When I first became interested in photography about 15 years ago, I wanted to learn on film, printing in the darkroom - I don’t know why, but I was drawn to it. I took a black & white darkroom class and it really, totally, changed my life. I am grateful to say I have a darkroom at my home, I still print every week and I do still believe there is magic in this old, analogue process.

I'm an artist first — it's the way I think. I love photography because of what a camera does: freezes the chaos of life and time. I really do believe it’s a remarkable medium and I love that no matter what I’m taking pictures of I will be surprised by something I didn’t see in real time. My approach to weddings is to be present and just to try and pay attention to what’s happening around me, as opposed to trying to create something that isn’t there.

In 2017 my dad was diagnosed with cancer and only six weeks later he was gone. It was impossible to know what my life would be like without my dad. And while that is a whole other very deep conversation, the photos I have of him from our wedding changed how I view my process. I really do believe what I’m making is more than just a document, but it’s an heirloom that will impact future generations in ways we can’t know.

My wife Renée and I met in fourth grade at a small elementary school in Occidental, California. We have two kiddos and live back where we grew up, nestled in the woods of Northern California.