My photography career began almost by accident almost 20 years ago, much like meeting your soul mate when you least expect it. As a student at Middle Tennessee State University, I enrolled in a photography class that I thought was based on theory and history—until my instructor asked me to pick up a camera. My dad handed me my grandfather's old camera, a Pentax SP100 from the 1960s. It was the type of camera that slows you down, the kind that makes you truly think about each image you're creating. From the first moment in the darkroom when I dropped the print into the developer, flipped it over and watched my work appear, I was hooked. For the first time in my life, I had an artistic outlet. I could create something beautiful, something that resonated with others. I could never paint or draw, but this was it: Photography was my creative outlet. And for the first time in my life, I was an artist. 

In the months and years that followed, I worked long hours in the darkroom and in a drugstore film lab. I bought my first camera and began working in wedding photography. But through it all, I have never forgotten those early days with my grandfather's camera and the wonder of the darkroom that first drew me into the world of photography. Almost two decades later, I still create and scan my negatives by hand. While I now shoot a mix of digital and film photographs, I pride myself on being a photographer who is molded by the way film slows you down and makes you think. All of my work is slow and intentional. I am a purposeful photographer, someone who considers the art of each shot before I hit the shutter. Because of this, I can ensure my clients that every shot is worth it. Each photograph is crafted with an artistic eye. Each image will matter.

As a professional photographer, I have the opportunity to capture beauty on the best days of my clients' lives. It is an honor I don't take lightly. It is because of that responsibility—and because of my dedication to creating classic fine art that is striking and interesting—that I am so engaged with you at events and shoots. I work to ensure that by the time you're on set or taking your first spin as a married couple on the dance floor, my presence is familiar and unobtrusive. You will be able to relax and be your best, natural selves. And, most importantly, you'll be able to enjoy the day and rest assured that I am always striving to create timeless works of art and portraits with feeling, images crafted with an artistic eye that I'd like to see framed on a gallery wall. Your most important days are important to me, too. 

What sets me apart is simple: I never got over the wonder of those early days with my grandfather's camera—of creating images in the darkroom that truly made me proud. I work to recreate that feeling every time I work with my you, my clients. At the end of the day, when you see your photos for the first time and for years to come, I want to ensure that you experience that feeling as well.