Cory Sinklier got his first camera when he was in sixth grade from his father (a freebie from Time magazine with a subscription). His father also taught him how to develop film in the kitchen sink. On a family trip to Mustang Island, Cory took his little camera to the beach and photographed the things and people he found there. When his father saw the images, he realized that it didn't matter what type of camera you have, if you have the talent, you can take great pictures. Cory had the talent.
Cory thought he was going to continue his photographic education through his participation on his high school yearbook staff (he attended James Madison High School in San Antonio). One day, the yearbook sponsor saw some images he had taken of the marching band and told him, "You're good at lots of things...just don't ever try to be a photographer."
Ignoring her advice, Cory came to Lubbock after graduation to attend Texas Tech University and join the Goin' Band from Raiderland as a drummer. He decided to major in photography and minor in art, an area where he has inherited much natural talent from both his grandmother and father. Cory graduated from Tech where he received a B.A. in photocommunications with a minor in art. While at Tech, he worked as a photographer for La Ventana (the university's yearbook), the University Daily, and Amigos (Tech new student publication). His photographs have also been published in the books Lubbock: City of Land and Sky, The Best of College Photography 1994, and Texas Tech: Raiding the SWC.
Professionally, Cory is a member of the Professional Photographers of America, the Texas Professional Photographers Association, Southwestern Photographers Association, and was 2003 President of the South Plains Professional Photographers Association. He has earned and is maintaining certification as a Certified Professional Photographer with the PPA and is only one merit away from earning a master of photography degree with the PPA. In 2002 he had an image accepted into the PPA Loan Collection (a grouping of the best images in the world submitted at the international print judging). He is also a member of the Bridal Service Associates of Lubbock. Personally, he is a member of the Abernathy Lions Club and the First United Methodist Church and is the secretary of the Abernathy Chamber of Commerce.
He regularly attends photography conventions and the Texas School of Professional Photography in College Station in order to continue educating and expanding the ability of Cory Sinklier Photography, and to be on the cutting edge of new innovations in technology, products, and techniques.
Cory Sinklier Photography began in 1995, and has grown from strictly on-location photography to include studio photography and digital image creation and manipulation. In 2003 the business moved from the Sinkliers' home to a studio with indoor and outdoor photography settings. Cory and his wife Jill work together along with a great staff and are occasionally assisted by their nine-year-old son Christian and five-year-old daughter Juliet.
