About Me

I love a good story. Stories are told and passed on to archive life. They are told in many different settings, and by all ages. As of 2/28/2021 I am going to relinquish the thought that I am a photographer, and begin a new path as a storyteller with the photographs that I take.

Photography has been my passion, so I thought. What I realize now is that my passion is to evoke emotion and thought. So, as I take this story telling path, I hope to engage you more with what I do.

Background: I chose to re-pursue photography in 2011. Since a child (about age 10) I have had a camera in my hand. I had never thought of it as an art. It was just something to do for fun. So, over the years I have worked in manufacturing as an engineer, earning my paycheck, wondering "is there not something else out there for me?"

Over the previous years (prior to 2011) as I took more photographs at our local Doctor Who convention (for personal use), I was having fun with it and found people there really enjoyed my photography. Especially the returning actors to the convention, who would autograph photos I had taken year(s) before.

Towards the end of 2011 my son and I were talking about all that there is to see in NW Indiana that people are not aware of, and how it would be cool to combine my photography with a blog that would show people what is in NW Indiana that they perhaps never new about. First thought was to catalog bicycle trails, hiking trails, and the like. Things that we enjoyed, however rarely saw anyone else out there doing the same. Hence the blog title, "My NW Indiana and More". The "More" being our other passion for Doctor Who and Big Finish. The "More" has now expanded to anything and anywhere I can photograph.  My first blog was of the Carlson Oxbow Nature Park in Hammond, August 13, 2011.

December of 2011, Christmas day, I made the decision to pursue photography. To deep dive into it because I enjoyed it. My fear at the time . . . photographing people. It is one thing to be a fly on the wall, taking photos. It is another to be involved, to feel the vibe, to photograph the energy, to create. My first photo op was at Paul Henry's Art Gallery in Hammond, IN. (Refer to the blog thumbnails cataloged for Paul Henry's in StreetPhoto.ME.)  Here the gallery hosts an acoustical open mic night every Thursday evening. I attended my first event December 30, 2011, took my first real "people" photos, and have been going strong ever since.

As I went to Paul Henry's, I kept looking at the Towle Theater next door. For the prior three or so years I had been driving on Hohman Avenue to and from work, passing the Towle Theater along the way. I always wondered what the Towle Theater was. I found out when David Mueller, owner of Paul Henry's, introduced some actors who had come to the gallery to play and sing for us. I then thought, I need to contact the Towle Theater to find out if I could photograph a play. (Extending myself to do photography I have never done before . . . a bit scary.) The now obvious answer was "no, not during a performance." However, director Jeff Casey gave me an option, which opened more opportunities to photograph. Jeff allowed me to photograph the rehearsal of the musical "Ordinary Days"! That musical impacted me so much, that my journey now includes photographing more musicals, plays, and most recently (8/24/2018) "The Girls Of Summer" movie, under director John Hancock! (My blog on The Girls Of Summer has been temporarily taken down for movie rights purpose.)

The top photograph of this blog entry is from "Ordinary Days". It was the third photo I took that night, and the most important one to me out of any photo I have taken. All I wanted to do at that time, and still do, is take and give photographs for everyone to enjoy. I do not need a big picture to see what is in front of me. I do not need to stress out planning a busy life to be happy. I can just give photographs. Thank you Jeff, for I will be forever grateful.

Another huge leap for me was attending a Canon Live Learning session on photography lighting, March 31st and April 1st 2012 in Atlanta studying under Perish Kohanim. This was the most excellent change in my life. I learned about some of my fears, lighting, so I could continue to improve, challenge myself, and to create. I was able to confront more of my fear, approaching a model of all things, to practice my photographic lighting. Lighting being what photography is all about. This next photo was the very first photo I took at Parish's studio, using two slave flashes (like any flash you would buy for your camera) and bouncing the light off a wall.

I do want to thank my friend Renee. I met her at work in 2008, and found out she is a photographer too. Her photography is beautiful, and her zest for her perfection enticed me to compete with her, even though I cannot. She has a skill of her own. I am finding mine. It is because of her I chose to pick up a camera again, to regain the fun that was taken away from me years ago.

The photos just keep on coming. There are so many opportunities around Chicago and NW Indiana. To take this one step further as Parish taught me, it is just a matter of walking out your door and finding that most unlikely place. So, look for me to expand, practicing something new, learning more about what I do not know, and never accepting boundaries. For not knowing those boundaries is what will define me.

As you go through this blog you will notice some early entry dates. The dates were set to match the timeline of the event, which I had not posted until 2012. Also, I needed to put them in some type of order to help keep things straight for me. This blog was originated June of 2011. Hence this blog also starts my writing career. Well, I just remembered. I also had a manufacturing blog I was writing the year before. That was pretty cool too.

My fun in all of this is developing my skills that will put a smile on your face . . . a memory you can feed off to energize your day. A photographic story if you will of the events I go to. I hope you see a story. One that will make you feel, think about the past, and to re-evaluate your future.

Credits

Movie:

Lead still photographer for "The Girls In Time" movie July 2nd through August 24th, 2018.  Written by Tori Titmas and directed by John D. Hancock.

