I was about 13 when I told my dad I want to get into 'serious' photography, but I needed a "real camera."  Dad gave me a look that says "I know you are going to loose interest in this - you have the attention span of a hamster" (which back then was true), but Dad being Dad, he still made me a deal.  I spent my summer covered in dirt while cleaning, mowing lawns and doing yard chores. In return, Dad got me that SLR camera suitable for "serious" photography. 

Knowing my attention span wasn't all that long, he didn't want to spend a lot of money. The camera he found me was an inexpensive Kalimar K1000, which turned out to really be a rebadged "Zenit E" (a 35mm camera imported from, of all places, the Soviet Union!).  It was new, but like most of the cameras from the Soviets, the design was 25 years behind the times. There was nothing automatic (metering wasn't even though the lens!). Apparently, the factories that made the military optics also made the "consumer" lenses, so the glass was razor sharp.

Now as a broke Jr. High kid, I couldn't afford wasting film on bad exposures, so I learned to meter, determine flash distance and manually do all the other things most of us now let our cameras do for us.  For two years, that camera was rarely more than an arms length away.  I also built up my own darkroom and soon was turning out some really cool images.  Eventually, I saved up enough money and moved into modern gear from Canon (I still use Canon's gear to this day), but I never forgot that first camera and how excited I was when dad brought it home.

Fast forward a few years to the first digital SLRs and Photoshop. I have always been kind of a computer geek, so when Photography Road went to digital and headed toward Computer Avenue, I was standing in the interesection waiting. I started building websites (one of which was on old Soviet Cameras) and to support that, moved into commercial and table top photograpy for myself and others.

I still do commercial work, but in the last few years, with a little prodding from some would-be models who needed a photographer, I have also branched into studio, events and glamour images.

About Shooting with me:

I enjoy shooting a lot, but my photography is a side business, so I don't completely make my living as a photographer.  Despite the romance of being a struggling artists, I'm far too practical. 

As a result, I'm usually happy to help a new model who is just getting started or to take on commercial projects that interests me, usually for a very reasonable fee.  I do my own printing and Photoshop work and can provide screen-ready or paper prints for anybody that models for me.  I can also swing commercial projects at very reasonable rates.

I also have my own at-home studio with way too much gear, too many costumes and too many props for somebody who's not a full time pro.  There are also several (outdoor) places in the Northern NJ area where we like to go to shoot.

If you are interested in shooting or working on a portfolio, drop a line and let me know.

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