I would like to think I come from humble beginnings. The first thirteen years of my life were with two siblings and a single mother. We didn’t always have much, but I had imagination, art, and encouragement. In 1989 I was accepted into a summer art program at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina. That same year, we moved to Morganton, North Carolina, where I enrolled in several art classes at Freedom high school. It was there that I was exposed to several artistic challenges and felt myself develop with the guidance of some amazing instructors. An art degree was a real academic possibility, but financially out of my reach. Feeling defeated, I decided to enlist into the US Navy, where I spent several years as a machinist. After my service, I bounced around from career to career, trying to find the right fit. It wasn’t until I met my wife, Jenna, that I found my way back to becoming a professional artist. With her endless and selfless support, I delved back into exploring the possibilities of what art had to offer. I experimented and grew more than I ever thought could be possible. That was about the same time I purchased my first camera. It was the most basic entry level DSLR I could afford at the time. I was slow at first in learning the range of options in photography. For almost ten years I travelled with it and photographed an uncountable number of landscapes. Hopefully most of them will never see the light of day. I was more of a hobbyist in those earlier days. In 2018, I decided to throw my hat into an industry that was already over-saturated, full time portrait photography. I could not have wished for a more perfect career. The challenges of capturing special moments is almost magical. Each day offers endless possibilities.