I got my first camera in 1965 shortly after my 10th birthday. My mom brought it home from a church rummage sale, and though she never told me I expect it was purchased for less than five dollars. Film was expensive for me, so not only did I buy black and white film it took me nearly a year to use those first 24 exposures. I then had to take the film to the local Ben Franklin dime store (two miles each way on my bike), fill out the yellow envelope at the counter, hand it in, and wait for a week or so for it to be returned. I still have original prints from that first roll of film dated in 1966. Over the next 5 to 10 years I used that same camera to record images from Boy Scouts, family events, and even the first year or two of college before I upgraded to a slightly more capable Kodak that took me through law school and the early years of our marriage.
I took plenty of terrible quality photos but recorded memories of friends, school activities, classmates in college, and ultimately shots of my young children that ended up in scrapbooks. My first "real" camera was a Minolta shooting 35mm film in probably 1980 or so. The kit had one lens and a detachable strobe. I couldn't figure out how to properly use the strobe so like most people I abandoned it and limited myself to available light.
In 2008 I took a bucket list trip to Australia with my family and took a ton of photos. When I returned and showed my family and friends, many of them wanted prints. I also had joined a local photography group hosted at Chicago's (then) premier photo store. The store invited me to hang my first photography show, which was followed over the years by exhibitions at other businesses and the Evanston City Hall among others. In 1983 I decided to open my first studio and went full-time as a professional the following year. Since then I've shot dozens of weddings, shot for nearly 10 different magazines, and was hired to provide thousands of headshots and nearly 100 events. My clients ranged from individuals, families, models and fashion shows, to food, wine, and jewelry products, to creative/artistic concepts that have been published. I also became known as an engaging teacher and have presented at conferences and workshops across the country.
Through this evolution, I still maintain a passion for capturing compelling images, and look forward to each next new thing, person, or place that I'll be asked to photograph. I'm an avid outdoor and nature photographer, love doing headshots and covering events, and do my best to help people feel good about themselves whether it's a one-time headshot client or a family that looks forward to returning to memorialize their lives as their children grow.
