Growing up in the ‘70’s and ‘80’s, JC has been an avid lover of movies. He fully recalls seeing “Star Wars” in 1977 at three years old, and he carries the experience and emotional influence it had on him as one of his sources of inspiration. He also recalls walking in downtown Chicago in 1993 with his parents when they walked down to the Chicago Board of Trade building, only to accidentally wander onto a film set where the Cohen Brothers were filming, “The Hudsucker Proxy.” Although he didn’t get to meet anyone in particular, he was awestruck by the enormity of the production; he would find out later that one of his all-time favorite cinematographers, Roger Deakins, was the DP for that movie.

Initially, JC did not start working in film. He worked odd jobs while studying to be a pharmacist. The gain of the value in the experiences he has received in pharmacy were paramount to building integrity as a professional. His quest and eventual love for camerawork would be found through the hobbies he developed in making short films and taking a variety of photographs just for fun.

As a filmmaker in several indie short films and documentary projects, JC has worn several of the proverbial hats across all phases of production: producer, director, cinematographer, camera operator, boom operator, post production editing in color grading and sound design, just to name a few positions. Ultimately, he felt his calling as a cinematographer would be the role he would dedicate himself to learning. He feels a profound connection to creating story and emotion through imagery - so much so that he is also an ardent photographer. He has shot several images of various types: landscape, portrait, and even pet photography.

JC is currently a member of the Professional Photographers of America as well as a student in Shane Hurlbut’s Filmmakers Academy. He networks extensively and travels to any location he can in order to meet and work with others.