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Born in Texas but growing-up in the Whittier area of Los Angeles… Rick spent a lot of time driving his 1949 Chevy up to the San Gabriel Mountains for the snow and down to Huntington Beach for the surf. Even though he never had a formal photography class, when he was in high school, he always could be found with a camera taking photos for the school newspaper or yearbook. And, he did some feature photos for several community newspapers. After his Freshman year, he spent the summer working two jobs to buy himself a 4”x5” Speed Graphic camera and a 50-60 pound strobe!

Colleges used to sponsor Journalism/photo contests for LA area high schools and he won trophies for feature and sports photos. He even won the then unheard-of sum of $10.00 in a national photo contest sponsored by the American Optometric Association!

Based on compositional skills, not technical, his teachers wanted him to enroll in LA Trade Tech’s photography program, but his mother wouldn’t hear of it… HER SON was going to be the first in the family to attend a real college! So, after graduation, he attended real San Diego State and he took no photos for four years. Marriage and the Navy followed graduation.

He was given a Mamiya Sekor 35mm as a graduation present and his interests in photography was marginally rekindled as he sold photos to the other students of them flying. After returning to SD from Pensacola, he took a few photos, but most of his time was spent working for SDG&E and raising a son and daughter. (He’s a fire captain in Solana Beach and she’s a director for an international financial firm.)

When he retired, he returned to the Mamiya Sekor but, soon, discovered digital photography. He bought a Sony Mavica and wasted a year or two with it… then, he started getting serious and bought a Nkon D70. Fortunately, there were DSLR Meet Ups and other camera clubs to teach him enough technical skills to get by.

On several cruises with his wife, he took “post card photos”, but nothing serious. Also, he photographed the various archaeological and paleontologic sites at which volunteered. The addition of a telephoto lens, eventually, added bird and nature photos to his repertoire. Finally, he discovered his true passion when Ken Cohen taught him the basics of studio portraiture.

Since then, he has worked a few commercial gigs (Turn Key Properties, Wells Fargo Bank, a clothing firm, senior portraits, etc), but, mostly, he’s pissed-off everyone he knows by repeatedly asking them to sit for portraits!