I first picked up my father’s Nikon FE2, a 35mm film camera, in the 8th grade. I took that ol’ beast out with some 200 ISO color negative film in the middle of the night. I found myself scratching my head a few days later when my friends and their bikes weren't really showing up on the 24 frames I had snapped. There I was though, looking through negatives that I had created. This was the dawn of my interest in capturing light.
Since that warm summer night, my camera has taken me all over. From sketchy ghettos in east Cleveland to skate parks in Kentucky. Crawling through doorways cut by bums in abandoned industrial buildings to the beautiful lake fronts in Evanston. I’ve set up tripods on ocean beaches in California, shot at so many parks, campsites, baseball diamonds, high school gyms and hiking trails that I’ve begun to lose count. I’ve sat on a golf course at 2 am in Arizona, trying to capture lightning. I’ve sat in the afternoon sun in 90 degree weather, waiting to shoot a wedding in downtown Chicago. My eyes have grown wide in a high school darkroom as a picture formed in a bath of chemicals. My eyes also grew wide sitting in a college digital lab, watching as my first inkjet print made its way out of the printer. I’ve had some really wonderful people sit in front of my camera and I’ve had some not so wonderful people sit in front of my camera.
I'm currently attending Columbia College Chicago, pursuing a BFA degree in photography. Outside of life behind the camera there isn't too much left to fill my days. My typical day begins with spending a good chunk of the morning reading photographers blogs, tutorials, business news, photo news, tech-talk, ect. in my handy RSS feed. From there it's catching up on either school assignments or client work.
I'm very much interested in technology. The rate it moves makes it insanely hard to keep up with, but I try. I'm an avid reader. In 2007 and 2008 I digested over 125 books, mostly novels with some non-fiction, graphic novels, short stories, and memoirs. I find it no coincidence that some of my most inspiring times come when I'm reading the most. I also dig film. I watch a ton of movies, though it always seems that I need to watch more. Indies, blockbusters, art, documentaries, you name it. In fact, a ton of my lighting inspiration comes from movies. Those guys can light! I'm a sucker for Wes Anderson, the Cohen Brothers, Johnny Depp, and Jason Schwartzman . I'm working at my outdoors skill, camping, hiking, and backpacking as often as I can. I'm easily won over by a plate of mexican food, make sure it's vegetarian though, and some mexican beer. I'm usually playing Andrew Bird on my iPod. Let's create!