FAQ

I wanted to put together a FAQ for the questions I get asked literally every day. So… here it is! I will likely add to it in the Future.

How did you first get started?

I was in bands growing up, so I was always taking pictures of bands, usually with a disposable camera… eventually a local promoter (Scott Lee) saw I was at almost every show, and asked me to start taking photos at them. I got a better camera, and started shooting for the local shows here, which were, Hatebreed, Lamb Of God, Chimaira, All That Remains, Shadows Fall, Killswitch Engage, etc. Then I started shooting for a bigger company he is a part of, which included The Worcester Palladium and eventually The Webster Theater in Hartford.

I went to Berklee School of music for music production and engineering but ended up hating it. So I would skip homework and shoot shows instead. Eventually after 3 semesters, I wanted to quit Berklee, so I talked to Scott who is a mentor and hero to me. He basically said “well, you don’t like Berklee, what do you like to do?” – I answered “take pictures”. So he gave me this look like I was the last one to understand that I should actually go down that path. So I essentially put down my guitar for a camera.

I toured a bit, then went to Hallmark, and within 10 months I graduated and was out shooting.

What camera/lens/lighting do you use?

For session work I use the Canon 1DX, for live I use the 40D or the 1DX

For session work I use the 70-200 and 24-70 the most, sometimes fisheye and 16-35 but very rarely – and I often use the 85 1.2 for natural light

For Live work I use the 16-35 and fisheye mostly, sometimes the 85 1.2 – I also use the Canon 880ex with the lumiquest concert kit (80/20 with frost diffusion)

Lighting, I use Dynalite uni400s (usually 3 of them on location and in studio, and sometimes 5 in studio) with softboxes, grandboxes, and other light mods.

I sometimes use a ring light in studio, its generic/no brand.

Who is your favorite person to photograph/who would you photograph if you could photograph anyone dead or alive?

My favorite people to photograph and work with are the ones I work with most often, when I first started it was My Chem, Eighteen Visions/Mick, Walls of Jericho, Bleeding Through, Throwdown… then it became Iwrestledabearonce, All That Remains, lately I would say William Control, Jeffree, Ash, Motionless (Ghost, Chris and Ang too), Telle, Cristina, Alissa. I like working with people who are very image heavy and can pull off different looks.

I also really like to work with icons, like Alice Cooper, Robert Englund, Megadeth, Testament… all those I’ve looked up to since I was little.

if i could photograph anyone dead or alive it would be more of the above – icons ive looked up to since i was little. (sabbath, dio, type o, bela lugosi, vincent price, etc)

What has been your favorite photo or shoot so far?

I kind of feel like I haven’t shot it yet. Because every shoot I do could be my new favorite. So I try to keep that mentality knowing I’ll have a lot of shoots I love, but my favorite is still yet to come.

How do I get started doing photography?

First you need a camera, then to take pictures! Go photograph everything you can. When shooting shows, start with local shows/local bands and work your way up. Keep on learning and getting better while challenging yourself and never give up. The only way to fail is to give up.

Favorite bands?

too many to name and i listen to every genre of music (aside from country).

Favorite Movies?

The Crow, Tank Girl, Almost Famous, Hellboy, Nightmare On Elm St. Hellraiser.