Gary’s paternal grandfather introduced him to 35mm film, Polaroids, and National Geographic, nurturing his curiosity of photography. His stepfather fueled his interest in cinema. During graduate studies, a professor introduced him to conceptual and abstract photography, an area that continues to captivate him.
Born and raised in Kansas City, Gary enlisted in the U.S. Navy after graduating from Liberty Senior High School. He was stationed in Bangor, Washington, and served aboard the USS Alabama (SSBN-731), an Ohio-class submarine. The remainder of his enlistment was spent as a Hospital Corpsman in Charleston, South Carolina.
Following military service, Gary graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Central Missouri with a Bachelor of Science degree in Broadcasting and Film, and a minor in Photography. Subsequently, he worked as a Production Assistant at KSHB-TV 41 in Kansas City and transitioned into the field of wedding photography. He also worked as a video camera operator for the Kansas City Royals.
A published photographer, Gary has exhibited his work in Southern California and the Midwest. He holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from Brooks Institute in Santa Barbara, California, and teaches traditional analog and digital photography.
Accomplishments include:
A Photographic Essay on the Monks of St. Benedict's Abbey
(photographs taken by Gordon Parks for Life magazine in 1955)
Gary was a co-curator of Gordon Parks’s images printed by Parks. The exhibition was held in the McCarthy Gallery of Art at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, from January 12-28, 2022.
Photographer's Forum: Magazine For The Emerging Professional
published in the book, Best of Photography 2013
Roundel: The Magazine of the BMW Car Club of America
published in the December 2012 issue
2012 International Photography Awards
(3) awards of Honorable Mention in Fine Art
Next Generation Show
July 14-Oct 21, 2012
Santa Paula Art Museum
Santa Paula, CA.
Internship with celebrity photographer Peggy Sirota
Sep-Nov 2010
Thousand Oaks, CA.
http://www.peggysirota.com/
Assistant Photographer at Van Deusen Photography
Summer 2007-2009
Kansas City, MO.
KC Industry Magazine
Special events and feature photographer
Summer 2007