I bought a camera with the first paycheck I ever earned by working part-time at a video store when I was 14. Remember video stores? Haven't seen one of those in ages. Never pursued photography as a career because I didn't want to taint my first love with money so I went into graphic design instead. After a decade and a half of having my soul slowly sucked away from me with corporate design work, I've decided that I want to be a paramedic when I grow up so I'm currently a full time student. That leaves me with more time to take photos, and that's where you come into the picture. Literally.

I tend to get wrapped up in high-concept photo shoots so what I've been focusing on lately is trying to make it simpler. Ever notice how some of the best pictures you've ever seen are fairly simple? My new approach is to set up a shoot with 2 basic ideas: Wardrobe and location. Let the art come together from there. Much more "organic" that way, I think. And I'm not married to any particular style, I try to challenge myself as a photographer to try something new all the time. Its easy to get a few lighting set-ups in your bag o'tricks and get comfortable so I get the shots that I know will work and start moving stuff around, different angles, etc., and see what sticks.

I work best with models when there is a lot of collaboration on the shoot. Some of the best shots I've ever gotten were when the model had an idea for a shot that didn't even occur to me to try.

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