It was four years ago when Brett’s journey as a photographer begun. Shooting local musicians in small venues, asking them to do a promotional shoot. Numerous times, he was getting turned down but being persistent as he was, he kept trying until his name started to go around town and people became interested in his work.

Today, Brett is a dedicated photographer - and quite the successful one - who is hooked on his camera and cannot think of anything else that satisfies him more. “There is nothing else I can do that excites me as much as capturing a moment in time and using any, and all, artistic ability I have to show that moment in time,” he says. “Photography has a way of settling my mind and giving me a sense of peace when I shoot and edit.” Brett mostly shoots upcoming musicians and his work has a plastic feel to it. His photographs often show a high contrast and he works with harsh rim lights to give them a more produced look. “That is one style of photography I really enjoy,” he says. However, in street photography Brett recently found a new style of photography that caught his fancy. “Going out into a city with a camera, a lens or two, a reflector or a California Sunbounce and maybe a small light or two to simply shoot people doing what they do in everyday life is something I became a fan of recently,” he says. “Of course, I still pose them and direct them to get the best shot possible, but seeing laughter, fun, love and life in a photograph is always awesome!”

Although Brett is exploring other fields of photography and showing his versatility as a photographer, his passion and business – for the most part – still lies within studio photography. Having an own studio definitely helps.

Located in Raleigh, North Carolina, Brett considers it his second home and a huge advantage for him as a photographer. “Having a place that I know I can control all the lighting, background and everything else without having to worry about other people, weather, traffic and the normal interruptions you run into with location shoots is a huge plus,” he says.

However, as observant as he is, Brett sees that many musicians have the need to do photo shoots on location, as many of them already had their fair share of studio work done. So Brett takes it outside, or a different location inside, and shoots away. Not only provides this for original photographs for the musicians, but it also adds to Brett’s portfolio, as it shows that he is capable of shooting both studio work and on location. Brett is not affiliated with a specific publication, but does all his work as a freelancer. He works from project to project, usually for record labels, magazines and companies in all sorts of commercial areas. His work has been published in multiple magazines and he has shot big buzz bands, such as, Mercy Mercedes and The Cab. Both bands have appeared on MTV on numerous accounts and played sold out shows across America and Europe. Recently, Brett’s photographs of both of these bands appeared on billboards in Times Square, giving Brett immense recognition for his work. “The power of seeing your work published in a magazine, on a poster, billboard, all over the internet and other places is a real joy that never ceases to make me proud of my work,” he says.

As successful as Brett might be today, he doesn’t forget the days he started out shooting local bands in small, smoky venues. It was a time where he had to be persistent being turned down on numerous accounts, and where his networking skills became extremely important. “I worked really hard on making sure I was getting my business card into the hands of art directors, labels, managers and anyone else I could. I also did a lot of internet marketing. I used Flickr, MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and my personal site to gain interest,” he says. “I also made sure I responded to each e-mail and message I got. I never turned down a shoot and I never ignored a question asked by aspiring photographers, fans, bands, agents, art directors and labels.”

Where Brett did everything he could to get his name out there, word to mouth promotion did the rest. “After a while, my name got around town and I started shooting a lot of locals,” he says. “When those smaller bands became bigger, they would spread my name around and I started getting e-mails and calls from other big names.” When Brett did get the chance, he made sure he nailed the shoot every time. He made sure the band felt comfortable and tried to make it the best shoot they ever had. He would keep the band members happy by cracking jokes and simply befriending them. His love for music might have helped him – Brett plays the guitar – as he did what he thought he would want out of photographer if he was in a successful band himself.

Recently, Brett shot his first wedding, deviating from both studio portraiture and street photography. But that is what defines Brett, always branching out to different areas of photography, trying to become the most versatile photographer he can be.