My home town is Welland, Ontario, Canada. It’s a medium-sized city near Niagara Falls where I grew up. After a great childhood filled with friends, family and fun, I went away to school at the University of Waterloo where I earned my Bachelor of Science degree. From there, I went on to graduate school at Logan College of Chiropractic in St. Louis where I earned my Doctor of Chiropractic degree. This is also where I met my wonderful wife Julia. After graduation, the two of us decided to move to Cincinnati, OH where I set-up practice and we were blessed with two amazing children, Logan and Mackenzie. In 2004 we made the move to Charleston and never looked back.
I received my first camera as a gift from my parents when I was about 12 years old. I was taking a trip to visit family in Calgary, Alberta and they thought I would like a way to document everything and everyone I encountered. It was an old 35mm Kodak film model with a pop-up flash and from the first time I got my hands on it I wore it out! That camera served me well for many years but, eventually, it was time to move on. As my passion for photography grew, I worked my way up the camera food chain until I purchased my first Nikon film SLR back in the late ‘90s. This is where I really began to hone my skills and remember spending hours experimenting with different lighting techniques, camera setting, locations and subjects to create exactly what I saw in my mind’s eye. I still have that camera and love to break it out every once in a while when I get a craving for the look of film. Then, everything changed as the world of digital photography began to enter the mainstream…My first digital camera was a Nikon Coolpix 950. I shot a lot of landscapes and scenery and tons of photos of my family. I loved the instant feedback I got with a DSLR, and I started craving more knowledge. Soon, friends started asking for all kinds of portraits and photo services. I quickly learned that portraits were a very different kind of photography from landscapes. And I couldn’t learn fast enough! I loved learning about lighting, posing, post-processing, and everything else you need to know for making your portraits amazing. Since then I haven’t stopped learning. I have been able to move up through the cameras and lenses to now working with high-end Nikon gear and many lenses. What used to fit in a small camera bag now needs a large backpack and accessory bags to carry. These days I use them mostly for events, weddings, and portraits of all kinds, but I still love going out and finding photos in my surroundings; I can sit and wait for that perfect moment for a whole day.
I know I am right at the beginning of my photographic career, and I do know that I want to explore this and see how far I can go. I am still learning, and I will never stop learning. I want to continue to get better and find new techniques for my photography. And of course I want to continue making people smile, laugh, and even cry when they see their photos. That is the greatest reward I can get and is what I strive for every time I pick up my camera.
