My Story
Love at first sight!
A professional creative career begins with an amateur passion. My passion was nature; I've always had a childlike wonder of the world around me. When my mom happened to bring a camera along on a camping trip out west in '77 and I looked at the world through a viewfinder for the first time, it was love at first sight! Suddenly, I could not only share what I was seeing, I could interpret it in many different ways. Since then, the camera has been my constant companion; it's at home in my hands and I’ve learned how to coax a story from every image.
Dream
When I was a kid growing up in Easley, S.C., my dad used treats to bribe me to sketch. The thing about sketching is you start with nothing but a blank sheet of paper, an idea, and a pencil - the objective is to turn those elements into something that gets a positive reaction. And when that reaction is exactly the one you wanted, that's magic! So I sharpened my creative tools with art lessons, then music lessons and the more I learned, the more deeply I became aware of things I hadn't noticed before, and the better I got at drawing them out. My mom - an amazing woman - encouraged my creative gifts. Her advice to me was: "Find a career where work becomes play, and you'll find yourself." So I did.
CREATE
Once a friend accompanied me on a shoot to the mountains of northern New Mexico. The valley was beautiful and he couldn't understand why I didn't just take the shot. I said "Because there's a little cloud in the distance, and it's got a story to tell. You'll see when it gets here." It took about twenty minutes, but when it was just overhead I told him to look down into the valley. That little cloud cast shadows that added a whole new dimension to the scene. "You're right," he said. "You're crazy, but you're right." That little bit of insanity is what separates a photographer from someone who takes pictures. That's creativity, and I bring it to everything I do, photography, film and video, music, or the written word. Because of that, I've racked up an impressive array of national and international awards and commendations, and that's nice, but nothing compared to the thrill of that moment when that little cloud arrives at just the right time, just the right place. Click!
Inspire
Fly fishing is popular in the hills around Asheville, N.C., where I now live. Because of that tying flies - that colorful collection of doodads and feathers fishermen attach to their hooks - is an art. To the fish, the lure tells a simple story: "Come and get it!"
I've had the time of my life creating lures, tying elements of image and sound together so that when they’re cast into the heart and mind of my audience, a story unfolds. It's purpose is elicit a desired response. Over many years, I've crafted hundreds of lures for a wide variety of clients on three continents. In the process, I've had the privilege of telling the stories of a host of legends and luminaries, among them Arnold Palmer, Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Jeff Gordan, Ted Nugent, Sherly Crow, Andie McDowell, Glen Close, Hank Arron, Nick Faldo, Tom Watson, Hale Irwin, Dwight Yoakum, Greg Allman, Steve Miller and many others.
I cordially invite you to add your name to that list.