I’m not your typical photographer. I’ve been in the game of professional photography for eight years. But before then I was in another: NASCAR. 

 

Growing up I was in love with cars and racing. I went to a race in person and from that point I was determined to become a professional race car driver. Eight years later I found myself standing next to my NASCAR race car at Daytona International Speedway as the national anthem played. I was a NASCAR driver for five years. Then it got to the point where it was time for me to move on.

 

After NASCAR, I went on a last minute trip to Europe. I took the camera I bought a year earlier but never used. Little did I know that a passion for photography was about to be ignited in me. I took pictures of our entire trip. I loved every moment of it. When I got home and loaded the pictures on my computer I noticed I had captured some really good images but mostly many bad ones. It was those few good images that had me hooked. What was it about those photos that made them so much better than the others? This took me to a place of obsession, where I was taking photos every chance I had. It didn’t matter the subject: landscapes, animals, objects, buildings, people. I just wanted to learn everything I could. But it was the two days that I rented a high end camera and took photos of both of my grandpas that my passion for capturing people and their stories through a lens came to the forefront. I knew the type of photography I wanted to go after and set my sights on learning everything I could about it.

 

I pursue the art of portrait story telling with the same heart and determination that took me to the top of the racing game. I have the same desire for excellence, not settling for less than the best. But now, my job isn’t to drive as fast as I can around a track. It is to capture authentic images that move people. Images that never stop speaking for themselves.