Where it all began.
I grew up with a deep passion for wildlife. As far back as I can remember I loved everything about the ocean, and wildlife in general. Coming home from school I would be glued to the TV watching Steve Irwin, Jeff Corwin, and just about anything interesting I could find on discovery channel, animal planet etc. I developed a love for sharks at a young age and wanted to learn everything about them. To the point where I would get on the computer and just google “shark facts” and learn as much as I could. The only thing I can remember wanting to be “when I grow up” was a marine biologist, making a career of learning about the animals that I grew so passionate about.
I grew up in Southwest Florida and was also near, or in the water. When I was 16, I got my Open Water scuba certification that really opened my world up under the surface. It was a whole new world that I got to experience and led to some awesome encounters. When not on scuba, I spent a lot of my teenage years snorkeling with friends. My favorite local spot was Boca Grande, Florida, and that’s where I would spend the majority of my time underwater. Though not a tropical paradise such as the Bahamas, Boca was special to me because it molded me as a diver and gave me an opportunity to see a large variety of wildlife.
Though becoming a Marine Biologist didn’t pan out, I joined the US Army at 20 years old which brought me to some pretty unique places. Whenever I would travel, I tried to dive and experience the local wildlife. While I’m South Korea I obtained my Advanced Open Water Scuba certification at Jeju Island.
Fast forward a few years and I re-enlisted to be stationed in Oahu, Hawaii, always a bucket list place to visit, now calling it home. While in Hawaii I transitioned my “snorkeling” to more formal Freediving and decided to take up underwater photography after a push from my buddy Ryan Walton.
After obtaining my first camera rig setup (canon g7xmkii) I became obsessed with documenting my dives through my images. Capturing the memories, I had underwater in a frozen frame was unbeatable. During this time, I took a Level 1 freediving class to help me get more comfortable underwater for longer periods of time at deeper depths, safely. I have since upgraded and currently shoot with a Sony A7riii in a SeaFrogs underwater housing.
From the time I started my photography journey, it has strictly been done freediving. While I’ll likely eventually put a tank back on for scuba at some point for certain dives that may require it, freediving is by far my preferred method to photograph and interact with marine wildlife.
Where am I now?
My 3 years in Hawaii came to an end and I transitioned from the Army back to civilian life and moved my wife and daughter back to Florida. I now do trips around the world targeting new species to photograph and add to my memories, and portfolio. Though underwater photography is not my “profession”, it is most definitely my passion. I love sharing my images with the world giving people and opportunity to see what I see and hopefully tell a story about my endeavors as well as promote conservation so that my kids, and grandkids can experience the same kind of wildlife as I have.
What about the above water photos?
Though I primarily lean towards shooting underwater, from time to time I find myself in locations that have an abundance of wildlife on land. I love all things animals and I recently started to document various species I’ve encountered on trips I’ve been on in places such as Alaska and the PNW. I would like to expand my portfolio and capture images of more wildlife as time goes on. Who knows what I’ll see next !
Prints?
Again, photography isn’t my “job” or profession, but I have had a decent request for printed images of my work. All photos in my galleries are available to be printed on various medium, and items not already listed in my store are still available if you just send me a message stating what you would like. My plan is to utilize proceeds made from selling prints to pay for equipment upkeep, and upgrades, as well as more trips in the future. But all in all, it’s pretty gratifying for me just to see my artwork printed and hanging up in someone’s home. So I deeply appreciate anyone who has, or does purchase any prints from me !
