A Native of Miami, Budge expressed an early interest in art. At the age of thirteen his mother took him to buy his first camera, which he carried up until two years ago. He studied photography for one year with local professional photographer, Clara Farcus. Budge graduated from Palmer in 1986 and went on to study Art History at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida. He graduated from Rollins in 1990 and continued graduate studies at Florida International University. In 1992, he received a Master's degree in Art Education. Upon graduation, he began teaching art at Sunset Elementary. Budge taught photography to at-risk students for several years while working at Sunset. During his teaching career, he exhibited his award-winning images in museums, galleries, and art festivals.

Today he still shows his work and has been published in several issues of Photographic Magazine and Best of Photography Annual 1998 and 1999. Purchased through several local architectural and interior design firms, his work is displayed in public and private collections throughout the world. His work can be seen aboard Royal Caribbean Cruise Line ships and in November 2001, his work became a part of the permanent Disney Collection.

Up until 1997, his work was primarily composed of black and white photographs. Composition, shape, form, repetition, shadow, balance and texture were an integral part of these black and white images. The characteristics that made his work in black and white so strong have had tremendous impact on his use of color. His photographic creations have a fine art quality all their own. He is often asked, "Is this a painting?"

Budge's love of the sea is what keeps him so close to it and is often depicted as the subject of his work. He has traveled frequently to the Bahamas to spearfish and photograph. He has photographed extensively in Europe, Africa, the Baltic, Central and South America, the Caribbean, the Galapagos Islands, Easter Island, and many parts of the United States.

Budge resides in South Florida with his wife and two children.