A life long resident of Rowan County , Keith got his first 35mm camera at 17. He didn't start using b&w film until he took some photography classes at MSU. It wasn't until he started getting some professional instruction at the university from David Bartlett that he started taking photography seriously as an artistic endeavor. It had always just been for fun and his personal enjoyment. “Learning to develop my own film and make my own prints opened up a whole other dimension to the art of photography”. Keith had never really found a lab that was affordable whose work he was really satisfied with. “Being able to develop and print my own work gives me much more flexibility when I'm out in the field. If I want to take a shot and perhaps the lighting isn't just right, I know whether or not I can make it work in the darkroom.”

His interest in photography began at a very early age. His grandmother had subscriptions to Look, Life and Post magazines. The photos in that era were shot by some of the finest photographers and photojournalist ever. All in black & white. That's one reason he shoots only black & white film now. He uses color film only as a documentary tool. But that could change in the future. You never can tell.