I have been taking pictures for newspapers for more than 25 years. Currently I'm the chief photographer at the Times Herald-Record in Middletown, N.Y.
I got started in photography by taking a course taught by Anthony Frandino during my senior year at Monroe-Woodbury High School in Central Valley, N.Y. My first published pictures were taken at a high school basketball game and were printed in the Photo News, a weekly newspaper in Monroe, N.Y.
After graduating from Hamilton College, where I took sports photos for the yearbook and majored in philosophy, I worked as a photographer at the Photo News. I left the weekly to get a graduate degree in magazine journalism at Syracuse University. My plan was to become a magazine writer, but the one elective photography course I took at Syracuse had more influence on his career than all the required courses in writing, graphic design and communication theory.
After graduation from Syracuse, I returned to the Photo News before moving to The Record as a part-time sports photographer and reporter. Eventually, I got a full-time position in sports as a photographer and reporter.
I worked in the sports department of The Record for many years before moving to the photography department. I now shoots news, feature and sports assignments at The Record, but many of my favorite pictures still include a ball in the frame.