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ACCOUNTANT TO PHOTOGRAPHER

By: Rod Mikinski Photography Inc

From Calculator to Camera: A Life Behind the Lens

From Calculator to Camera: A Life Behind the Lens

Finding your niche in life can be a lifelong search for some people. I consider myself one of the lucky ones. I love what I do, and thanks to my passion for photography, I’ve never really felt as though I’ve worked a day in my life.

My path to photojournalism wasn’t immediately obvious. A few years into pursuing an accounting degree at the University of Kansas, I found myself trudging through numbers, calculations, and spreadsheets. The experience left me feeling much the way many people do at tax time: bored. Accounting simply didn’t inspire me or connect with me on a creative or emotional level.

Then everything changed.

I enrolled in a class called Introduction to Photography, and suddenly, I had found something that stirred my soul. Photography connected with my personality, my talents, and the way I saw the world. Within my first year, I won the university photography contest and even had one of my photographs featured on the back of the local phone book. That was all the encouragement I needed. I fast-tracked my way into the newspaper industry, where I began photographing sports, human-interest stories, and a wide variety of feature assignments.

I was never bored again!

Photography opened doors to experiences most people rarely encounter firsthand. Through my camera, I witnessed everything from devastating fires and serious accidents to presidential visits, major sporting events, and special occasions that many people only dream of attending. Each assignment brought a new challenge, a different perspective, and another opportunity to tell a story through images.

One of the most remarkable aspects of this career is the visual history I’ve accumulated along the way. My photographs are more than a collection of assignments; they are a record of people, places, events, and moments in time. Stored in old negatives and, more recently, digital archives, they preserve pieces of history that might otherwise be forgotten. Looking back through them is like following a breadcrumb trail through my own life and the world I’ve had the privilege to document.

Photography is both enduring and evolutionary. The technology continues to change, but the fundamental purpose remains the same: to capture a moment, tell a story, and preserve something meaningful for the future.

I’m grateful that I traded my calculator for a camera. It was a decision that changed the course of my life, opened up a world of extraordinary experiences, and gave me a career I continue to love.

Sometimes, finding your calling isn't about searching harder. It's about discovering the thing that makes you feel most alive.

About Rod Mikinski

Rod Mikinski is a Tucson, Arizona–based photographer whose career spans photojournalism, sports, portraits, commercial assignments, weddings, and real estate photography. He previously served as chief photographer for The Manhattan Mercury in Manhattan, Kansas, and has worked in Opelousas, Louisiana, and Casa Grande, Arizona.

Through decades of photography, Rod has documented people, events, and everyday moments, building a diverse visual archive shaped by curiosity, creativity, and a lifelong passion for storytelling.

Explore his work at Rod Mikinski Photography.

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