Zach is a native to La Crosse, WI. He is a recent graduate of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse with a B.S. in Computer Science. Since graduation, Zach has been providing computer support and web design services to clients in the La Crosse area. In his free time, Zach enjoys experimenting with photography, electronics, building things and biking.

Computers

Zach's passion for computers began at a very early age. He was first introduced to computers in kindergarten, when he was allowed to play games such as Number Crunchers and Oregon Trail during playtime. He knew instantly the power of the computer and wanted one at home as well. In sixth grade his family finally had a computers at home. The new possibilities that this offered Zach were huge. He began experimenting and trying to figure out as much as he could.

A year later his family connected to the Internet, where a whole new world was available, yet again. He surfed the net and absorbed as much information as possible. He began experimenting with creating websites on free sites such as Geocities. He also quickly learned that the answer to any question was just a few seconds away and began learning how to fix the computer when something was not working quite right using the Internet. In middle school, Zach was entrusted with the responsibility of maintaining the middle school website. He resisted the idea at first because he preferred to be with the rest of the computer club opening up computers and swapping out parts. But, he relented and took on the new responsibility. This turned out to be a great path for Zach and he continues to develop and design websites to this day. Zach would like to thank Mrs. Grelle for giving him the push into the wonderful world of the web.

As Zach learned more about computers his reputation for being able to repair computers grew. He began working with some friends providing tech support for their small business. More and more friends and family called Zach asking for help. Zach has continued to grow his clientele throughout high school and college and now has an ever expanding group of individuals and small businesses that he supports with all of their technology needs.

When it came time to go to college, Zach knew that Computer Science was what he wanted to major in. But, he didn't quite know what was all involved with a Computer Science degree. Zach greatly enjoyed the Computer Science courses, but soon learned that programming was not one of his passions. He much preferred the courses that focused on the physical and low level aspects of the computer — building circuits, dealing with gates, and understanding what is actually happening at the lowest of levels is what interested Zach the most.

Photography

Zach's interest in photography began when he "bought" his first camera with points from a magazine sale in grade school. It was just a cheap plastic camera that used film and had no flash. But, this camera inspired Zach with the idea of capturing the world around him in still images. Zach began by taking pictures of whatever he saw. These were not great images, but the desire to capture was there. Unfortunately, film is not cheap, so Zach had to be more selective with him images. He continued to use his camera here and there.

Around this same time, digital cameras were starting to enter the market. However, the price tag was way too high for Zach. But, he saved his Christmas and birthday money, none-the-less. In 2002, he found a cheap camera at Sam's Club that had everything he wanted — a flash and a screen. He had saved enough money to buy the camera, which opened a whole new idea of photography. He loved that he could take as many pictures as he wanted and it cost nothing. He took that camera everywhere and photographed everything. The pictures were small and low quality, but he did not care. It was fun taking them, and something was better than nothing.

That camera lasted Zach several years before it gave out, right before his family's first big family vacation. So, Zach rushed out and bought a new camera so he could capture the vacation. The new camera was a huge improvement and allowed him to continue to better his skills. This camera took Zach through photography courses in high school and several more family vacations. During one of the vacations — Yellowstone National Park — Zach took over 2,000 photos. This was the start of a growing passion for photography.

During his senior year in high school, Zach invested in his first DSLR — A Nikon D50. This camera allowed Zach to experiment with manual settings on the camera, the ability to use different lenses and apertures, and a great increase in the quality of photos.

In College, Zach decided to minor in photography. His photography courses turned out to be some of the most demanding courses during his college years. At first, he was questioning whether to continue or not. But, he stuck it out and is grateful for the experiences and growth that he made throughout his photography courses.