About
Born and raised on the East Coast, Chris spent his youth outdoors, skateboarding, riding off road motorbikes in the mountains, racing BMX, caving, surfing and exploring nature, with a special connection to the ocean. His journeys intentionally took him off the beaten path; it was on these trips where he effortlessly got in touch with his inner peace and creativity. Chris had always been inspired by images from National Geographic. Seeing nature in its raw, untouched essence evoked emotion for him, such feelings that instilled his affair with photography.
Photography was, literally, love at first sight. He can vividly remember being in his Dad's darkroom, aka closet. He was ten watching his first image appear on a 8x10 sheet of Kodak photo paper in a tray of developer. At 15, his Dad gave him his first camera: a Minolta X-G7, with 50 mm lens. This inspired his documenting anything and everything around that sparked interest: Backyard-ramp skateboard sessions, surf trips, family, friends, his childhood English Bulldog, and the not so familiar things that crossed the path of his lens. It became an outlet that worked well with his lifestyle...he was hooked.
With this newfound passion cultivating his fascination of biology and the ocean, Chris graduated from college, drove across the USA to pursue a career as a Marine Biologist and surf the West Coast of California, all the while documenting pieces of his life. After working for four years as a High Seas Field Biologist for the Marine Mammal Protection agency of NMFS, he decided to course correct. At this point Chris began taking photography classes at a local community college to pursue his true love, photography, while traveling internationally with his cameras and surfboards in the search for the perfect picture and empty wave.
Photography has always been the catalyst to his lust for life, and there it was staring him right in the eye. A friend often reminded me of his philosophy, we are here for a good time, not a long time. Those words resonated deep within and have, in essence, been his approach to life and inspirational drive as a photographer. Capturing those fleeting moments of good times in life and the world around is what he is most passionate about. He is grateful to have trusted his intuition and be living and working his childhood dream. Chris loves what he does. Photography has opened him up to the life he always wanted, but, most importantly, he has seen his own evolution through his work. His desire to document life in its raw, untouched and authentic state has allowed him to tap into his vulnerability and see each experience as an opportunity. He recently graduated from USM with a Masters degree in Spiritual Psychology, another feat of exploration in humanity that has focused his attention to what is most important in his imagery: capturing the pure essence of spirit that resides within his subjects and nature.
Looking through the lens inspires and connects Chris with his humanity and humility, and he is grateful to be enjoying life as a photographer.