101915210831_1colganphotographiccontactpagebold_revised101915.jpg

When you hire someone for a day-, week-, or even a month long shoot, I know you have a lot to consider. I'll bet besides feeling comfortable with your photographer's skills, you would also want someone that has the experience, flexibility and patients to exceed your expectations, especially when faced with the constant challenges of location photography.

Until you have the opportunity to talk with me, here's a little about myself.

"Deep roots and broad wings" is a phrase you could use to describe me. The roots come from growing up in a midwestern farm community. My community taught me the values of hard work and teamwork. This has helped me with big production location photography: we all pull together as a well-oiled machine to get the job done. The same goes for a photo shoot where the window of opportunity for a great image can be hampered by weather, product availability, or when optimum lighting conditions may be extremely narrow.

The wings represent nearly one million air miles and more than 500,000 road miles logged in pursuit of my passion for photography. To date, I've shot annual reports, advertising, and editorial assignments in more than 25 countries on 6 continents, and in more than 65 cities outside the USA. We have made multiple trips to several of these countries. I've also shot assignments in 46 states here in the USA.

I'd like to think that it's the combination of roots and wings that has enabled me to serve my clients' needs so well. It's not very "Midwestern" of me to toot my own horn. However, in addition to photographing a wide variety of working life around the globe. I have hands-on experience working in construction, farming (grain, livestock, and on a thoroughbred broodmare farm), and in the petroleum industry. Along with running my own business since 1996, I can personally relate to a broad spectrum of working life.

I'm as comfortable in a boardroom creating images of a CEO from a Fortune 500 company as I am photographing a farmer in the middle of a feedlot, and those subjects can relate to me as well. I guess that's part of the reason why my clients continue to hire me year after year.

Based in Illinois in a region that has diverse shooting needs, I'm a stone's throw away from the headquarters of two multinational manufacturers. I'm also close to many regional and local companies that serve diverse markets. Because of that mix, I've had the opportunity to photograph a wide range of people and products, which has made me a better and well-rounded photographer who can handle just about anything a client can throw my way. In additon, my team has been put in some of the most extreme shooting conditions you can imagine: from the heat of the remote region of the Amazon to the sub-zero temperatures of Northern Canada.

Still, there is nothing that I would rather do.