Hi, I'm John A. Carlos II,

I was born in Columbus, Ohio on what was probably a cold day.  Growing up in Ohio, I was raised to love all things Ohio. Thanks to this I'm an avid Ohio State, and Browns fan. It was through the Boy Scouts of America, that I learned to love nature and the wonder of the world around me.

When I was six years old, my family went on a trip across the country. Little did I know at the time, this trip would change my life. A week before the trip I bought my first camera, a used Kodak Instamatic 100, from a local garage sale. I had always enjoyed art even before I bought my Kodak, but somehow the camera was different, it just felt... Right.

My Dad, to this day claims, I complained the whole trip because I just wanted to get to Disneyland. This may be true, all I know is when I got home, I had all these great photos of the Grand Canyon, The Painted Desert, the Petrified Forrest and not to mention Disneyland and Knotts' Berry Farm. Over the years my family took other trips to Gettysburg, Mount Vernon, Monticello, Washington, DC, The Biltmore, New York City and so much more. These trips were the starting points for how I would come to view the world and from those memories, I was shaped in ways I'm only now starting to appreciate and comprehend.

It was in my teenage years when the next phase of life would happen. We moved from Dayton, Ohio to Webster City, Iowa. My art talents had always been encouraged in other schools, but it took on a new dimension in Iowa. Maybe the teachers in Webster City saw something in my artwork or maybe it was just my enthusiasm for the subject.  I signed up for every art class I could take, and some that I could not. It was here where I would take my first formal class on photography.

I signed up for every photography course that my high school offered. I was hooked. The camera felt so natural in my hands, unlike a pencil or paintbrush. It was at this point, that I knew what I wanted to do in life. After high school graduation, I enrolled at The University of Louisville, not even taking a couple of weeks off from school to school.

Times were good in Louisville, but I missed my Mom and Dad.  My parents had moved from Iowa to South Carolina. So in 2002 I also moved to South Carolina and enrolled in the Art Program at The University of South Carolina. I excelled in my classes moving into the top five of my class. In 2003 I met a girl, Christina, and we started dating. She and I dated the remainder of our way through school. It was in August of 2005  when I graduated with a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Art Studio with a concentration in Photography from The University of South Carolina. So I'd like to declare that I'm more than just a Buckeye, I'm now a Gamecock too! 

I convinced my college sweetheart to move in with me, in 2006. After college, I worked several jobs, but nothing seemed to bring anything more than a monetary gain. In 2010 I began my blog with a "picture a day" theme, re-ignited my passion for photography. It was in 2011 that I decided to start www.JAC2Photo.com.

2011 turned out to be a great year.  I bought a house, became engaged to Christina, and it was at the South Carolina verse Vanderbilt football game where I asked her to marry me! On Christmas I decided to focus on photography full time, I felt that I had put it off for too long.

My work has been featured in publications and shows in Columbia and throughout the state of South Carolina. And I've had the honor of having some of my artwork to be selected for the prestigious national collection at the Amity Art Foundation in Woodbridge, Connecticut.

It has been my distinct privilege to be a part of this community for more than a two-decade now and the people of this great state are some of the friendliest and most kind-hearted people I have ever met. It is my pleasure to be a part of my client's lives. I hope to become more than just their photographer, I want them to think of me as part of the family. I urge you to become a part of something special.