Lee has been photographing most of his life, starting with near-obsolete cameras he discovered as a child at home and at yard sales. He learned darkroom techniques in his high school's photography club, resulting in his first published image, a girls' softball action shot, in his hometown newspaper. His photography was on hiatus during and after college, but, inspired by a trip to Japan, he began to approach photography more seriously. He joined a local darkroom collective, and when that closed, he joined the Washington Street Art Center as a photography member. He is now the director of the organization.