STAFF BIOS

The PERC staff bios provide insight into not only our experience, but also why we have become professional photographers. Our passion pushes us to excel in an endeavor that is as much a science as it is an art. We stay current on technology and also provide a comforting environment so our subjects can be themselves. This way we create Images of a Lifetime that truly reflect your lifestyles.

Theodore “Ted” Salamone, Certified Master Photographer

Theodore “Ted” Salamone, Certified Master Photographer.

Ted founded PERC Photography School from an earlier organization mentored by John Hedgecoe, the famous British photographer and writer of 30 books on photography.  He leads the merry band of photographers, videographers, editors and instructors at PERC and 20/20 Photo & Video Studio.

Besides classes and field workshops, PERC offers Remote Training on photo editing software, Private Tutoring on any photographic subject and Professional Certification programs for those interested in making a full- or part-time living through photography. Ted loves teaching, and is especially thrilled when a student “gets it” during a session.

He has completed commissions and assignments on 6 continents over a period of several decades. Ted has photographed and videotaped more than 800 weddings and events, plus commercial, real estate, editorial, and portrait assignments. Above all, he loves photographing performing arts, architectural, and macro images.

His artistic nature is nurtured by the art and artists of his hometown (Firenze, Italia – Florence, Italy), the heart of the Renaissance.

Under the 20/20 Photo & Video Studio brand, Ted was the Exclusive Carolina Ballet Nutcracker photographer from 2009 to 2019. The studio focuses on commercial, performing arts, real estate, and portrait photography. He hires many PERC alums at 20/20, a great on-the-job training benefit for PERC students.

Ted and his wife Sandra, a gifted professional photographer and creative editor in her own right, also operate Artography Central, a purveyor of photographic fine art.

 

 

Steve Rubin, PERC Alumni Photographer

Steve Rubin has been involved with photography for over 30 years. He turned professional after associating with with PERC in 2010. Steve loves to do wedding and bridal portraits in particular. His forte is creating romantic, highly appealing imagery through a combination of unique, artistic lighting and elegant posing. Steve is easy going, with great a talent for making his clients comfortable and beautiful.

Steve has always believed that natural settings are the best way to capture the beautiful love and emotions of spouses, couples, and families.  He is highly experienced photographing families with children that have special needs or any physical handicaps.  His ability to capture these  exceptional images come from  personal experience as a father of a child with special needs.

 

Bekki Buenviaje, PERC Alumni Photographer

Bekki started in photography at the age of ten, when she made a pinhole camera out of an oatmeal box and took a photograph of the playground at school.

She learned to shoot with a Nikon D6006 SLR. From there she developed her own black and white photos and negatives in a darkroom in her basement. Since then, she has been through many cameras (Nikon mostly) while being a lifeling student of photography.

During graduate school, she photographed weddings with a friend to help make a little extra money. Her latest projects include shooting and editing various yearbooks and photobooks. Bekki considers herself a portrait photographer as she loves photographing people.

 

John Teague, PERC Alumni Photographer

John is a real-estate and architectural photographer with a love for composition. Angles, lines, curves and patterns all fascinate John, and he’s turned that fascination into a new career (with a lot of help from Ted Salamone).

Each new structure, whether it be a house, a building, a bridge or other object, is a new challenge that excites John. Recently, a couple projects involved photographing parking decks for an architectural firm. While parking decks might not seem very interesting, they presented exciting challenges to John. At one level, he was documenting the architect’s design but also capturing the architect’s artfulness. At another level, John was making his own art, using light and perspective to create striking images.

Of course, John enjoys photographing the compositions all around us, and in his spare time is still out there capturing landscapes and human bodies moving in space.

 

Michelle Carey, PERC Alumni Photographer

Michelle was fascinated with photography at a young age. Before the digital era, she remembers the anticipation and excitement she felt when getting film developed.

She loves exploring new camera and lighting techniques. Her favorite types of photography include editorial, candidly capturing moments or events in a story-telling fashion, and portrait photography. Michelle’s latest projects are wedding, green screen event, and jewelry photography.

Michelle’s love of photography is best summed up by a favorite quote from the American photographer Aaron Sisken: “Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever… it remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything.”

 

Other staff bios will be added soon, reflecting the growing nature of PERC’s and 20/20’s commitment to photography and photography training. Staff bios are written by each photographer and edited for readability, while still maintaining accuracy.