Hello and welcome to my site. I'm just now getting back into photography after a two and a half year layoff. I've always enjoyed taking pictures, but wasn't truly bitten by the bug until 1995-1996. I was in the Marine Corps, stationed in North Carolina, when a lady friend of mine who was an exotic dancer, asked me to take some photos of her. Not being one to do something half way, instead of using the simple point and shoot camera I had at the time, I went out and bought a nice 35mm Canon SLR. That shoot never happened but in talking to some of the other dancers afterwards, others expressed interest, in either having themselves done or their children, etc. I was shooting just for fun back then, learning as I went along. Soon I wasn't happy learning just by trial and error and began to read whatever I could find on the subject of photography, specifically material dealing with photographing people. With each passing shoot, I found myself enjoying it more and more.
I was having a good time shooting in North Carolina. With the large number of people I knew, it was usually easy to find willing subjects to step in front of my camera. However, all good things must come to an end. I reached a point where it was time to leave the military after 11 years. Not knowing what else to do, I went back to my home state of Illinois to go to school. I was going to school for photography, intending to get my BA. However, while part of me thouroughly enjoyed college, returning as a 30 year old freshman taking 12-14 credit hours per semester and having to work 40 hours a week took it's toll. I did 3 semesters in two years. During this time, I managed to become a father. Add family responsibility to a full course load and a 40 hour a week work schedule, and something had to give. I ended up giving up school for the time being.
The lady I had a son with was from Maine, and after his birth in 1998, she began to get very homesick. So after some serious discussion, we packed up everything and moved to Maine in January 1999. We split later that same year. Once out on my own, the bug began biting at me again. I began shooting again. Some difficult times hit, and I ended up losing a lot of my equipment in 2001. The desire has never gone away, so I've managed to find a way to get back to doing it again, although now I'm leaning towards also making a little from it if I can. Some day I'd love to have my own studio and do it full time, although I'm a long way away from that. I still have a lot to learn. I still read whatever I can get my hands on and shoot whenever I find someone willing. But you've got to start somewhere, right? This site is one way of promoting myself. Some of the material here goes back to 1995-1996. Some newer stuff too. So please, look
around. I'm always open to constuctive criticism and ideas.
