I’ve run long distances, raced bicycles, climbed mountains and rocks, been a soldier of fortune, windsurfed, raced motorcycles and vintage autos, been to wonderful places and locations where I was lucky to survive, procured information, rescued people, surfed big waves, herded cats, won at gambling, lost at love, and sailed through storms far from land. Of the many stories I could tell, some must remain secret. There were times when everything went right, and scars to remind me when things went wrong.
I was born in Bremerhaven, Germany to a family with a history that goes back many centuries. Our family has included ballerinas, artists, musicians, soldiers, writers, chefs, statesmen, executives, and inventors. I grew up around creative and resourceful people who encouraged and inspired me. My grandmother pushed me more than anyone to share my creativity with the world. We have been through prosperous times and times of great hardship, yet we always landed on our feet.
I’ve been drawing most of my life. When I was still little, I was shown how to use a camera and figure out exposure. Eventually I got my own cameras, which led to my earliest experiments in photography. In all the challenges and adventures of my life, being a creative professional is what I have enjoyed the most. Every project is different, with dynamics that bring unique opportunities. I achieved a Bachelor of Fine Art cum laude in 1998 from San Diego State University. I often used my photos as reference material for my paintings and illustrations. Upon graduating I became an illustrator, and then learned all I could about commercial printing to become a graphic designer. After showing my photography to a few companies, I was asked to create images for their projects. Soon the requests for my photography outgrew my graphic design and illustration projects.
I enjoy the light of southern California, and discovering many great locations for photographic projects. When the light and time are not optimal, then I bring my own lighting. I photograph many corporate projects in the Houston and Galveston areas of Texas. I’ve produced work for restaurants, specialty equipment companies, musicians, corporations involved in oil services, ship management companies, NGOs, private equity and financial services companies. While on location, I photograph things that move, and places that don’t move, though I enjoy photographing people the most. I’m willing to travel to any location, and happy wherever my cameras and I find ourselves.
I don’t just bring cameras and lights to projects, I bring ideas and knowledge. My technical knowledge is vast, including many types of digital and film cameras, stage lighting, and location lighting. When location lighting is not optimal, I can change it to get the best results. When images need to be altered or retouched, I have over 20 years of Photoshop experience that enables me to accomplish anything desired (within time and budget constraints). Whether your project is just a concept, or fully story-boarded, you will find working with me to be highly productive and enjoyable.