a little bit better, and they want to challenge themselves; they want to grow. But the best part of it all is when you start to make a difference for them,” Paul said.
Education is not the only focus of his life, however. Photography has always held a special place in the heart of Paul, and it’s a hobby he’s taken into the professional realm of his lifestyle.
“Back in high school, I did a senior exit project, so I've been doing photography part-time all along. I went to college for it, then became full-time with it, especially within these past four years. It’s just kind of grown since from there,” he said. “It's been a process, but I definitely enjoy all the aspects of it.”
In 2009, Paul participated in a college internship at Walt Disney World as a professional photographer. Living down in Orlando, it was another great experience to add to the pages of the book that is, his life. Paul was able to create new relationships and establish connections that he’ll likely maintain for a lifetime, with some of the people he met now residing all over the United States and the world.
One’s bound to feel copious amounts of bliss when their passions fortunately turn into resources that can pay the bills. Yet, in Paul’s case, it’s incessantly transcended the mere economical components of his career. All-things photography, it truly is his love, a blessing he’s able to pass on to others.
“If you look at weddings, for example, it's something that happens only once. You only have one chance to get it right. It’s only a day, and I get to take those pictures or videos, and make it last a lifetime. That senior who wants senior pictures, I get to capture that moment that represents them and put it into frames that they are going to see and remember forever. It makes me happy when I'm able to do that,” he said. “I've done things for sports teams, and when they see these really cool pictures, they feel awesome because they look amazing. If I can make someone feel as good as they feel inside, it's great. Photography is all about how you see things in the world. What we think is beautiful is possibly different than what others think is beautiful. It's just such an art, so I focus on being bold, dramatic, unique, capturing those images that people want on their walls.”
Aside from his rigorous work schedule, Paul possesses much wanderlust, a normal hankering that seemingly goes hand in hand with photography. His summer was filled with many various adventures and expeditions, but he surely carves out some additional time for other luxuries as well.
“I enjoy traveling to the fullest. This past summer, I went to Colorado, Puerto Rico, and Nashville, so I really embraced everything and did what I wanted to do. And then I also enjoy going to amusement parks, like Cedar Point, and playing video games. On top of that, I see friends and family on a regular basis and take care of my mother, who has a lot of things that go on health-wise, meaning I take care of her. I always do whatever I can to make sure she's doing okay, make sure she's having a good time,” Paul said.
His eyes are set on the future, as Paul has an incredible spirit, somehow manages a healthy balance of things to do, even things as challenging as grad school. He’s in the pursuit of attaining exciting prospects, such as his Transition to Teaching license from Valparaiso University.
“My long-term goal is to be able to have a happy, healthy family. Life is short, and I've been through some things in life that really have shown me that life is finite,” Paul said. “I just want to make sure that things are stable and enjoyable. I desire to embrace life, to get to a place where I'm doing what I do because I love to do it, not because I have to — and I think it’s safe to say that I'm pretty much there. It will be nice when I'm completely done with grad school, though I don't know how to not be busy; I enjoy the fast-paced life.”
To sneak a peek into Paul’s photography, you can find his website at www.timothypaulphotographynwi.com, a place where you can get great pictures of your own.