The story of a photographer


I was born February 21, in Manhattan, the third child of Stanley & Marcia Simons.  To me, penchant for entertainment came honestly:  My dad, a drummer, once played regularly with a rhythm and blues band, and my mom, who plays multiple wind instruments, had attended Julliard.  However, my interest was not in music. My mom always tried to teach my siblings and me music after school. My siblings and I had an hour of class each day. My mom failed me. My siblings passed. 

          Odd man out in the family of musicians, I found my passion for theater and film in high school.  Later that year, film students from the Savannah College of Arts and Design (SCAD) held auditions for a short film, “Pacific,” about a  student who has to decide if he has the skills and desire to play pro-basketball. I got the lead role, spending the summer rehearsing, acting, doing studio voiceovers, and observing the filming and editing processes. I was transfixed.

     I started helping S.C.A.D. students behind and in front of the camera, and they taught me things they’d learned in classes. This included setting up shots, framing, and the process of filming.  By 2013, I have gotten a degree in Marketing Management. I decided that I wasn't done with acting. A few months later, I had been accepted into the New York Conservatory of Dramatic Arts (NYCDA).  I packed up my life and my few possessions and found my way back into the city I grew up in, the city I love. At NYCDA I got professional training and a deeper insight into acting for film. It was there that a professor saw my interest in camera work. He recommended that I take up photography to hone my skills in cinematography. So, I listened. Before long, I started taking photos of everything I found interesting. After obtaining my second degree, a few friends asked if I could shoot some headshots for them. They insisted they pay me, I said sure. By 2016, I was getting work regularly enough to leave the restaurant business and pursue photography and videography full time.