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Photographer extraordinaire Eddie Phillips is a local resident who once liked to spend his time falling from the sky. A skydiving enthusiast since he was 15, Phillips, now 64, spends his hours volunteering at Skydive Tennessee, doing photography at the Beechcraft Heritage Museum and shooting for Billy Lane’s Sons of Speed.

Health issues ended Phillips’ career as a Dental Technician after 38 years.

“Photography became my outlet to escape my health issue,” Phillips explained, “for a brief moment, I can forget about my worries.”

“I live for getting that next shot,” he said, “I’m never satisfied. I’m my own worst critic. If I just get that one picture out of thousands of photos, I’m proud.”

A year before he first skydived, when he was 14, he received his first camera.

“My 14th birthday, mom bought me a camera,” he said, “She was a hobby photographer. It was a Kodak Instomatic.”

He added that his grandparents had many cameras, including wooden cameras.

In the early 80s, “I developed my own film,” he said, and said he started with nature and wildlife photos, before getting into motorsports photography.

“I was an avid Nascar fan,” he said, “and I started doing pictures of Nascar as a hobby, and I started talking to [other] photographers and started shooting.”

He said he even raced for a while, and participated in high-performance racing. He participated in a race at Barber Motorsports Park Atlanta Speedway while also taking photos.

Skydiving was also a long-time hobby of his.

“I made my first jump in 1976,” he said, “I was 15 and the youngest one at the time. My parents had to sign special papers. I wasn’t even driving.”

Phillips said he is, to this day, terrified of heights and explained that most skydivers are.

“You don’t have the feeling of falling,” he said, “the wind noise is extremely loud.”

He said since that first jump, he’s made at least a little over 800 jumps, though he guesses it’s probably more than that.

“Really that’s nothing these days,” he said, explaining that most skydivers get in quite a few more jumps than his record.

“I don’t know, it’s just that I love flying,” he explained that he loved the thrill and fun.

Because of his wide range of passions, Phillips has taken photos of a variety of thrilling interests.

“I’ve had pictures in many magazines–racing, aviation and skydiving,” he said. He also shoots photography of B.A.S.E. (buildings, antennas, spans and earth) jumpers, and has become friends with many base jumpers.

Notable submissions include several covers of the American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association (AHRMA) as well as covers on several issues of the Beechcraft Heritage museum magazine, where he was awarded the Eagle Award “for [his] dedication and love of everything Beechcraft.”

“I’m close friends with Mike McGowan,” he said, explaining that McGowan is well known in the skydiving photography world.

“We have a bond as he no longer skydive due to health as well,” said Phillips.

Phillips has spent his years seeking thrills and chasing that ultimate “good shot.” His shy nature and tendency to shrink from the spotlight have not hindered his ability as an artist and thrillseeker. He is supported faithfully by his family as well as the many friends he has made along the way of his skyscraping adventures.

Photos courtesy of Eddie Phillips.