I wear many hats. I am a commercial, portrait, and fine art photographer living and working in Central Illinois.

I picked up and began using my first camera when I was eight years old. For all of those years, photography was a companion who was either a half step ahead or behind. There were years where I was deeply immersed and there were years when other things in a busy life intruded. In all that time, this companion sat on the edge of my life waiting patiently to capture the moment when the light of recognition clicked on over my head. During that time, I’ve come to understand two things: that my art is what makes me truly happy and that life is too short not to follow one’s passion.

I resisted the urge to follow my passion until 2003. While working as a software professional, I chose to swing the pendulum back to the immersed end of the photographic spectrum. Now, I photograph my adopted home of Central Illinois to see beauty that is often overlooked in soybean fields or river valleys. I photograph friends and family to see the same beauty. I’ve pursued a number of ideas in the last few years tied to broader examination, with projects as varied as photographing the energy and enthusiasm of the drama program at Normal Community High School in Normal, Illinois, to chronicling a few years in the life of one giant oak in Tazewell County.

From late 2006 to mid 2008, I worked as a contract photographer with the commercial photography team at Caterpillar in Peoria. My job description consisted of traveling around the Caterpillar world, taking pictures of Cat machines, dealers, and people and the places where they lived and worked. It was a tremendous experience. I'm currently a member of the teaching faculty in Photography at the Peoria Art Guild. I'm also the founder of the Peoria Flickr Group and the Central Illinois Photoblog.