About Me
As a teenager, fixing the electronic mechanism in my “boom box” inspired me to pursue a career in electronics. I’ve always been a jack of all trades, eager to fix anything, yet I have another passion far greater—photography. Through it all, I always had a camera, completely obsessed with capturing the world around me. And this is my story…
As I continually pleaded with my mother to hand over her Kodak Instamatic camera to take a family photo, it didn’t empower her to trust a nine-year-old with this task. I always knew one day she’d cave, and she did. Eagerly, I grabbed this rectangular-shaped camera box and noosed the nylon strap around my wrist. I trembled excitedly as I anxiously rested my finger atop the shutter button. I could still hear her voice saying, “Make sure everyone is in the middle.” They all were. Shiny, happy people with smiling faces lined across the viewfinder. Before they could utter the word cheese, down went my finger as the first photograph I’d ever taken. The following Christmas, I received a Polaroid instant camera of my own.
High school brought me new inspirations, but I couldn’t bear to endure another quiet study hall period. Those fifty minutes felt like the longest part of the day as I waited to be saved by the bell, much like a stumbling boxer in the ring. At that moment, I realized I needed a change and challenged myself. I replaced every study hall with an art class throughout my four years of high school. Photography had always been my passion, and I knew I could take one of the school’s 35mm film cameras out for a spin. The thought of editing and developing my negatives in a dark room thrilled me.
That passion carried into adulthood. One day in 2008, I had some extra cash from the 2008 economic stimulus check. Should I use the money to pay bills or spend it as intended? I stared at my computer screen, which displayed the “view cart” page on a camera retailer’s website. An entry-level digital SLR camera sat in my cart next to the “pay now” button. A week later, it arrived.
Since then, I have decided to turn my decade-long passion into a business. During this time, I realized that I could best apply my creative skills to capturing the love shared by couples and families and the swank of high school seniors. However, the achievements I take the most pride in are the moments I create when I coax people to relax in front of the camera, resulting in images they’ll love, enlarge, and proudly hang over their sofas.
And that is my story. I’m interested to hear yours.