I take photographs, mainly of beautiful women but also commercially. I'm a fashion photographer with a style that varies from project to project. My voice is communicated through my photographs. My mission is to create beauty.

EDUCATION | University of Nevada, Reno - Art Major

HOW TO GET STARTED | Creative, patient, perseverance, persistence, passion, flexibility

MUST HAVE TRAITS | You have to have a lot of perseverance in this line of work. You can learn all the technical things you want but this particular career path doesn’t give you dividends immediately. You really have to love it. This career takes and takes and takes until finally you see it start to give back. Just because you have a camera doesn't mean you're a photographer, especially for a living.

how I got started | I've always known myself to be creative, whether it was through drawing, painting or taking snapshots. I could shoot an entire roll of film in 20 minutes as a kid. When I went to college, I started as a computer major, then moved into graphic arts and finally studied photography. I also went to art school for 6 years and got the basics of how to create a story through visual media and photography. The biggest lesson I walked away with was how to say something through visual means and get my ideas across, versus just taking pretty pictures. In many ways I'm self-taught; I look at a lot of work, I'm constantly taking photos and constantly learning from the school of life.

why this job?| I like the aspect that you can be in one place one day doing one specific thing and the next day you can be some place else doing something else. Photography is constantly changing and never boring.

why I love this job!| The scenery is always changing and I don't have to sit in an office. I love the freedom to create what I like (based on customer parameters). I love the art and the beauty that comes with my job. My life is photography. I llive, eat and breathe the stuff. I walk down the street and see photographs and potential images everywhere around me.

my typical day| Starting in the morning, sometimes very early, I arrive at a shooting location with my team that includes an assistant, makeup and hair artists, etc. I spend time prepping the scene, unpacking lights, working with the makeup artists, taking pictures using the stand ins and then I finally shoot the models. Depending on the start time, I'll often shoot until four or five in the afternoon. My basic day: Shoot, change locations and then shoot some more.

what they are | One challenge is being able to do other things while making this career work. If you have to wait tables you have to wait tables - you do what it takes to make the career work. Another challenge is that as a location specialist, I often have to wait for a certain day or right time of day to shoot. That could mean waiting for a certain restaurant to be closed, or the right time of day to shoot may be 4a.m.

all about growth | You have to pay your dues. You can't just jump out there and expect to be getting jobs shooting layouts at Vogue. You have to have a name and have people know who you are. The ladder you have to climb is based on credibility, reputation, who knows you. You have to be really good at meeting people in the industry, such as editors of magazines, and getting them to interview you and talk to you and invite you to shoot a layout. You have to be able to win friends and influence people in this job.

my website| http://www.nexusix.net