Education: Rider University, Fine Arts.

Beginnings: I played a photographer in a movie once and I think that’s what made me really dig into the field. I found the lives and work of photographers to be so romantic.

Cultural and artistic influences: I'm a songwriter, and new ideas for lyrics and rhythms—like a drumbeat or bassline—are always in my head. Lately, I've been into Japanese pop, R&B and some modern electronica. As I’m answering these questions, an old Lindstrom record is playing loud and it probably will have a lot to do with my answers.

Proud moment: One day I was in a bad, bored mood, so I took the late ferry into Manhattan and went into Chinatown with some headphones and just shot, very carefree. Then I went home and edited all the messy, grainy images. This Chinatown collection was published by the first magazine I sent it to. It felt like I fought myself and won.

Work environment: My room is huge, but for some reason I’m always in the corner, so it feels tiny. I am six foot three and I sit in the corner for hours and hours each day, working on my music and photography. There is a glass of bourbon near my right hand and a coffee mug that looks like Olive Oyl, filled with pens and scissors, near my left hand. Ahead, my computer screen is at its maximum level of brightness. Several applications and browser tabs are open. Two very similar photos of a cat hang nearby. The light in my room glows pink. It’s new. I like it.

Approach: Well, I have the film thing going on and I am pretty stubborn about it. Recently my agent said I'm going to have to shoot digitally. I went to the store to get a Canon 5D and came home with a Pentax 645 medium-format camera.

Technique: My technique is worse than my competitors. To compensate, I try to shoot more than everyone else and I work really hard. I shoot multiple times per week and my turnover is faster than theirs.

Aspirations: In five to ten years, I envision myself having several Playboy editorials under my belt as well as campaigns for Converse and Jif Peanut Butter. I'll be a happily married photographer shooting a few times a week and making music on the side. I might even win an Oscar within ten years, who knows? I’ll at least have taken photos of people who won Oscars. See, my plan is to photograph famous actors and tell them about how I want to be an actor. Not bad, right?