I started to learn about photography from my dad when I was in high school. Then I went off to college and studied poetry. Photography took a back seat. I didn’t realize it at the time, but images were still the driving force when I wrote. Whether my writing was non-linear or more traditionally narrative, images always guided my mind and my language.

When I got back into photography, during grad school, I discovered that my exposure to poetry and the other arts solidified my aesthetic choices when composing through a viewfinder.

My experience with poetry has also given me an appreciation for community. There isn’t as much money involved in poetry as there is in other genres of writing. This means that for the most part, poetry communities tend to be highly supportive and almost familial. (At least in my experiences.) Bringing that sense of community to the photography circles in which I find myself is very important to me. People are more important than pictures.

Once back into photography, I worked on personal projects using film. I switched over to digital in 2006 and covered music shows for some friends. I got the chance to work on artwork for a few albums, started to shoot product shots for my day job, and began covering weddings. Though I shoot most things in digital, I still have strong roots in film, and have become somewhat obsessed with Polaroids.