From Foam Cameras to Fiery Skies – My Journey in Photography

I grew up in Ohio and have always been fascinated by photography. My dad had a Canon film camera he got while serving in the Army in Korea. I only used it a couple of times, but the spark was there.

One time on a family road trip from Ashland, Ohio, to Fresno, California, I carved a camera out of styrofoam and pretended to be a photographer — “shooting” cars and scenery along the way. My sister Sandy decided that was stupid and broke it in half. I cried like a little kid (because I was one).

As a teen, I bought a Kodak 110 camera. I had no idea what I was doing. I think I took a few shots of my car and maybe some friends. Somewhere, those prints probably still exist.

Fast forward into adulthood: I bought a Pentax Z10 (I think that was the model) to take pictures of my kids. I’d get into it for a few weeks, but waiting on film to develop — only to find most of the shots were disappointing — was a buzzkill. Then life and bills got in the way.

In 2014, I took a director position in Oklahoma City where we turned six stores into sixteen in three years. That was burnout. In 2015 or 2016, I decided I needed an escape from work. I bought a real camera — a Nikon D500 — and dove headfirst into YouTube tutorials. No waiting on film, just shoot, upload, and learn from the results. I still wasn’t good, but now I knew the camera wasn’t the problem.

he soft transition from day to night over a glassy Oklahoma Lake Hefner.

Oklahoma became my training ground. I chased light at lakes, backroads, and wide-open skies — learning how to turn simple moments into something worth framing.

A quiet Oklahoma Lake Hefner at sunset — look closely to spot the hidden heart made from rocks on the dock.

In time, I got some traction on Instagram. That’s when my old boss gifted me a full-frame Nikon D800 — a camera with bigger print potential and the image quality to match. The D500 is still regarded as one of the best crop-sensor cameras for sports and wildlife, but that’s not my world. My world is landscapes — and the D800 gave me the tools to print them large.

A lone saguaro stands guard under a sunset so vivid it could be mistaken for fire.

Arizona became my canvas. I fell in love with the Sonoran Desert’s colors, skies, and towering saguaros. My style shifted to making the ordinary extraordinary — finding beauty in moments and places that might otherwise be overlooked.

The Sonoran Desert in full blaze — no flames, just sky.

Today, I primarily shoot with the Nikon Z7 II and Z6 III, but my philosophy hasn’t changed: blur the lines between photography and art, so that every image makes you feel like you’re standing there with me.

If you close your eyes and imagine the Arizona desert — I hope it looks something like this.