My passion for photography started about 5 years ago. Back then, I had my own mobile dj company which used to be called "Audio Sensation Mobile Disco". At that time, I held residencies at a few clubs. I purchased a point and shoot digital camera and started photographing in the clubs. I would then design a website and hosted the photos online. About a year later, I purchsed my first digital SLR camera which was the Canon Digital Rebel. I began to experiment with the camera and started photographing landscapes. That is how I also began to enjoy going on hikes. Since then, my passion has grown to what has become of today.

Experience

A lot of my experience comes from working at Lifetouch and from the years of photographing weddings, events, sports, etc. Lifetouch has taught me the basics of photography. Things like lighting, exposure, and composition. These are some of the things that I have learned working at Lifetouch. My responsibility at Lifetouch includes photographing groups as large as 500. I am also responsible for the panoramic photos booked with Lifetouch. I am also a sports and a event photographer with the company. Working for Lifetouch has exposed me to a lot of different types of photography. I am a lead photographer with the company and I am also a national finalist award recipient with the nation wide company.

Before Lifetouch, I worked for Kinko's for 5 years. Working for Kinko's has given me the ability to design invitations, flyers, posters, etc. I am very familiar with programs like Pagemaker, Photoshop, InDesign, Adobe Acrobat, and a whole list of others. Working there also taught me the importance of color and quality of the product produced.

Quality

I am very critical when it comes to the quality of my work. I have heard the many horror stories about the quality of work when I worked for Kinko's and while i'm also working with Lifetouch. What are the factors that make a good quality photo? One is exposure, nobody wants to see a really dark or light photo. Second is composition, does the photo tell a story? Does it complete the story with no parts being cut off? Third is emotion, what do you feel when you look at the photo? Does it make you sad or happy? These are some of the things that make a good quality photo.

Value

There are other photographers who advertise at a cheaper rate but are they worth the value? One thing you might want to do when looking for a photographer is to see if their rate is what they are really valued at. My rates are based upon what I believe i'm valued at. The experience that I have and the quality that I produce is one of the factors that determine the rate. Do not be enticed to hire someone because of how cheap they are. Sometimes their value is what they are worth. You pay cheap, you get cheap.

Equipment

I normally work with 2 camera bodies. One is a Canon MKIII 1d and the other is a Canon 40d. I also have a Canon 20d which I converted into an infrared camera. I have a collection of a variety of lenses. I also have a variety of accessories such as flashes, battery packs, tripods, and mounts. I use 2 Epson R380 and an Epson R1800 for my printing. I also have a Fuji ASK-2000 printer for on the job printing. I have 2 HP Computers for my editing and I also have an HP laptop and a Mac Book Pro that I use on the field.