I’ve been a photographer for 17 years.  My first camera was a Pentax ME-F with a 50mm lens (sadly I can’t remember which).  I loved that camera.  All manual, shallow depth of field lens… It was a pleasure to learn from.

The whole reason I began photographing was for my sister, who at the time was a model working on her portfolio.  I think at first she only intended me to be a tripod, but I was curious about what all those buttons and switches were about, so I read the manual.

Over time I read many books explaining composition, the science, and the art of photography.  Bored of photographing my sister, by the time I was 18 I had a niece to photograph! Which indecently lead to my professional training as a portrait photographer.  My niece had just had her portraits taken when my sister asked the photographer if the studio was looking for apprentices.  A few hours later… I had a job.

Professional Training

At age 19 I started working for PCA Int. Inc.  Trained in composition by Mark Coopland, Mark taught me the dynamics of capturing the essence of a person.  To Mark it wasn’t about creating a picture that sells, but one that tells a story about the person photographed.  He taught me to get to know my subject as I work with them so I can guide them to a comfortable “portrait like” pose that’s all their own.

Later I received further training with Michael Walker.  Michael was great with children. He taught me the best practices to interact with children.  The majority of our Clientele was Families, so I soon gained popularity for working with children; being a high energy kid myself, I found it easy to keep up and interact with children.

Stealing Oblivion

After a few years, I began to feel that my work was straying farther from real portraiture and closer to candid shots with too many props and not enough focus on the actual person.   So, I opted to leave the studio to regroup.  I make it sound easy to have left the studio, but it wasn’t.  I had become such a part of the company that I felt part ownership.  The people I worked with and my regular clients were such a big part of my life, leaving was quite painful, but necessary for the craft I so loved.

A few years later while I was moving, I came across my case of photographs and began to pore over all the old portraits I’d done.  Models and Dancers and children and of course my family I had photographed. All the memories came back, and I remembered why I had started photography in the first place.  I loved stealing time from oblivion like this.  To always have that moment to remind me.

Times changed while I was away

All I had ever known was film.  I had my own darkroom and processed my own film and printed on my own enlarger, digital was mocked as a gimmick… guess we were wrong.  Now working with digital, I have found there’s little difference between the digital darkroom and my original darkroom.  I’m still dodging and burning in the same fashion I once did.  I’m still removing pimples and other blemishes practically (yet easier) in the same manner.

Photographer or Strobist?

I’m so confused…

Strobist is simply my choice of equipment.  Strobist is the light-weight easy way to travel and light an environment.  After years of working in the studio it’s nice to get out and shoot on location.  You can’t always rely on sunlight to create the right mood for your photographs so I use battery powered strobes and light modifiers to achieve the look and feel for my work.  Light weight means I can work single-handed or with a small production team.  Although I’ve learned less is more and find myself toning things down to focus better on content.

In the Studio

Conveniently located in Ybor City, my studio features an all white set. Solid color backdrops are always an option as well. Just about any Prop can be obtained for your shoot if I don’t have it on hand. If you have any special requests, don’t hesitate to call. What I like best about my job is making it happen. Starting with an idea or a sketch on paper and ending with exactly what I wanted made real.

On Location

From urban streets and botanical gardens to your office and back to the studio for product photography, an outdoor Wedding or family portraits at the beach; I’ve created an easy set-up to what could be a complicated day.  Strobist gear provides me the time to focus on content and material and the finer details that leave most photographs on the dark room floor.