My passion for making photographs began in high school. At a summer rock concert, I saw a guy with all these 35mm cameras and interchangeable lenses a few yards away and it totally thrilled me. I knew I had to buy one of those cameras. The attraction at first was having all these technical controls on the camera to experiment with. Then, the first shots I took made me want to learn more. This interest with the camera and what could be done with it seemed like the frontier I needed to explore. Shortly after, I won a high school art show award and then The National Scholastic Photography Awards in my senior year. That confirmation encouraged me to learn everything I could. Before long,

a true passion developed and I choose photography as a career. More importantly, this was the most fun I ever had with something that engaged my artistic ability.

For two years, I consumed everything about photography with classical training at Ohio Institute of Photography. This outstanding school taught me the essential tools and techniques, the art of lighting for people and still life, while allowing me to explore a bit outside their curriculum, with fine art street photography and photojournalism at rock concert stages. During this time, I learned the valuable practice of feeding my mind images, to generate a wellspring of new ideas for me to explore. This contributed greatly to the art of seeing and the discipline of shooting.

Landing an in-house corporate photographer gig, I learned how to photograph a wide range of events, people and operations to bring back the goods, working under regular deadlines for company publications, internal and external news releases and outside agencies, along with location and studio portraits, still life illustrations while managing a b&w photo lab. The position was phased out after a dozen years, but I have continued as a freelancer, enjoying side projects like shooting rock concerts, romantic images for greeting card designs, conceptual portraits, digital illustrations and many scenes captured of New York City.

I love photography in the lyrical, romantic and epic sense. Also enjoyable is capturing portraits and all that goes into making them, like wonderful lighting, great backdrops or locations, catching the sparkle in the eye and the true spirit of a person. Wondering with the camera is essential to staying in touch with that exploring nature. Surprises are great when they come, but sometimes you have to help set yourself ready to catch them. I hope to produce more of the conceptual with illustrative portraits and still life, travel to photograph gorgeous places. I believe there is unchartered territory out there yet to be discovered and created, and I wouldn’t mind coming up with something original that’s never been done before.

Working for a client to say what they want to say for their needs is enjoyable in a different vein. Any subject can be inspiring with the right light, angle or capture. The goal is to come away with satisfying and impressive photographs that the client and I are both pleased with.

I am fortunate for all the experiences I have had with

photography. Now my eye has turned a new page.

I am ready to shoot images that can move others, but surprise and inspire me...all over again. Creating with

this little black box called a camera, with this amazing

thing called photography...how lucky I am it chose me.