I’ve never been one to talk about myself—friends can attest to that—but my journey as a photographer is a story I’m ready to share. It began in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago, where I’d doodle as a quiet Midwestern kid to keep busy for my mom. In high school, my dad handed me his old Minolta SLR camera, and everything shifted the first time I stood in a darkroom, the sharp scent of chemicals in
the air, watching an image emerge like smoke on the paper. Photography became my way to blend everything I loved about art—drawing, painting, sculpture—into one medium. After earning my bachelor degree in photography, I moved to the Northwest suburbs of Phoenix, where the desert’s stark beauty inspired me to dig deeper. Working as a bartender for years, I honed my craft on the side, capturing the world’s hidden stories through my lens. My photography centers on three subjects—People, Places, and Things—each a window into what makes us tick. With People, I explore our relationships with ourselves, each other, and our surroundings, capturing the chaotic ballet of modern life—like a fleeting glance in a crowded bar that carries a story of the depth and rhythm of human connection. Places is my visual journey through our habitation of the physical world, where the harmony and conflict between the story of humanity and nature play out—a person walking past a flower growing from the sidewalk under a scorching sun, or a city skyline cooling off during a desert sunset, reflecting the wonder and the beauty I’ve always seen in art. Things uncovers what we leave behind, from objects we create to escape reality to those that silently tell our stories, whispering history’s lessons and showing how we live and interpret our world. I carry forward the methodologies of traditional photography, editing with the same principles I learned early on, while living in a digital age. My approach aims for a raw, natural style that feels like you’re standing there with me, whether in the desert or a studio, always pausing to notice the details others might miss. For me, photography is about finding clarity in chaos, whether I’m capturing a stranger’s shadow on cracked earth or light fracturing through a dusty window. My art is my way to slow down and uncover beauty in the overlooked, a journey that is my own—but for those who choose to come along for the ride… Welcome to my vision: a world of hidden beauty with quiet details and clarity in the chaos, for those who pause to see it too.
