BIOGRAPHY

Jim picked up his first camera in

middle school back in 1978. It was

a little Kodak Instamatic and Jim

enjoyed documenting his family

and friends in South Florida. In the

mid 1980’s, at Virginia Tech

studying Engineering and

Computer Science, he saved his

pennies for his first pro film camera

and photography became a

hobby. Learning photography in

the film days (and before the

Internet) was challenging,

expensive and time consuming.

In the 90’s Jim’s career as a

Network Engineer was taking off

included international travel. He

set aside his film cameras for the

lower quality but much more

convenient digital cameras

coming on the market to

document his trips across America,

Western Europe, and Asia.

The 2000’s saw many family

changes so Jim traded the travel

life to stay home and “be there”

as his son grew up. His

photography shifted from exotic

locations and people to

documenting his growing family,

friends, and motorsports

When Jim bought his first Digital

SLR camera in 2010 the on-again-

off-again flirtation with

photography blossomed into a

full-on love affair. The hobby

became a minor obsession. By

2015 photography had become a

part time job.

The spring of 2017 was a pivotal

time. Having reached the top of

his IT career, not wanting to be

sent off to DC to become a

bureaucrat, and with his side

photography business blooming,

he made the decision to switch

gears and Images by Design

Photography became his full-time

gig.

JIM

SETZER

WORK EXPERIENCE

Images by Design LLC, Owner, Manager & Chief

Photographer

Present

My mission is to create artistic, technically correct, and unique imagery for my clients including studio and on- location photographs, studio and on-location video clips, aerial imagery (photos and video), photo processing, and video production.

• As Host and Producer – IbD Photography

Workshops, share photography experience with

fellow photographers

• As Instructor – IbD courseware and at Virginia

Museum of Contemporary Art, provide structured

courses on specific photography topics

• Chief photographer and Editor

• Chief videographer, producer, and post

production editor

• Lead Remote Pilot in Command, sUAS (drone)

operations, Part 107 licensed remote aircraft

operator.

• Support several non-profit organizations by

providing photography and videography services

pro-bono

www.imagesbydesign.org, contains a portfolio of

photographic images and samples of video works.

US Navy, Command Information Officer

• As Chief Engineer and project manager for RDT&E

Network redesign, brought new functionality,

improved cybersecurity and reduced cost to Navy

research networks across the continental US.

• As a Subject Matter Expert for the CVN-21 Carrier Program, improved shipboard networks while

reducing total operating costs.

• As CIO, ensured compliance and cybersecurity for NAVSEA, Dam Neck Command and other facilities

• SPRDE Level 3 Certified

• LEAN/6 Sigma: Greenbelt

It quickly became clear that the

photography landscape was

changing so Jim began studying

videography and video

production, traded in his hobby

drones for commercial quality

sUAS systems and was one of the

first to receive an FAA license for

small Unmanned Aerial Systems

(sUAS) including authorizations to

fly the various restricted airspaces

across the region.

Now, Jim creates bespoke

magazine quality photos and

cinematic videos for corporate

clients.

HOBBIES

Motorsports

Hiking

Camping

Kayaking

EDUCATION

Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University

August 1983 – July 1993

Computer Science, Mathematics, and Electrical

Engineering

• As a founding member of the Blacksburg Electronic Village Initiative, brought early internet connectivity and e-commerce to homes and business across

the New River Valley

Radford University

1989 - 1993

Bachelor of Science in Computer Science

• Created the first Campus-wide Local Area Network

(CLAN) creating an interoperable heterogeneous

computing environment across all academic

disciplines

• As a board member, Virginia Educational Regional Network (VERNet), brought Internet connectivity to higher education institutions and K-12 school

systems across the Commonwealth

Other

• Highest Security Clearance Held: TS/SCI

• Leadership Board Member – American Diabetes

Assoc.

• Imagery lead – Ping Pong Gives Foundation

• Contributing Artist – Working Class Karma

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