Janis Miglavs says he’s fortunate to have been born. During World War 2 the Communists invaded Latvia and they arrested his father to kill him because he owned land. However, some of his father’s friends tore out the jail window bars and helped him to escape. He hid in the forest for months, and finally gathered his wife – Miglavs’ mother – and a few belongings into a wooden cart drawn by horse and marched toward freedom. Miglavs was born along the way. The family eventually immigrated to the US, and he became a US citizen, he joined the University of California, where he graduated with a bachelor's degree and then received a master's degree in Fine Arts from California State University. After a decade of teaching high school photography and art, followed by one year of doing wedding photography most nights and every weekend and teaching special education teachers, his wife put her foot down and demanded he chooses one career. After a beer or two and probably in a state of confusion, he chose photography. Being the workaholic that he is, during his chosen photography career, his clients include Nikon and National Geographic, and lots of famous architects. He produces high quality framed Janis Miglavs art. He wanted to supplement his income by becoming either a wine writer or a tuba repairman. Although his aptitude tests strongly advised against tuba repair, so he chose to add the wine route to his resume. Today, Miglavs creates videos, photographs and writes for a long list of publications and winery clients like Wine Enthusiast, Outdoor Photographer, Wine Spectator, Oregon Wine Press, Sommelier Journal, and a variety of travel magazines.