Appleton, WI is my home-base. I grew up half my life in the north suburbs of Chicago, and half my life up in Door County, WI. Appleton ended up being a great in between place for me considering I travel a lot for work.

While Appleton is my home base, I am there about 50% of the year as I travel for some events other parts of the year. That’s why I say I am available year round in Appleton and Chicago areas, and frequently found in Ocean City, NJ, Southern California, and East Coast Florida.

I’ve always wanted to be a filmmaker since I was five years old! But I couldn’t afford a video camera growing up, but I always had access to a film camera, so I went that route in my early teens. When I was offered a photography position in my junior year of high school, I took it.

Through that position, I trained and apprenticed with over 30 different photographers, retouchers, and graphic designers.

At this point in my life, everything revolves around my photography business. It means I work a lot nights, especially Friday nights, and weekends. It means during times of the year, I work every day of the month.

I haven’t been on a real (non-work) vacation since 2015 when I went camping with my little brother around the Pacific Northwest. But I find a lot of fun and enjoyment from the travel and work that I do. I mostly enjoy being able to go out to lunch or dinner with the friends I make in my travels.

I grew up with stong interests in video games and films, and played 10 years of hockey..

Youth Advocacy and Role Model

Being the best version of myself and working to improve myself is always important to me. Since I started my photography career in my mid-teens, working with my peers and having 5 younger siblings and dozens of younger cousins (not to mention currently working with many youth), it has always been important to me to be a good example as a teen, a man and as a human being in terms of the choices we all make as teenagers and young adults.

I believe boys and men should be able to express themselves and be more open to those in their life. Too many suffer in silence and loneliness.

I believe all youth should be taught by the trusted adults in their life about possible situations they may encounter in their life (example, first job) and what is ok and not ok in terms of what is said to them, expected of them, and personal space.

This question has two answers:

1. I feel very at home around the ocean. It brings a calm to me that is hard to explain, but very much felt everytime I am near it. Southern California on the ocean also has the year-round weather I would prefer.

2. Wherever my friends and family are.

Door County, WI: My ancestors immigrated here over 100 years ago from Norway. My connections through Door County have lead me to a large network in Wisconsin and Illinois.

Kimberly, WI: My family moved here after I graduated high school. I ended up moving here a short time after they did. My youngest brother was involved in Bulldog Football, Kimberly Area Youth Basketball Club, Kimberly Wrestling, and CYO Basketball, while my other siblings were briefly involved in Dragon Rugby and AWK Swimming.

New Trier: I am a high school graduate of New Trier. My first official assignment was New Trier athletics, musicals, and band concerts.

Evanston: I have had two cousins go through Evanston High School so far. I covered over 7 years of his baseball games, in addition to Jahbat Soccer, Wildkit Soccer, Lacrosse, and Basketball.

Skateboarding: My first passion was documenting skateboarding in my teens. I made many friends with the skateboarders from my school in those early days.

Surfing: Like skateboarding, surfing is the only other sport (so far) that I have become involved without a family member at the start. I met a couple skateboarders at Venice Skatepark, who suggested I checkout surfing, and the rest “is history” as they say.

Ocean City, NJ: I have cousins who live in this area, and I first started visiting them here in 2010. When I started gaining traction in surfing photography, I ended up here even more than ove every couple of years.