Pat Hayes is the man behind the camera. My background started in the late 70′s when my grandfather purchased my first 35mm film camera. It was a used camera made by a company out of Ann Arbor, MI called Argus They, at the time were considered a great camera for the money.

I took so many photographs my parents stopped purchasing film. I was allowed 1 roll per week and had to get it developed all on my own, tough for a 10yr old. My only income was at the hands of my parents (allowance), I had to do more chores to get that film developed, let me tell you! At times it was easy, other times forget it.

The rest is history. A few years passed, I continued to shoot. My father saw some real talent starting to emerge and surprised me with an entire darkroom for Christmas. Yes, I had an enlarger, chemicals etc. The full setup. Once I developed a picture that was it, I knew I would be doing this for the rest of my life.

As digital emerged I would do just about anything in order to afford a digital camera, it took me forever. The first digital camera I bought was a Sony Mavica (the one that took a floppy disk) I used that thing for years. As I reflect it was amazing what one could do with that camera…. If I only knew what the future would bring.

What do I shoot with these days? Well when I originally started with digital I used Nikon. I loved my Nikon DSLR, I then switched to Canon (don’t ask, I just did) I wanted to see what the hype was all about.

Now don’t get me wrong the Canon served me well and took very good pictures. Canon is a marketing genius! Everyone knows the name, when you walk into a store to look at a camera 60% of customers will ask about Canon first. I started with the 5D Mark II and a 24-70L series lens. A great combination that served me well for many years.

I still had a yearning for a Nikon though. I just liked the way Nikon does things. I have a severe case of OCD when it comes to photography, Nikon gives a photographer so many choices and a chance to adjust their camera to their liking in every way possible. So I take solace knowing I’m back where I belong. A Nikon D800 has made its way back to my hands and gives me the edge I need to compete in the ever changing field of Photography!

Let the artist wizardry begin.