I’m a portrait photographer who has called Oregon’s Willamette Valley home for more than twenty years. I first came to Eugene in 1999, drawn here by the University of Oregon. My older brother was considering attending at the time. He ultimately chose another path, but I fell in love with the university, Eugene, and the surrounding landscape—and I’ve been grateful to call this place home ever since.

My love of the outdoors eventually led me to my wife, and in 2020 we started a family of our own. Becoming a parent changed the way I see the world, and it changed the way I see photography. Moments that once seemed ordinary suddenly became precious because I understood just how fleeting they are. A photograph can preserve something we can never experience in quite the same way again.

One photograph in particular has always stayed with me: a portrait of my grandmother taken when she was in her twenties. When I look at it, I don’t just see what she looked like. I wonder about that day. How did the photographer arrange the light? What were they talking about? What was she thinking? What did she hope that portrait would capture? Was it simply a photograph for herself and her family, or did a young woman perhaps imagine herself becoming a Hollywood movie star?

That sense of mystery and permanence is what draws me to portrait photography.

I find much of my inspiration in the great portrait photographers of the past, including George Hurrell and Clarence Bull, whose mastery of light and shadow created images that remain striking generations later. But the photographer who has influenced me most is Edward Steichen, particularly his work from the turn of the twentieth century. His ability to sculpt a face with light, define an edge with shadow, and create atmosphere from seemingly simple elements still feels like magic to me.

That is the kind of magic I look for in my own photography—not simply creating a beautiful image, but capturing something of a person that will still speak to someone decades from now.

The Portrait Experience

Most people aren’t accustomed to being in front of a camera—and you don’t need to know how to pose or what to do. That’s my job.

I want a portrait session to feel relaxed and collaborative. I’ll guide you through the process while paying close attention to the things that make you uniquely you: an expression, a gesture, the way the light falls across your face, or one of those unplanned moments that often becomes the photograph we remember most.

My approach is influenced by the great portrait photographers of the past, but my goal isn’t to recreate the past. It’s to use light, shadow, and thoughtful composition to create something timeless and distinctly yours.

Ultimately, I want to make a portrait that feels like you today—and might mean even more to someone you love many years from now.