Exhibitions:

White Ripple Gallery & Co. - 2nd Annual Small Works Exhibit, December 12th 2015 thru February 13th 2016 (3-photographs)

The Sip - Drift, February 28th thru March 28th, 2014 (3-photographs)

Hobart Art League - 8th Annual Juried Art Compeition, October 5th thru November 1st, 2013 (3-photographs, Raggedy Ann, Twenty Something [won honorable mention], Intrigue)

The Sip - Hot, August 9th thru October 25th, 2013 (1-photograph, Hot Afternoon)

Indiana Welcome Center - Reflections, August 15th thru September 30th, 2013 (1-photograph, My Life)

Beatniks On Conkey, Hammond IN - Ongoing Exhibit of Work

The Sip - General Submission, May 31st thru July 18th, 2013 (1-photograph, The Jazz)

Towle Theater - Themed Exhibit for Leaving Iowa, September 2012

Towle Theater - Looking Back Exhibition, April / May 2013 (1-photograph, Big Picture)

Towle Theater - Themed Exhibit looking back to 2012 at past productions at the Towle Theater, June 2024

Hammond Public Library, Hammond IN - Solo Exhibition, January 5, 2013 thru February 28th, 2013 (17-photographs)

CornerStone Art Gallery - Oliver Brown XVIII Exhibit, November 19, 2012 thru January 4th, 2013 (3-photographs)

Studio 659 - Artistic License, November 2 thru November 31st, 2012 (1-photograph)

Hobart Art League - 7th Annual Juried Art competition, October 1st thru October 31st, 2012 (3-photographs, Simple Light, Clown, Enlightenment)

Towle Theater - Theme photographs for the play "Leaving Iowa", September 7th thru September 23rd, 2012 (11-photographs)

Studio 659 - Road Trip, September 7th thru September 29th, 2012 (4-photographs)

Indiana Welcome Center - Horizons, August 2nd thru September 30th, 2012 (1-photograph, Road Less Traveled)

CornerStone Art Gallery - Photo Arts III, juried photography show, June 4th thru August 3rd, 2012 (5-photographs - received honorable mention for Million Mile Man, first ever sold photograph)


Publications:

2010 National Geographic Photography Contest (I was one of many.) (Link no longer available.)


Photography Credits:

Patch, The One: The Matrix Parody Musical, September 5, 2019

Broadway World Chicago, The One: The Matrix Parody Musical, September 5, 2019

Superman Super Site, Superman Statue & Phone Booth, May 25, 2019

Lakeshore Public Radio, Steepwater's Jeff Massey on Guitars, January 30, 2019

Ghost Flower by Kristin Cotts, CD cover design and layout, 2018

Chicago Tribune, Towle's Fabulous 50's Christmas, November 16, 2017

Mark-Eugene Garcia (Book & Lyrics), Standby, July 8, 2017

The Times nwi.com for Nomad Planets Debut 

Anarchy: An Improvised Rock Opera, Chicago, IL (web page has been removed)

The Sketch Review for Snooty Pageant at the Public House Theater (web page has been removed)

Chicago Comedy Tonight for the M.I.N.T. Christmas Carol, Chicago, IL

Beatlesfest for 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 Hammond, IN

Chicago Theater Beat (site no longer available), Chicago BroadwayWorld and Chicago Pride (site no longer available) for Next Stop: a new Chicago Musical

Northwest Indiana Times (NWI Times) for Fabulous 50's & Swank 60's Christmas and Brooklyn The Musical

Towle Theater photographer for 2012 Season Ordinary Days, The 39 Steps, Next To Normal, Leaving Iowa, A Fabulous 50's & Swank 60's Christmas;  2013 Season Tomorrow Morning, Jewtopia, Brooklyn The Musical, Pursued by Happiness, Clue The Musical, A Fabulous 50's Christmas;  2014 Season Adrift in Macao, Romeo & Juliet, The Nightmare Room, From Up Here, Play Dates, Do Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up?, A Fabulous 50's Christmas, All American Sweethearts: A Salute to The Andrews Sisters;  2015 Season Shirley Valentine, Next Thing You Know, The Burnt Part Boys, Perfect Wedding, Tapped, A Fabulous 50's Christmas;  2016 Season Crashing with Flamingos, Mental, First date, The House of Mirrors & Hearts, Secrets of a Soccer Mom, The Musical of Musicals - The Musical, A Fabulous 50's Christmas;  2017 Season Nunsense A-Men, Alice @ Wonderland, Standby, Hypnosis, Heathers the Musical, A Fabulous 50's Christmas;  2018 Season Pageant Play, Mandate For Murder, Little By Little, Fun Home, Cockeyed, Mandate for Murder, Carrie - The Musical, Plaid Tidings;  2019 Season Swing State, Mama's Boy, Strings, Miracle on 34th Street;  2020 Season At Wit's End, Daddy Long Legs, Night Tide; 2021 Season Murder for Two, Hope And Gravity;  2022 Season Murder For Two, Hope and Gravity, The Last Life Boat, Fabulous 50's Christmas;   2023 Season Love, Linda (The Life of Mrs. Cole Porter), Women In Jeopardy, Murder Ballad, Sidekicked, An Evening With Dickens or a One-Man Christmas Carol;   2024 Season The Story of My Life, The Spider Or the Fly, Pippin

Purdue University Calumet 2015 Dog Sees God

Pinterest, The Bergamot, Simply Bridgit, Whole Foods . . . The Connection?, April 10, 2013

Model Kimberly Askew for Canon Live Learning session April 1, 2012

For a thumbnail presentation of my blog posts, please to to StreetPhoto.me.


Location:

Griffith Indiana, (NW Indiana 13 miles from Chicago city limit as the car drives . . . not as the crow flies). Actual photo shoot locations vary.

Last updated 10/5/2024