From time to time, I get requests from publications, blogs and students to answer questions for projects they're working on. The questions range from how and when I got into photography, to what cameras I use, and what-not.

So...in a bit of an upcoming series, I'm going to post a few snippets from these "interviews", as I go through how I operate, what I look for while composing photographs, and general thoughts and feelings about photography.

Here's the first installment. Enjoy...

What photographers from the past or present have influenced you the most? My high school photo teacher introduced me to Ansel Adams’ photography, and what I remember the most from his work was his light. Since I had just jumped into photography, I was learning things, and had found something to look up to, and there was something about the quality of light in many of Ansel’s photographs. Compositionally, they were also so well balanced. I think that it was motivating to see what was possible, which at my new beginning, was also very humbling.

Other than his work early on, I’ve never really followed other photographers, or studied how they do what they do. I just do my own thing, and I think that at this stage in my career, especially with the world being flooded with photographers, the more I stick to my personal vision, the more genuine my work feels. The viewer can see that…and many appreciate it. My work isn’t exactly trendy, so it doesn’t go viral on social media, but I’ve always steered clear of things that are popular. So, the little corner of the art world that I live in has a very low population, and I like that. I’m not competing with the cliché photographers who are all trying to emulate each other. My view is straight forward.