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Jim Hammer was born in Nashville Tennessee in 1959. Raised in Huntington Tennessee before moving back to Nashville ot age 6. As a young boy he acquired an interest in taking pictures. His first camera was on old Kodak Brownie. Later the pocket 110 camera seemed adequate, always having an under the seat of his cor. Moving on to other Kodak cameras of the 70s his interest never waned. He graduated college in 1978. Photography was put on the back burner or several years while in college. Working at the former Opryland theme park as a photographer sparks his interest once more. After enrolling in a local college to formally study photography), a decade of study began. His first 35 mm camera was the venerable Pentax K-1000. Completely manual it was the perfect camera to Iearn with. Working in several Iocal one hour labs and then on to commercial Iabs was invaluable in learning the technical side of photography. Developing and printing slides, and all forms of film took up several years led Jim to a more complete understanding of photography. After graduating Nashville Tech in 2001 Jim worked for several professional studios in the area of Nashville. Joining Professional Photographers of America proved on invaluable wealth of knowledge from t working professionals of the day, all of whom were the most sought after photographers in Nashville and the nation.

During this time Jim learned to operate medium format and large format cameras on a daily basis. Working behind the scenes taught Jim the dedication and hard work that goes into working as a professional photographer.

Every year Jim entered work in the local county fairs and expositions earning countless ribbons and awards. His work has been exhibited in several local museums and galleries. Being an artist in residence at the Fayetteville TN art gallery. His most memorable exhibit was at the former Chromatics commercial lob in Nashville TN.

Jim has also been a member of several local camera clubs including Nashville, Hendersonville, Bentwood and Fayetteville clubs.

Using the Mamiya rb67 ond 330 Jim photographed the first wedding on his own in 1996. Over the years techniques and equipment hove evolved and his first digital cameras were the small pocket style. His first digital slr was the Cannon D20.

Today Jim has retired for the most part, only Photographing small weddings and the occasional portrait or civic even. He regularly teaches photography at local libraries to the budding photographers eager for knowledge. Jim also travels to teach at seminars and photography groups. He is available for free consultations to brides seeking on what to expect from a wedding photographer.