As owner and photographer - I do a little bit of everything. We specialize in location photography - knowing we'll get the best photos when the client is comfortable. And usually that means at home or a fun outdoor location. It allows us to be creative, flexible and gives us the freedom to capture posed AND spontaneous moments as they unfold. I got my start at a very early age. As far back as I can remember, I've been fascinated with photography. From the borrowed 1983 Canon A-135mm (on loan from my brother) to the Canon Rebel-G I received on my 16th birthday - photography has always been a part of my life. What started as a hobby (like many people, I took photos of family, friends, vacations - my parents have many photos of scenic backdrops), eventually turned into taking more and more photos for other people. While I was in college (Kalamazoo College, '04), I was able to pursue formal training while I earned my bachelor's degree. As I continued to learn and take photos as a hobby, I still wasn't thinking about it as a business.
That would change in 2009. I happened to be in a wedding with a friend from childhood who runs the theater program at a local high school and she happened to be looking for a photographer to shoot her shows. I shot my first show with her the fall of 2009 and since then have not only continued to photograph shows for her, but added the vocal music program. Additionally, I have added more schools and theater programs in the area to my list of clients.
Having grown up and now living in the area it felt very natural to set up shop here. It also allowed me to take on local high school interns, teaching them the not only photography technique, but time management, business strategies, and more. I also serve as webmaster and graphic designer for some of the programs. From these programs, it was a natural progression to senior portraits, family and child photos, weddings, and everything in between. I'm very lucky to be able to do this for a living - there's not too much to complain about when your job is to capture important moments in people's lives. There is something very humbling when people ask you to be a part of their first moments as man and wife, or to capture pivotal moments in their history. And as I continue to build my business, it's been tremendous to see families annually and see the changes in their kids as they grow into young adults. I look forward to the day when I can compare a photo of a bride or groom with one I took from their childhood. There are a lot of components to my job that may be tedious but necessary (editing comes to mind), but at the end of the day, I'm pretty lucky and happy to be able to observe and preserve moments with my camera.
| Job Title: |
Owner/Photographer |
| Company: |
Kickdrum Photography |
| College: |
Kalamazoo College, Political Science, Philosophy, Kalamazoo, MI
|
| High School: |
Milford High School, Highland, MI
|
| Lives In: |
Milford |