I have been taking pictures, for what seems like most of my life. It has been only recently, however, that I began using the word “photographer” as a description, and definition of who I am. The door of opportunity opened for me in 2005, when I was asked if I would be interested in shooting a concert at the 18,000 seat amphitheater here in St. Louis, MO. The show was 3 Doors Down, with Breaking Benjamin. It was this experience, that brought together my love for live performance, and a growing interest in photography, that instantly made me realize that this is where I belong. Over 500 band performances later, from clubs to arenas, I now find myself as a freelance photographer, contributing work to a major newspaper, 2 online web magazines, numerous artist websites, and even a concert tee shirt of one of the biggest selling Country artists of all time. Yet, this world is not my chosen career. It is my diversion, my passion, something to fall back on I suppose if need be, but has never been about money.

That said, with 5 years of .jpegs, & shows accumulating on my computer, and a growing interest in my work, it became a natural progression to create a website, and eventually a brand. Thus RKNPHOTO was born. A key element with branding, is the recognition of the name and how it is presented visually. A simple, but unique font was created, to serve as my “logo”.

Enter Action Custom Straps: Out of the blue, while on my way to lunch one day, my cell phone rings. A gentleman introduces himself as Terry, from Indiana. He had seen a photo I shot recently of Jimmy Buffett, and asked if it would be possible to use the photo on his company website. He explained the guitar strap shown in the photo, was his creation, and that he had been making the Mayor of Margaritaville’s guitar straps for many years. Well before I knew it, not only was I agreeing to having a photo I took appear on a company website, but would also begin a conversation about how I can get one of these fancy straps to use with my instrument of choice, my camera. We talked over the course of a couple of weeks, settling on the material, colors, and whether ACS could duplicate, exactly, the font design matching my logo. Fast forward to the day Terry emailed me a photo of the finished product, to sign off on with approval, which looked great. It wasn’t until I opened the package a few days later, seeing the craftsmanship, and attention to detail, and holding the strap in my hands, did I realize why some of music’s biggest names, go to him when they want to stand out from the crowd, and own something original, artistic, functional, and truly unique. I now have something in common with Jimmy Buffett, Keith Urban, Miranda Lambert, Jewel, and dozens of other superstars. I love this camera strap, but for no other reason, people see the logo, and think this guy must be a professional to have a custom made strap like that. Little do they realize, I’m just here to have fun.