BIO

I was born August 19th 1982 and raised in the suburbs of Philadelphia. At 13 I took my Father’s 1970 Minolta 35mm out on a snowy day through the woods near our home to put the basics he had taught me to work. That first roll of film sparked my interest in photography. I was struck by the power the camera provided over the world around me. My interest continued.
As a sophomore I had my first formal instruction in photography. I thought I could continue studying through college but after so many years of school I was tired of it and unsure if college was for me at all. The next two years i spent working as a Stone Mason in Bucks County Pennsylvania and as a waiter in Boston all the while saving up money to travel.
In 2002 I went on a trip through Europe. Along with my guitar I brought a 35mm camera and numerous rolls of black&white film.
After returning to the states I decided to formally study photography. I signed up for classes at Bucks County Community College to process and print my rolls from Europe. At the same time I enrolled at the Art Institute of Philadelphia.
At The Art Institute i honed my focus toward portraiture and photojournalism. Eventually i gained an internship with Philadelphia Metro Newspapers where i worked closely with Editor of Photography and former Associated Press Photographer Rikard Larma. I enjoyed running around Philadelphia on whatever assignments they needed and my work was published daily.
I graduated from The Art Institute in June 2006. In the years since I have worked many jobs and lived many places. While still in Philadelphia after graduation I taught a photography program of own design for children at schools in southwest Philadelphia. I also worked as a freelance artist shooting weddings, as well as multiple assignments for Conde' Nast Publications.
I returned to Europe in the fall of 2006 where I lived in Krakow Poland doing a little work for Lost in Krakow Magazine. Mostly I traveled and focused on my personal work. After returning to the states in 2007 I lived and worked for a while in Tucson Arizona. Currently I am again living in Philadelphia documenting the people and world around me.

I shoot with a digital Nikon SLR as well as my customized 120mm Yashicaflex.