My Zen is nature and wildlife. I love being surrounded by nature and witnessing the abundance of blessing nature shares with us if you are patient. 
I've been a visual storyteller my whole life! My father is my inspiration. In high school, I took my first photography class. I was captured by the magic of watching the picture come to life in the developer, I know it's a cliche, but it's magical. I loved going into the darkroom to see what developed. My photo teacher, Mrs. Morrison, said to me, "you know you can make a living at this?" Can I? I was hooked! I grew up reading the Chicago Sun-Times alongside my father; I was drawn to one photographer's photos, John H. White. His pictures took me to places I'd never known existed in Chicago. John is a Pulitzer Prize winner for feature photography, telling stories through images. That's what I wanted to do. In 1989 I was hired at The Chicago Sun-Times. I was blessed to work alongside my mentor and the amazeballs talented staff of photographers at the newspaper. 
I have had a front seat to history; every day was an adventure. I could begin the day by searching for a feature picture and traveling with the President of the United States. I've been fortunate to photograph every President since Ronald Regan to Donald Trump. While photographing Mr. Trump at Mar A Lago, he fired me! I was so focused on the limited time I had to get the shot when he asked me what he would like me to do, and he said I'll fire you! At first, it didn't register. Oh, The Apprentice! I get it. All in all, he was terrific. I've had the pleasure of photographing Michale Jordan's career, even traveled with the Chicago Bulls on their quest for their many NBA Championships.