How a Garage, a Coach, and a Crazy Idea Became Shooting Trio Photography's Origin Story

Only 1% of student-athletes ever earn a Division I scholarship — which means for the other 99%, the photos are the legacy. The moments that get framed, shared, and passed down.

I didn't know any of that back in the spring of 2018. I was still working in information technology at CompuNet, Inc., shooting youth sports from the sidelines at my sons' games on weekends, still figuring out whether photography was a hobby or something more. Then I made a phone call that changed everything.

I called up an old co-worker — Chris Culig, head coach of the Rocky Mountain football team at the time — and said, "Hey, I have this idea for a panoramic banner."

That's it. That was the pitch. No business plan. No studio. No assistant. Just a fascination with panoramic photography and a belief that something better was possible.

The Solar Eclipse That Started It All

A year earlier, in 2017, I created a panoramic banner of the solar eclipse — stitching images of the transition together in Photoshop to build something that felt dramatic and cinematic. The response I got from people who saw it stuck with me. There was something about the wide-format, multi-image composite that made people stop and look. I kept thinking: what if you did that with athletes?

So I asked Chris if he could bring a few players to my garage. The goal was simple — create a panoramic banner for the team. Nothing more. I was still very much a hobbyist. My gear was limited. And I mean limited. I didn't even have enough light stands. One of the other coaches Chris brought along — Glenn — held a light for me while I shot. We made it work.

Knowing what I know now, I can spot the flaws. The lighting ratios aren't perfect. The posing could be sharper. But honestly? I'm proud of what came out of that garage session. The discipline was there from the start — defined edge lighting on the back of the athlete to create separation, add drama, and make it easy to isolate the subject later. That wasn't an accident. Strong sports portraits have always required it. I just had to figure out how to execute it with what I had.

From the Garage to the Field — and Eventually Boise State's Blue Smurf Turf

That first session led to something I didn't expect: an invitation to shoot Rocky Mountain's football team on the actual field — my very first real on-field sports photography session. Standing on that turf, shooting athletes in their element — on an actual field rather than some generic backdrop — I understood immediately why it mattered. The environment is part of the portrait. It always has been. That work earned me a contract for their team banners the following year.

One thing led to another. The on-field work led to sideline access. Sideline access eventually put me on the sidelines of the Boise State Blue Smurf turf — capturing a championship game. None of that happens without a phone call and a borrowed light stand in a garage in 2018.

I've been in the stands, on the sidelines, and behind the camera. I know what parents want to remember and what athletes are proud to display. That knowledge doesn't come from a course or a textbook — it comes from years of actually being there, in every weather condition, in every gym and on every type of field, figuring it out in real time.

Eight Years of Sports and Senior Banners — and Still Going

Eight years later, I still create banners for Rocky Mountain High School's football team. Some of those banners now span 40 feet or longer. What started as a single panoramic banner idea has grown into a full offering of team photography, individual portraits, sports team photography across the Treasure Valley, and custom senior banners that schools and programs use to celebrate their athletes all season long.

The senior banners are something I'm especially proud of. There's a specific kind of image that works at that scale — it needs separation, contrast, drama — and the techniques I started developing in that garage session back in 2018 are exactly what make them work today. You can't fake edge lighting on a 40-foot print. It's either there or it isn't.

High school sports participation hit an all-time high of 8,266,244 athletes in the 2024–25 season. That's a lot of athletes who deserve images that actually do justice to the work they put in. Generic studio setups on folding chairs in a gymnasium somewhere — that's not it. No awkward studio setups. No forced smiles. Authentic, natural portraits that capture the true spirit of youth sports — that's what this has always been about.

So — Can You Tell These Were the Very First Ones?

Look back at those portraits from that first garage session. The edge lighting is there. The separation is there. The drama is there. The flaws I can spot are technical — not philosophical. I knew from day one what a strong sports portrait required. Eight years of shooting youth athletes across the Treasure Valley has just made the execution sharper.

That's what Shooting Trio Photography's origin story really comes down to — not a grand launch or a big investment or a perfectly planned business. It's a phone call, a borrowed light stand, a coach named Glenn who held it steady, and a belief that youth athletes deserved better than rushed, generic photos that end up in a drawer.

I started this because I cared about the photos. That hasn't changed.

Whether your team plays football, soccer, basketball, swimming, wrestling, or anything in between — indoors or out — I'm there. We photograph your athletes on actual fields and courts — the same places where they play and compete. We want them to feel inspired and look forward to getting their pictures because they know it will make them stand out as powerful, confident athletes who aren't afraid of anything.

Have you been searching for a sports photographer who has spent the last eight years perfecting their craft? Let's connect. The photo is what matters — not the weather, the 105-degree heat, or the 6 a.m. call time. We show up. See what that looks like for your team.