bio

I was born and raised on Vancouver Island, BC Canada. I first became interested in photography at the age of 12, when my parents brought home a beat-up old Ricoh SLR camera from a garage sale. I must have snapped over 500 photos on that thing before I even put the first roll of film in, which I now chock up to "practice in composition"…. but really I just loved the sound of the shutter! Eventually after several failed rolls of film, I started to see some improvement and started taking the camera to my second home; the skatepark. It was there that I really fell in love with photography, shooting photos of my friends hurling themselves through the air on their bikes and skateboards, then being able to show them the proof of their skills, which I always found satisfying.

I moved to Victoria when I was 20, and became fascinated with the amount of artists that inhabited the city. I began to shoot more and more, and decided to focus on honing my lighting skills. I wanted to learn as much as I could about light and how to use it best. I started taking trips down to Venice Beach, California, where I was fortunate enough to assist Lionel Deluy. I still regard Lionel as my "unofficial mentor", and often seek photographic advice from him.

Since my last visit to Venice Beach, my interests have definitely been leaning towards lifestyle portraiture. I enjoy shooting on location, as well as in the studio, which fuelled my interest to start my own studio in Victoria. This is my current project and the official opening of the studio will be sometime in mid-July 2010. Keep an eye on the photoblog and facebook group for more information.