I was born in Los Angeles, CA ... but only because my mom came to Southern California so that she could be with her mom when I was born. (My dad was sailing around Cape Horn on his way to Chile at the time). A month later we moved to the San Francisco Bay Area; which is were I grew up and attended school.
My dad gave me my first camera and light meter (cameras with light meters were not yet in production) when I was in the 5th grade. After he showed me how to load a roll of film, focus the camera, and set the exposure he told be to go out and take pictures. I remember anxiously waiting for my first roll of film to be developed. I also remember the disappointment of viewing that first roll of film and realizing that all the pictures were overexposed. I was never sure if it was the camera or the light meter that was not working correctly, but my dad eventually got me another camera. No further instruction accompanied the new camera; from this point I was on my own to figure it out.
I graduated from Brigham Young University with Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Electrical Engineering. My first job (at Hughes Aircraft Corporation in Fullerton) took me to Orange County. I sold my camera equipment (a Russian made Zenit 35mm camera and a few lenses) to cover my last month's expenses before leaving for California. It took me a while to save up enough money to buy a new camera and a few lenses (another one of life's disappointments was opening my first paycheck and finding how much money was taken out in taxes).
While my professional career has been in a corporate and technical space, I've developed my passion for photography in the opposite environment: outside in cities or in nature. I have an adventurous streak that pushed me to pursue outdoor activities like mountain biking, ocean kayaking, scuba diving, and hiking. Being in beautiful landscapes has always inspired me, and primarily been the focus of my photography. I love to capture different perspectives - whether that's literally (via macro shots and fish-eye lenses), or figuratively (capturing cultural "still life" shots...I'm particularly fond of lonely benches).
I met my wife, Deborah, in Orange County and we have two married daughters; Tessa and Nina. Except for a short three-year stint in Santa Cruz, all our family life has been as Irvine residents.
Since receiving that first camera I’ve been trying to improve my photography craft, learning mostly by faith; building on your knowledge base by trying new methods and techniques. Deb and I enjoy travelling locally and abroad. We especially enjoy the National Parks. If you see me around, introduce yourself; I’m the one hiking with about 12 pounds of photo equipment or wandering offbeat city paths at first light.