Larry's BIo

Larry’s passion for photography was born in the late sixties, deep in the amber glow of a makeshift darkroom his father had fashioned inside an upstairs bathroom. Whether young Larry was a willing apprentice or a drafted helper remains a family mystery—but one thing is undeniable: those evenings spent watching images rise from blank paper ignited a lifelong obsession with the magic and mystery of photography.

In the early seventies, Larry’s father passed down a battle tested Honeywell Pentax 35mm camera—an old warrior once carried by a hardened news reporter. The camera came with no light meter, no shortcuts, and absolutely no forgiveness. It demanded intuition, discipline, and grit. Larry now sees it as the perfect mentor, teaching him to trust his instincts and chase the light like a true adventurer.

Larry earned a B.S. in Criminal Justice and briefly worked in his family’s beverage distribution business before pursuing a different kind of excitement—law enforcement. Over the next decade, his career unfolded like a real life action thriller. He patrolled the streets, earned promotion into the detective division as a major crimes investigator, and eventually operated deep undercover as a narcotics officer in one of Georgia’s major cities. During this time, he was selected to undergo intensive training by the United States Secret Service as a SWAT member of his department’s first tactical team. He later spent more than a year embedded with the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, pursuing drug traffickers across Southeast Georgia.

His path eventually carried him more than 1,700 miles west to Tucson, Arizona, after being hired by the federal government to join a specialized unit within the U.S. Customs Aviation Branch. There, he chased airborne drug smugglers attempting to slip illegal cargo into the United States across the Mexican border. It was high stakes, high altitude, high adrenaline work—and through every chapter of that intense career, Larry kept a camera within reach.

Photography stayed by his side through high school, college, and the demanding world of law enforcement. He was even selected to train other officers in the use of 35mm photography and its critical role in documenting crime scenes. To friends, coworkers, and federal agents, Larry wasn’t just a cop—he was the guy who never went anywhere without a camera, always ready for the next unforgettable shot.

In 1990, after years of pressure filled police work, Larry made a dramatic shift. He returned to Vidalia, Georgia, rejoined the family beverage distribution business, and eventually purchased it with his sister. He remained there until his retirement in 2007.

The 1990s became a decade of explosive creative growth. Larry sharpened his photography skills, expanded his portfolio, and launched a video production company specializing in outdoor documentaries. His first video—and the many that followed—sold worldwide. These projects even earned him an invitation from Australia to join a group of hunters on an expedition across the vast, sun scorched Outback, where he lived in rustic shearers’ quarters and filmed adrenaline charged pursuits on dirt bikes and on foot through some of the most unforgiving terrain on earth.

During this same decade, Larry received the opportunity of a lifetime: permission to produce a documentary on world renowned strongman Paul Anderson, widely considered one of the strongest men of the past century. Despite having limited experience with large scale productions, Larry dove in without hesitation. The year long project became an intensive crash course in music licensing, film rights, sponsor negotiations, model releases, and deep historical research. His work took him from the mountains of Tennessee to the coast of California as he filmed interviews with family members, friends, acquaintances of Anderson, and leading experts in strength and weightlifting. When released, the documentary was enthusiastically received within the strongman and weightlifting communities—many calling it the best film ever produced on Anderson’s life and one of the finest strongman documentaries ever made.

Adventure called once more in 2016. After eight years of retirement from the beverage industry, Larry and his wife Teri moved to Cottonwood, Arizona, where he opened “The Aperture Gallery” in the historic downtown district. The gallery quickly became a gathering place for travelers, wanderers, art lovers, and admirers of the American Southwest. But in 2019, another relocation—this time to Prescott, Arizona—required him to sell the gallery building and close its doors.

Today, Larry works from his spacious home studio in Prescott. When asked whether he plans to open another gallery, he smiles and says, “I’ve always heard that turning your favorite hobby into a business can take the fun right out of it. I loved meeting people from all over the world in Cottonwood, but it kept me from the fieldwork I crave. After fifty years behind the lens, I’m choosing adventure. I want to be out traveling, chasing the perfect shot—not stuck behind a counter.”

Larry’s body of work reflects far more than a career or a pastime—it is the visual record of a life fueled by curiosity, courage, wanderlust, and an irrepressible drive to explore. Each photograph captures a moment that moved him, inspired him, or compelled him to press the shutter as he journeyed through the world with a camera always at his side.