I was born in Texas and grew up in the small west Texas town of Fort Stockton. It was a good childhood, filled with days of hunting, fishing, bike riding, freedom to explore, and no sunscreen resulting in scorching sunburns from the powerful west Texas sun (the downside of being a pasty-skinned Scot living in the desert).

On Sundays, my parents went to church and dragged me along. I would rather have been outside playing cowboys and indians, but I begrudgingly attended, wearing my boots with toy gun in tow.

Growing up looking like Opie Taylor from The Andy Griffith show had it’s pluses and minuses. I am fairly certain I was called every name in the book for a red-head, most of which are not suitable for public consumption.

I always had a keen sense of fashion and design. Even at a young age I knew the “jort” was going to be big.

I had mad pogo stick skills. It was my main mode of transportation. I dreamed of one day becoming an Olympic pogo champion, until my dreams were squashed when I discovered that the pogo stick was not an Olympic sport. To this day, I still think this is a great oversight by the IOC. I could have been a contender.

With my pogo dreams squashed, I decided to become a professional football player. I was going to be the next Robert Newhouse and a Dallas Cowboy. During a High School game, I suffered a severe neck injury, and once again my hopes and dreams were squashed.

My mom was an artist, who also had a keen eye for fashion and design, and was the queen of Texas “big hair.” She had an old Canon camera that I decided to make my own. I signed up for a photography class in college and went to work honing my craft and sharpening my eye.

This was the first portrait that I took (my parents, 1984). I aced that first class and decided to continue taking all of the photography courses offered.

In 1993, I married my brilliant, strong, iron-willed, and beautiful wife, who for some reason decided to marry me despite the crazy “Achy Breaky Heart” mullet that I was sporting.

As a family, we travel the globe seeking out new and exciting adventures.

We take every opportunity available to capture the awkward family selfie.

Today, I live in Boston with my wife and two amazing sons. And while Boston is a long way from Texas, Texas still is and always will be a part of me.