Wisconsin native Joe Altwies first became interested in photography in high school, when he began following Instagram street photographers in advance of a family trip to New York City. When he later received his grandfather’s old camera, a much-loved Canon Rebel, he began to pursue photography in earnest. As he tells the story, he immediately jumped on the train to downtown Chicago, camera in hand, and walked around the city shooting buildings, people, and anything else that caught his eye. Today, his hope is to inspire viewers to step out of their daily routines to truly see and appreciate the world that surrounds them.

A firm believer that great photographs can be taken on any camera, Joe feels that it is a photographer's perspective and creative use of manual settings that make an image stand out. He finds the editing process critical in turning an image into his vision. He edits almost exclusively in Adobe Lightroom, working with RAW files and striving to elicit from them the feelings he experienced while shooting. Most important to him is that a photograph convey emotion and vision, rather than simply documenting reality. A recent graduate of the University of Minnesota’s business program, Joe plans to continue his pursuit of photography.

Instagram: @hottcupofjoe