09/11/2026
The story behind Fathdigital.
A lot of people probably assume Fathdigital is a name I came up with when I became a photographer. It isn't.
The name goes all the way back to 2003, long before I ever picked up a camera with the intention of becoming a photographer.
A few people started calling me Fathdigital because they combined my last name, Fathke, with the fact that I was always the guy who was on top of technology. Eventually it became DiGi. To this day, the people who gave me that nickname are really the only ones who call me that.
And I always loved the name.
When I eventually found photography and needed a name to put on my work, I didn't have to create a brand. I already had one that meant something to me.
Fathdigital became Fathdigital Photography.
Here in South Dakota, most people have always known me as “B.” They didn't know the history behind Fathdigital because they didn't know me when the nickname started. But as I began putting Fathdigital on my photographs as my watermark, people slowly started connecting that name with me and my work.
That's probably my favorite part of what the name has become.
Fathdigital didn't come from photography. Photography gave Fathdigital a new life.
Today that name is on my photographs, prints, clothing and designs, but underneath all of it, it's still just a nickname some people gave me more than 20 years ago.
Now it's my signature.
Fathdigital Photography
More than a brand. It's always been me.
