“a vision and a viewfinder”
“In everything I do, I strive to feed the soul in a visually stunning & compelling way. I see each frame as a painting and work to find the emotion, poetry and story in every single element that is delivered.”
cin·e·ma·tog·ra·pher
cinematographer; is a person who directs photography and camerawork in movie-making & one who operates the camera
Central Block Fire
This photograph serves as daily inspiration for me. It was taken by my teacher, mentor and grandfather William "Bud" Hawkins.
He won an award from the National Press Photographers Association in 1953 for this photograph!
I grew up with a 35mm still camera in my hand. A quirky Minolta with an analog (needle) meter. My grandfather was a professional photographer and photojournalist. As a child, I took an instant love for photography and I preferred to be in the darkroom and shooting with him over anything else.
He nurtured this side of me and taught me how to compose, expose and develop my photographs. I remember looking at negatives with him talking about the rule of thirds, negative space, leading lines and exposure. He taught me to look at the world in light and shadows, something that I carry with me in everyday life now.
After college I went into the U.S. Air Force. To pass the endless hours of “hurry up and wait”, I began studying cinematography. I took my knowledge of film and photography and applied it to a journey of self study and experimentation.
After my career in the USAF, I jumped in, albeit over my head and began making films. I have worked as the cinematographer behind the lens of six independent films (four international film festival winners), music videos and commercials.
