I am a graphic artist who has stumbled into the world of photography and fallen in love with it. I believe that Afterdark is exactly the catalyst photographers need to move their studios and the industry to the next level. I know of no where else where you can find such a vast array of amazing photographers that are willing to sit down on and work with you on anything that you need to rocket your skills far beyond where you are currently at.

Capturing the human form has always been a passion of mine. For many years I drew people. Everywhere I went I was drawing everyone around me, studying nuances in the way an arm bent or the how the curls of someone's hair fell across their nose. I was fascinated how a single line could completely change the way something looked. This challenge and love of capturing people slowly lead me to photography. I borrowed my first real camera from a friend in 2005 and I began playing around with it. Slowly I started photographing more friends and family. Finally in 2007 I had enough of a client base to leave my job as a graphic artist and become more serious about photography. With the help of my friends at Afterdark in a very short time my averages have exploded. I photograph everyday people in an ordinary small town, not celebrities in beautiful places. But I certainly treat my subjects as if they are celebrities and I work hard to make ordinary places appear beautiful. I rely on my customer service and creative imagery to spread the word and capture interest in my art. All of the challenges of creating a studio and drastically increasing prices in a relatively short period of time are fresh in my memory so please don't hesitate to come hang out with me and pick my brain.

I am very proud to be part of the Afterdark experience. I will be using Photoshop to show others how to create amazing team composites that look more like movie posters than a team portrait. I will also be spending some time in Lightroom, talking about how it can change your life. Instead of spending hours toning and processing images in PS - you can do it in seconds in Lightroom and easily give your images a creative twist using presets. I absolutely can't wait to photograph in Portland! There are going to be so many unbelievable opportunities and photographers there that I'm already losing sleep thinking about the possibilities.

www.shirkphotography.com

Email: ben@shirkphotography.com