I'm really tough on myself and my work so I wouldn't say I've had any big breaks, just a series of events and jobs that have given me more confidence to try new things. There's a local magazine that I shoot for that has been really good for me. The art director is easy to work with and the editor trusts me to do a good job, it's been a good place to try new things. Recently I shot Eric McCormack from Will and Grace for their cover, shooting celebrities is always great.
Another thing that motivated me in my career was a while back I was putting a shoot together for a magazine but a modeling agency would not let me shoot their models, I was told that my work was not good enough. This inspired me to improve and now I work with the agency and many others often.