Wayne F. Collins, Sr. was born in Hartford, Connecticut. He started taking pictures at the early age of eight. Wayne mailed in candy bar wrappers along with 50 cents and received his first camera. It was a disposable camera that you mailed back to the company. The camera company would print your pictures at an additional cost and then send you a new camera, for free. And you thought disposable cameras were a new concept! Wayne still has the black and white pictures of his grandparents he took with those cameras.

After graduating from high school, in New York, Wayne joined the U.S. Marines. Wayne was stationed in the Orient where he quickly bought a camera, a Minolta Minox. The Minox was the type of camera you have seen in the James Bond movies. It pulled open and pushed shut. Wayne shot pictures in Okinawa, Japan, Hong Kong, the Philippines and Taiwan. Wayne even shot pictures during field maneuvers with the Marines.

After getting out of the Marines, Wayne married a beautiful woman from Ohio and they moved to Largo, Florida. Wayne's wife, Betty, continued her career with the airlines industry. The fact that Betty worked for the airlines was a huge advantage to Wayne's photography career. Wayne was able to travel the world, taking pictures everywhere he went. Wayne continued to follow his dream of becoming a full-time glamour and celebrity photographer.
Wayne opened his first photography studio in 1983. He converted his garage into a small, but very functional place to shoot. Wayne quickly gained recognition from department stores like JC Penney, Jordan Marsh and Maas Brothers. These shoots led to even bigger assignments.

Wayne is a master at promotion. He promoted his way into very high profile shooting assignments such as shooting for the Florida Governor's office, and the "Made in the USA" label. These assignments eventually led to an invitation to go to the Whitehouse as a member of the press core to photograph the President. Wayne was even invited to the home of actress Jane Russell to take pictures of her and he was later appointed the head photographer "For the Love of Rock and Roll," chaired by Dick Clark. These assignments catapulted Wayne into shooting the rock and roll legends and celebrities of the 50's through the 90's. Wayne photographed celebrities such as Bo Diddley, Dick Clark, Gary Puckett and the Union Gap, the Drifters, Joey Dee and the Star Lighters, Wolfman Jack, the Platters and many more.
Wayne photographed rich and famous actors and singers such as Frank Sinatra, Willie Nelson, Bob Hope, Dorothy Lamoure, Jimmy Conners, Miss USA and Miss Universe. Wayne has hosted his own TV show on the subject of photography and modeling. He has appeared on TV and radio shows many times to showcase his work and talk about his wonderful experiences.

Wayne produced his own video detailing two mammoth sized projects he photographed. The first photograph was a 16 foot tall, hand painted butterfly with a model as the butterfly's body. The second photograph was a body painted Asian model photographed inside a real soap bubble. The video sold all over the country. This project led Wayne into the professional photography world even further.

He was published many times in the elite photographers bible, "Shutterbug Magazine." Wayne even wrote articles for "Shutterbug." Wayne also became the east coast editor and writer for a glamour photography magazine based in California. Wayne conducted photography and modeling seminars all over the country. He taught his style of photography to both the pros and newcomers in photography and modeling. When asked where he enjoyed shooting the most, Wayne quickly replied, "Las Vegas is my first choice." Before long, Wayne had a fully functional gigantic 5,000 square foot photography studio complete with darkroom and make up salon. In his studio, Wayne had many different sets. A boat dock with rain was one set. There was also a living room set, a locker room, a boudoir, and an early American setting with a claw foot bathtub. Cascading bubbles from a bubble machine high in the 20 foot ceilings completed the early American set. Wayne's studio also contained a complete barn and hayloft setting. From the studio ceiling hung a huge rear projection screen where Wayne could project any background he needed for his work. Wayne said it was like having his own home inside a huge building. Today, Wayne is still shooting and developing projects and enjoying every minute of it. Long gone are the commitments of having to travel and haul huge amounts of photography equipment around. Wayne doesn't miss the long airport delays or the fast pace of the professional photographer. Also known to other professional photographers as " F8" and "Be There," Wayne still resides in Largo, Florida where he concentrates on shooting his own personal photography projects. Wayne still develops and shoots those mind boggling photo projects he is famous for.