My name is Gavin Finklea and I grew up in Montgomery Alabama.  I went off to College at Birmingham Southern and finished up at Ole Miss (the fishing and duck hunting were far better there than downtown Birmingham).   I began a career in advertising, marketing and graphic design two years after graduation and have been doing it ever since…..24 years!

We farmed out the photography portion of our work for many years relying on someone else to capture what we wanted visually for advertisements and marketing materials.  Roughly ten years ago when the economy tanked many of my clients budgets shrank or disappeared.  It was a hard time to say the very least.  I had to find a way to be more efficient for my clients and also put more dollars directly in my pocket as opposed to hiring our services out.  As hard as it was it really became a blessing for me because it forced me to learn a skill that had always been a lot of fun to be involved with.  Photography did not come easy to me! Shutter speed, F-stop, ISO and light metering were a total mystery that took a while to wrap my brain around.  Luckily my father was not only an accomplished cardiologist, he was a great photographer as well.  His patience, ability to teach and technical know how got me started the RIGHT way.  I actually enjoyed the challenge of learning photography and still do to this day.  I certainly don’t know everything about it and probably never will, but I know my equipment and I know how to make it work for me. I shoot Nikon because that’s what I started with but who knows maybe I will pick up a Cannon one day when my others run out of life (honestly I’m just saying that to keep my Cannon carrying friends at bay).

Like most photographers I enjoy capturing that perfect shot in the millisecond it takes place, but what I really love is the story and purpose behind the picture.  If you ask me about any of my photos there is usually a pretty cool story about the person, event, scene or product.  I don’t specialize in any one “type” or "style"  shot which keeps my work interesting.  I enjoy working with someone to capture an image that tells the story THEY want to tell and its always an honor to be part of that moment.  What do you want shoot?  I’d love to make it happen for you! Get in touch with me.