The short version

My interest in photography likely began before I realized it, as I was often the subject of my grandfather’s camera. A civil engineer by trade, he was also an avid photographer who ran a commercial photography studio out of his home in the 1950s and 60s. I would not truly appreciate any of this until after his passing. It was in the summer of 1980 when I discovered his darkroom where he processed countless rolls of film and made hundreds of slides. While I still have his Omega D2 enlarger, I would give anything to have back the stainless steel developing reels and tanks and other equipment that I should never have gotten rid of.

Through the years of childhood and youth my love of photography grew and I came to Ohio State in 1987, where I eventually found a home in Journalism. Though my major was going to be in Advertising, I was more determined to become a photojournalist. Before leaving OSU in 1992, I had a successful quarter as a Lantern photographer, interned with Reuters News Pictures for the national political conventions, and had a brief stint as a Dispatch stringer for high school football. I studied color printing and studio photography at Columbus State Community College, through which I landed an opportunity to photograph for the Columbus Horizon of the now-defunct Continental Basketball Association.

After getting my professional start in the production department at Suburban News Publications, I was hired in the editorial department as a full time photojournalist where I became one of the first photographers to help usher digital photography into central Ohio weekly local news.

Finding that starting a new family and the often unforgiving schedule of a news photographer were difficult to bear simultaneously, I left the newspaper business for the 9-5 corporate world. I spent five years at Highlights for Children’s direct sales venture—Highlights-Jigsaw Toy Factory, six months as a freelance graphic designer, and three years as an IT specialist for a local printing company before I went back to Ohio State.  I finished my Bachelor’s Degree in English and then went to Ohio Dominican University to obtain licensure to teach 7-12 English.

Once a photographer . . . I have always remained behind the camera, documenting the life of my family. Over the years, my “family” has included Bear Cub Baseball, NCS Baseball, and for the last eight years, the Upper Arlington High School bands.