Daniel Klashner

My professional life started in a kitchen in Midtown Manhattan. Having learned as a line cook that I function well under stress and within the workflow of what is known as the "brigade de cuisine", or "kitchen brigade" system established by the master chef and French Army veteran Georges-Auguste Escoffier, it wasn't a far leap to make when my friend convinced me to join the Army in my early twenties.

I joined the Army as a RADAR repairer, and a long technical training process had me working at different bases throughout the US before landing with my home unit in NJ where I reached the ceiling of promotability as an enlisted man in that job.

After my time in the service, I was hired by the ZEISS surgical microscope distributor for the northeast. It was as an entry level sales technician for this company that I learned the basic principles of microscopy and visualization through optical systems. These large systems, can weigh up to several hundred pounds and in the modern era of surgical microscopy are built to be scalable and incorporate a multi-faceted approach to surgical visualization.

After seven years working with these technologies, I discovered my aptitude for optical systems had applications in photography and cinematography that I found delightful to pursue in my personal time. Due to the expense of this equipment, I decided to start a small business to cover the overheads associated with the investment in and use of camera equipment.

Now I found myself making what appears to be a full circle, having started my professional life in the arts and the study of fine cuisine, I now find myself back in a similar field, studying photography in film, the arts, and the markets that they inhabit.