What Drives Me

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For as long as I can remember, visual art has been at the core of who I am. Drawing, and later painting, filled my childhood days and later the insomnia of my early adolescent nights.


At the age of fifteen my uncle gave me my first “real” camera—an early 1970s Fujika SLR with 3 interchangeable lenses. The camera was 20 years old, heavier than I was used to, and save the light meter, had no electronic components. But the glass was sharp and I was elated with the feeling of control offered. I was awed by this synergy of art, scientific principle, and technology.

Since my high-school had no photo classes, I voraciously devoured every book on the subject I could. Sadly, photography proved herself too expensive a mistress to be supported by my afterschool restaurant job and the coolest stuff like developing film and making my own prints eluded me for a number of years. I mostly contented myself with my painting. But I yearned for it.

My passion for the photographic medium was rekindled when I left for Europe with a new camera at the beginning of my junior year of college. By that time the digital revolution was fully underway. Although, I’d eventually take darkroom classes, FINALLY witnessing the magic of seeing my images appear on paper suspended in a tray of developer, it was obvious that dodging and burning by hand was a fading art. I began scanning my negatives (it would be another 10 years before digital cameras caught up to film) and processing them in the “digital darkroom” environment of Adobe Photoshop.

My skills with these new technologies landed me a job after college with a local museum, where I designed the exhibits and oversaw the printing and production of photography. At first it was like being a kid in a candy-store, I was able to order billboard-sized graphics and experiment with printing on cloth and projected images—everything I couldn’t afford to do on my own. I was in charge of anything related to photography and was especially passionate about digital restoration and retouching historic photographs. I deepened my sense of style and worked toward mastery of my technical abilities during this time.

Though the exhibits I worked on won awards and I was getting a lot artistic energy out, it saddened me more than a little that I was working other photographer’s images with so much fire, while my own photography took a back seat.

While working my design job during the day, I began to seriously develop my own vision and hone my craft at night and on the weekends.

I could finally afford proper lights, lenses, and other needed equipment… well barely. I studied, networked, assisted other more established photographers, and experimented… God, did I experiment.

Although I use modern tools, my style is very much rooted in the classical photographic techniques and greatly influenced by my experience as a painter and designer.

Eventually, I began making nearly the same money shooting weddings, fashion, portraits, and products as I was at my “real job.” Eight years later, I knew I was ready to do this full time. Yes, apparently I have a small problem with commitment, but here I am and I’ve never been happier.