About
The Really Short Version
I’va always had a deep rooted interest in capturing and creating compelling images. After working as a freelance commercial photographer I decided branch out into portrait & event photography to practice and share my love for the wonderful world of photography with others.
The Short Version
I am a graphic designer based in my home town: Miami, Florida. From a very early age I was attracted to the world of art and my parents supported and encouraged my growth as an artist. While I studied the many traditional art mediums I quickly embraced the digital art medium as another tool I could use to develop my visions and craft new images. Because I also knew that the digital medium would become only more prevalent in the future, I educated myself on the technology and developing standards of this new medium that was still in its infancy.
Photography seemed to come naturally to me. Having already developed an artistic vision, the camera became a tool I used to translate and help me understand the visual world around me. I capture a unique view through the lens of the camera regardless of the subject.
My favorite photo subjects include: Landscapes, Portraits and Candid Photographs.
The Long Version
My interest in photography came after I was already convinced that I wanted to be an artist “when I grew up”. My mother was always snapping photos of the family at birthday parties and family events so it was only natural that I would take notice of the device she was using, the sounds it would make after snapping a photo, the fact that you had to reload this strange and noisy device after using it a few times, and how it would literally freeze time. I was very curious in learning more about it. And then my father gave me a book of photographs that opened a door I would never be able to close.
The book was nothing more than a collection of photographs from individuals all over the world, some famous and most not, that explored different ideas with photography. Color, Composition, Theme, Lines, Shapes and everything I was learning about in my drawing and painting classes was executed in a similar fashion through these photographs. Even motion was conveyed more convincingly than any other still images I had seen up to that point! It took about 20 minutes of looking through that book until I realized that I wanted photography to be a journey in my life.
The early years of my photography consisted of disposable cameras and “borrowing” my mothers camera to snap photos while she was occupied. This was back before the dawn of digital and film cost money which I did not have. Still, I never let that stop me. I did what I could to learn as much as possible with whatever was available to me. Then, in High School my father gave me his old Nikon FE2 camera. Finally I was able to experiment with aperture settings and timed exposures! All of the knowledge I had amassed using a point and shoot camera was being put to use!
At this point in time Photography was still more of a tool than a creative medium to me. Film was still relatively expensive for me and I did not have the time to dedicate to photography. I snapped photos to document my life, but graphic design and the now rapidly developing world of digital artists had me enveloped. It wasn’t until my first year in college that I purchased my first digital camera. Now that the film was no longer a factor I was free to photograph whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted for free! I was hooked again.
I only gained momentum from there. I enrolled myself in Photography classes at the university and studied all of the traditional techniques and the styles of the masters while I experimented with my point and shoot camera. I learned how to develop my own film and print my own images in the darkroom while learning how to develop photos digitally with Photoshop. even in my graphic design courses photography was a very powerful tool that we were encouraged to explore. I was surrounded by the world of photography and I was excited!
Fast forward a few years and I found myself graduating from Florida State University with a degree in studio art. Shortly thereafter I applied for a graphic design position in a sign shop where I quickly began to save every penny I could. In hopes of one day purchasing a Nikon DSLR. I knew I did not want an entry level camera either. I wanted a camera that would not limit me any longer and that would give me full control and the expandability that my fathers film camera provided. It took longer than I expected, but after two years I was finally able to afford a Nikon D300 camera body and a 50mm ƒ1.4 lens. The world of photography had changed for me yet again.
My creative vision and visual exploration expanded at an exponential rate. The new digital tool combined with my technical knowledge and traditional education allowed me to quickly develop a style for capturing life and the world around me. Now the camera and I are lifelong friends in this journey we call life.