My passion for photography started when I was a teenager. But my appreciation and love for this beautiful world we live in started at a much younger age. My family would take an annual summer vacation. Growing up in Philadelphia our destinations were usually somewhere on the east coast. Because there were six of us, my parents could not afford airfare, so we drove to every location. This meant long car rides with my siblings, but it always ended up at some place beautiful. The beach one year, the mountains the next. Some years we went to both. It was always a fun adventure, and it was a guarantee that we would always see or do something memorable. I remember waking up early with my family and watching sunrises coming up over the Atlantic Ocean when we were in the Carolina’s. I also remember staying up late and walking under the stars in Shenandoah National Park. Whether we were on vacation or we were back in Philly. something amazingly beautiful was always around and I wanted to take pictures of it. 

I started taking pictures with simple point and shoot camera. On any given vacation, I would shoot over twenty rolls of film. My vacations were exciting but waiting for the pictures to come back from the photo lab was just as exciting. As I got older, I remember watching my father shoot his Nikon SLR and being impressed with the quality of the pictures. So, for my 16th birthday, my parents bought me my first SLR camera kit. A Minolta Maxxum 3xi. I would snap pictures everywhere I would go. In my junior year of high school at Northeast High, I took a class in photography. It was here I met an amazing teacher, Mr. Coffman. His assignments challenged me and made me a better photographer. He taught me that planning my shot was just as important as taking the picture. He said " A good photographer should always look for different angles and try to add unconventional elements into their pictures. This will make their art standout from the rest."  This statement has always stayed with me and has always pushed me to "stand out from the rest." For years my camera went wherever I went. I shot thousands of photos. Then reality took me away from taking pictures for a few years. College, work, bills, career, etc...  These were now top priorities, but my love for photography was still there. 

During my brief time away from photography I met an amazing girl. I was very lucky, and one day she became my wife. As we got to know one another, I shared with her my passion and love for photography. As we traveled to different places, I was taking a lot of pictures with a digital point and shoot. The pictures were nice, but they were not the quality that I wanted.  So as a wedding gift she gave me my first DSLR. Since then I have not stopped shooting. In fact, I try to take pictures as much as I can. I went back to shooting what I truly love. Nature and landscapes. In recent years, I have studied the work of some amazing photographers such as Ansel Adams and Art Wolfe. As much as I love taking pictures, I also love looking at different pictures and art. I am constantly looking at different photography pages, magazines, and books. I do this to learn, to master my technique and to gain inspiration. It is my hope that my work will somehow touch you and inspire you. If nothing else, I hope my pictures will help you appreciate this beautiful world we live in.