I am a fine art photographer - not a photojournalist or documentarian. There is no social or grand message I choose to share through my photography. I also firmly believe that each photograph must stand on its own without the need to be part of a series or project to have value. With this foundation, my work is heavily influenced by how I feel about music – in particular what is commonly labeled “jazz”.  To quote the late, great saxophonist Wayne Shorter:  

“For me, the word ‘jazz’ means, ‘I dare you.’  To break out of something is worth more than getting an A in syncopation.”    

I accept Wayne’s challenge and apply it to my photography - dare to create images that are other than ordinary.  To this end, while some of my work fits classical themes such as landscape, street, still life, etc., a significant amount of my current work focuses more on basic visual elements: point, line, area, form, texture, positive and negative space... rather than on an immediately recognizable object.  “Emanation of the objective from the concealed, or subjective – passing from the abstract into the concrete....”*   With respect to this body of work, I dare you, after you ask yourself “what is it?”, to accept that the object photographed is irrelevant and decide what each image means to you.   

I present my work on this site ordered from the subjective to the objective.  You will see that I do not restrict my work to any label.  I photograph landscapes but am not a landscape photographer. I photograph people but am not a portrait or street photographer. The hunt for the unseen and unrecognized will continue to be a primary focus of my work. I, however, choose to not limit myself.  To be labeled, either by myself or others, does not support creativity and growth as an artist.   To return to the music analogy, I don’t want to listen albums where every piece has the same tempo, rhythm, feel, volume, or length.  Give me swing, followed by a ballad, followed by blues, followed by Latin.  So, I will continue to follow Wayne Shorter’s wise observation that “[t]o break out of something is worth more than getting an A in syncopation.” 

All of my work is photographed on black and white film, developed and printed in a traditional darkroom.  The only tools I use for creation of each final print are light, time and chemicals.   My use of scanners and Photoshop is limited to the digitization of work for my website and responding to calls for entry. 

* Isis Unveiled, H.P. Blavatsky, 1877