I've always known I had a way of looking at the world around me and seeing things that others didn't see--or seeing them in a different way than the people around me saw them. Throughout my childhood, I looked for ways to express myself, to communicate my life as I saw it. I was a very shy, introverted child and tended to retreat into writing and photography as my creative outlets. Although I've outgrown a lot of my shyness, I continue to explore writing and photography as a means of expressing myself.

I remember having a camera in my hands at a fairly young age...probably six or seven. The first camera I can remember "owning" was a little Kodak that took 110 film. Though few (if any) photos survived all of my family moves, I do remember taking pictures of animals, plants, bugs and a tadpole or two.

In my late teens, my mother came home with our first 35mm camera from Sears (a Pentax K-1000 clone). I don't know how much she planned to use it, but I "confiscated" it immediately. As I recall, my first photos on it were of my dogs (beginning every roll of film with 2-3 photos of my pets became a tradition), the animals at the Portland Zoo, and an orchard (I'm sensing a pattern, here...).

And then I took it to a Portland Winter Hawks hockey game. Ever since, I've been chasing after my "Sports Illustrated cover" photo. Whenever I've had "great seats" at a hockey or basketball game, I've taken my camera with me. I love the challenge of shooting sports: Although I've got a keen familiarity with most sports and know where and how to shoot, I'm always pleasantly surprised with some of the shots I come home with: It's one thing to feel that I've captured some intense action, but such a thrill to see that I've captured an intense and exciting moment.

After losing my job in early 2002, I took time off to assess my life, and what direction I needed to go personally and professionally. That "inner journey" has led me to pursue a BA/BFA in art studio and photography. Although it's early days yet, I've never been more sure of my direction. I look forward to my continuing education...and to pushing my creativity beyond my wildest dreams.