• Number of years as a photographer:
Started 40 years ago
• How did you get into photography?
I was a 13-year-old kid chasing 89s on my bike, when I meet then Paramedic Rick McClure, after talking to him for a few months when he was working, he gave me an old Nikon body and lens. Told me if I was going to chase the rigs to take pictures and you can sell them to the local papers and share them with the guys at the station. Well about six months later I had my first picture in the Grapevine, and a year later I sold my first picture to the Daily News. Soon after I meet Mike Meadows and he taught me other tricks to shooting fire. I thank both of these men for teaching so much so many years ago.
• What camera model do you shoot with?
Over the years I have used Minolta, Nikon, and Canon. I have stuck with Canon, my main camera is a Canon 5D Mach III with a Canon 24-70 lens and a Canon 6D Mach II with a 28-300 lens
• Any words of wisdom to pass on to someone wanting to shoot emergency incidents themselves?
To know your surroundings at scenes. Keep your head on a swivel, because there is so much more happening at a scene than what is happening in front of you. Don’t become part of the problem. This has been said before but I will say it again. There is no picture worth getting hurt over. Last thing, be respectful – remember you’re at someone’s home or business at the worst time of their lives. So be respectful and understanding if they get upset with you taking pictures.
• What is your favorite fire photo you’ve taken?
Wow, that is a tough one to answer. There are so many. Two that I can think of right off the top of my head would be the boats working a fire at the wharf fire in 2014, and the second is more recent and was a cover of the Grapevine, it is a shot from a pallet yard fire in 21’s first in.
