I love to shoot people!

How did I first start taking photos? Funny story. My brother once had a camera he acquired with some questionable methods. My dad, understandably upset, took it away and handed it to me instead. My brother moved away, and I stuck with the camera. That’s the short version.

Since then, I’ve explored just about every creative outlet I could get my hands on—painting, sculpture, metal smithing, wood staining, ceramics, printmaking, even guitar (I was terrible, but I gave it a shot). What I’ve learned is simple: as long as I’m expressing myself creatively, I’m happy.

I especially love photographing people. My first portraits were of musicians, which turned into shooting them live at concerts. Eventually, I bought my first strobe light and let it sit in my apartment for a full year before I worked up the nerve to use it. Once I did, that was it—I couldn’t stop.

I shoot out of a small space that also happens to be my home. Yes, really—living where you love to work makes things so much easier and life that much better. And with a bit of post-production, I’m able to create portraits that feel like they were shot in a much larger studio. It doesn’t take much space to make something magical. One only needs the drive and the vision to make it happen.

And Harlem—intimidating? Not at all. It’s a beautiful neighborhood I stumbled into about ten years ago and never left. While so many people move out of Manhattan, I found a place here that’s affordable, full of wide streets and genuinely kind people. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.