I was lucky enough to grow up in a family of professional photographers. I learned good composition and lighting earlier than I can remember just from growing up in a photography studio. At fifteen I aspired to be a great photojournalist someday. My heroes were early photojournalists such as Henri Cartier-Bresson and Robert Cappa. In high school all I wanted to do was take pictures and work in the darkroom.
I received a full-tuition scholarship at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh based my portfolio of work. While attending school I apprenticed with the local Associated Press shooters. I stayed on as a full-time stringer with the AP for a year in 1995 photographing professional sporting events, national news stories, and features.
From there I was accepted to the photojournalism program at Ohio University. Prior to starting school I made a trip to Olympia, WA to visit family. My aunt, a biologist, turned my attention towards nature and specifically birds. To make a long story short I made an unexpected turn and spent the next decade as a roaming seasonal wildlife biologist. I’ve had so many great experiences traveling and working all over the Western U.S. and in Mexico studying raptors, seabirds, whales, and forest and prairie ecology. I climbed old-growth trees on the Olympic Peninsula, surveyed the New Mexico desert from a high-winged Cessna, rafted the Grand Canyon surveying for Peregrine Falcons, and counted the world’s largest migration of birds of prey in Veracruz, Mexico.
During that time as a biologist I took very few pictures. For a few years I didn’t even carry a camera at all. I believe this was the best thing I could have ever done to become the photographer I am today. I occasionally freelanced for newspapers and magazines during these years. However, I didn’t fully step back into the realm of photography till 2006 after starting a family. Since returning to the camera, I’ve been going non-stop with the same kind of excitement and learning curve I experienced early on in life with the camera. I’m continually expanding my photographic boundaries and enjoying my time taking pictures more and more with every exposure.
I finally did return to school at Evergreen State College where I earned a B.A. Now I'm married, have two beautiful boys, a house, and an old dog. Currently I'm shooting for the State Senate during legislative sessions from Jan-April. During the rest of the year I photograph weddings, portraits, events, and commercial jobs. I freelance for The Olympian occasionally and provide photography for Saint Martin’s University on a regular basis.
I received a full-tuition scholarship at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh based my portfolio of work. While attending school I apprenticed with the local Associated Press shooters. I stayed on as a full-time stringer with the AP for a year in 1995 photographing professional sporting events, national news stories, and features.
From there I was accepted to the photojournalism program at Ohio University. Prior to starting school I made a trip to Olympia, WA to visit family. My aunt, a biologist, turned my attention towards nature and specifically birds. To make a long story short I made an unexpected turn and spent the next decade as a roaming seasonal wildlife biologist. I’ve had so many great experiences traveling and working all over the Western U.S. and in Mexico studying raptors, seabirds, whales, and forest and prairie ecology. I climbed old-growth trees on the Olympic Peninsula, surveyed the New Mexico desert from a high-winged Cessna, rafted the Grand Canyon surveying for Peregrine Falcons, and counted the world’s largest migration of birds of prey in Veracruz, Mexico.
During that time as a biologist I took very few pictures. For a few years I didn’t even carry a camera at all. I believe this was the best thing I could have ever done to become the photographer I am today. I occasionally freelanced for newspapers and magazines during these years. However, I didn’t fully step back into the realm of photography till 2006 after starting a family. Since returning to the camera, I’ve been going non-stop with the same kind of excitement and learning curve I experienced early on in life with the camera. I’m continually expanding my photographic boundaries and enjoying my time taking pictures more and more with every exposure.
I finally did return to school at Evergreen State College where I earned a B.A. Now I'm married, have two beautiful boys, a house, and an old dog. Currently I'm shooting for the State Senate during legislative sessions from Jan-April. During the rest of the year I photograph weddings, portraits, events, and commercial jobs. I freelance for The Olympian occasionally and provide photography for Saint Martin’s University on a regular basis.