Who am I?

I’m a photographer, videographer, musician, tech nerd, nature lover, and adventure seeker.

Allow me to paint a picture of who I am and what this work means to me, as told in my own words.

Early Life

From a young age, I’ve been fascinated by various types of imagery capturing the infinite tapestry of scenes our beautiful planet so graciously provides. Magazines like National Geographic allowed me to experience people, places, and cultures of the world that I would have never otherwise seen. My family bought our first digital camera around 1996 or 1997. Once I got comfortable with the camera in my hands, I knew that I had found a lifelong passion in capturing imagery of all sorts. In the following months, I quickly took on the role of family photographer/videographer. Being behind the camera just felt natural to me. What’s more, seeing those images either printed or displayed on a large screen brought me a sense of pride and joy in what I had created. As I grew older, I continued to learn about the technology behind photography and videography as much as possible. Growing up alongside the digital revolution of the 1990’s into the 2000’s along with the rapid expansion and evolution of the internet gave me a unique opportunity to learn and grow with it all. I have been a self-professed “tech nerd” for as long as I can remember. Closely following the changes in tech over the last three decades has given me the ability to rapidly adapt to new technologies as they change at a swift pace.

College

Although I completed one semester of business school at the University of Georgia, I quickly realized that the business world was not the right career path for me. It didn’t allow for my creative side to flourish. I switched my major to Journalism with a concentration in Telecommunications. This allowed me to explore the worlds of film, television, broadcast news, and print journalism. I quickly realized that this was where I belonged. I had so much fun making student films and directing broadcast news telecasts, learning the ins and outs of A/V production. I will forever be grateful to all of the staff and fellow students at the Grady College of Journalism at UGA for providing me with the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in this industry.

Athens Burning Documentary

Right around the time I graduated college in 2009 the Georgia Theatre in downtown Athens had a devastating fire that completely gutted the building. It was a place near and dear to my heart, as I had seen so many amazing concerts there and made special memories there. I had also performed with my band on that hallowed stage. The whole community was devastated as it was such a pillar of the Athens music scene. I quickly decided that this place with such rich cultural and community heritage was the perfect subject for me to pursue my first feature-length documentary directly out of college. I soon discovered that another young filmmaker, Jacob Kinsman, had the same idea. And so we decided to join forces and found an amazing executive producer/business manager/attorney, Eric Krasle, to help us make it all a reality. We created SphereVibe Films and the three of us spent the next year or so filming interviews and gathering the historical footage and photos that make up “Athens Burning.” It’s a documentary that explores the rich history of the Athens music scene and, more specifically, this stage and building that meant so much to so many. I am eternally grateful to my lifelong friends Jacob and Eric for all of the hard work they put in, and for the opportunity to create a time capsule of Athens, GA circa 2010. I’m so proud of this piece of work and I hope to make more feature-length documentaries in the future.

Corporate A/V

After spending a few years in Athens filming documentaries, commercials, and music videos I decided dive into the world of corporate A/V and began working at the Atlanta location of Production Resource Group (PRG) - one of the largest providers of event A/V equipment in the world. We provided gear and design for events such as the Super Bowl halftime show and the Olympics opening ceremonies. I learned many new valuable skills in this job. I was trained to operate and maintain massive projectors that illuminated the large video screens seen at conferences, concerts, and other events.

What’s next?

After a few years living and working in Atlanta, I made the decision to move south to Amelia Island and Fernandina Beach, FL to be closer to family and escape the traffic, noise, and stress of living in a large city. In addition to those reasons, I prefer the tighter connections that a smaller town allows you to build within the community. My grandparents bought a beach house for the family to enjoy summers on Amelia Island back in 1969. I spent a large part of my childhood roaming these beaches, marshes, and maritime forests. It just felt right to return here. Moving to an island filled with and surrounded by numerous parks and wildlife preserves has allowed me to explore wildlife photography on a regular basis in a way I had not been able to before. It has also allowed me to reignite my passion for performing music. I have been living happily on Amelia Island ever since. My goal is to maintain a sustainable media production business that provides the local area with many types of photography and videography services that the community needs, whether it be business-related or personal.

When I’m not shooting photos or videos, I’m playing bass guitar. My main project is The Mellow Daze. Click here to see if we have any upcoming gig dates. I also do freelance bass work, and was lucky enough to perform aboard Virgin Voyages cruise ships for a couple of months in 2022 with the talented Madison Grace, an up-and-coming singer/songwriter out of Mississippi. Check her out here.