So, before you hire me to do a photo shoot for you I figure you might want to know a little about me and my photography background.  So here is my sea story...

I got into photography probably in a fairly unusual place,  I learned it while serving 8 years in the United States Navy.  I had always wanted to do art.  All through middle school and high school, I was involved in art club, art classes and any creative endeavor I could become involved in.  I graduated high school in 1992 and was studying painting at Penn State University.  About half way through the first semester, I heard the sea calling me.  I read a lot of sea novels growing up, my parents were not surprised. So, I dropped out of college and a promising career of being a starving artist and signed up for a tour in the Navy.  I did not get the photography gig right away. I had enlisted and went to boot camp as what is called an undesignated fireman. I had no schooling guaranteed for me when I got out of bootcamp.  I worked really hard during boot camp and scored well enough on the exams that I was awarded a chance to go to what is called an “A” school.  I knew the Navy had a Photographers Mate rating (rating: Navy term for job) but when I sign my orders I was told there were no openings for the job nor would be.  So, when I got this chance to select any “A” school I wanted and tried for the job again. My Company Commander had a few choice words for me about my selection and said that I was a fool and would never get the school. He had to eat his words, I got the school and a few weeks later I was in Pensacola, FL learning to be a Photographer’s Mate.  

While in Building 1500, the Naval Schools of Photography, I learned the basics of photography.  Hand processing of black and white film, color processing, 35 mm film, 120 mm film, large format cameras, we learned it all in a what seemed like a very short time.  My four year tour got extended to a five year tour because the knowledge that we receive was so highly valued that the Navy didn’t want us leaving so soon, at least that is what I was told. Again, I was at the top of my class and when we graduated I had my choice of orders.  I chose to go to sea onboard the Navy’s newest ship, a gator freighter, the USS Kearsarge (LHD-3).

I served the balance of my first enlistment on that ship.  I did two Mediterranean deployments. On June 8,1994, the ship and the US Marines of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit rescued US Air Force Captain Scott O’Grady shoot down over Bosnia.  30 May - 4 June 1997 the Kearsarge and her US Marines are rushed to the aid of 2,500 americans in war torn Sierra Leone as part of Operation Noble Obelisk.  Over those years I honed my skills as a photographer shooting images of documenting daily life and historic events, award ceremonies, medical photography, product (damage equipment) photography, arial photography, portrait photography also learning the ins and outs of equipment maintenance and all the tricks of print production.  Along the way I made amazing friends and got to see some amazing places.  It was a great experience.  I came to end of my time on the Kearsarge but the Navy was not done with me. I came up for orders to the White House Communications Agency (WHCA). 

I reenlisted for another three years and moved to Washington DC and served the office of the President of the United States of America.  This was a great experience. We supported the civilian staff photographers for the President and Vice President. I had the opportunity to be influenced by a great photographer, Callie Shell.  I was part of the photography team to support the Sherpherdstown Peace Talks between Israel and Syria as well as the 2000 Camp David Summit.  At WHCA I learned skills of high volume color printing and the ins and outs of digital processing as well as how to conduct myself in high stress photography assignments, nothing like getting a last minute call to take pictures of the First Lady.  At the time WHCA was converting all the wet processed negatives to digital files for production control and archiving.  I also got to travel to Dublin, Ireland on one of President Clinton’s final oversea tours. 

Since, leaving the Navy I have earned my design degree from Arizona State University’s (ASU) Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts - School of Design Innovation and was named the school’s Outstanding Graduate in 2006. I also have a business degree from Stayer University and a Computer Aided Drafting degree form Pittsburgh Technical Institute (PTI).

In between all these accomplishments, I have done some different jobs, I have framed houses in the desert, I have climbed steel rigging for rock concerts, I have been a prop artisan and I have worked in a butcher department.  I currently live in Greensburg, Pennsylvania with my wife and our French bulldog. I enjoy interior design, hiking & downhill skiing, tattoo inspired art work along with spending time with family and friends.

AARON J, KULIK / PHOTOGRAPHER / 1.724.288.3808 / TGSARCHPHOTO@GMAIL.COM

© 2015