Profile
Freedom and Discovery
As a kid in Upstate New York, I hiked in forests and waded through swamps just to see what was there. I was curious. At 12, I got a microscope and learned that those tiny animals with the strange tentacles living in that swamp water were Hydra. That triggered more wonder: like, what could I discover in the night sky? I saved money and bought a telescope. I payed attention and learned to be patient as it led to discovery. I was excited to share what I found, but to do that I had to document my discoveries. I needed a camera.
Leaning toward Photography
I tried to get my hands on a camera in my senior year in high school. Friends told me about a newly formed camera club. My plan was to use the club's camera to record those extraordinary things I was seeing. But the club was full and I missed my chance to use a 35mm camera. I was disappointed, but on the positive side, I completed two semesters of mechanical drawing that year and learned to use linear perspective to create some pretty believable three dimensional space on a flat piece of paper. Graphic training influenced my sense of composition that I'd use in my photography a few years later.
1st Camera and Documentary Photography
I traveled west... so far west it's called the Far East and bought a Minolta SRT~101 SLR camera at the Navy Exchange in Naha, Okinawa, Japan. That camera changed my life. So did traveling around the world with the Navy documenting the people, places and things I saw in Japan and Europe.
Early Influence - "Camera" Magazine
CAMERA, the Swiss magazine, published the work of established fine art photographers world wide and was an 'epiphany' for me as it displayed what could be done artistically with a camera. The photographers (and there were many) inspired me to experiment with framing, design [especially the arrangement of the objects and spaces within my frame], linear and aerial perspective and depth of field effects. Photography quickly became a passion.
Photography Professor ||| Photography Gallery Director |||
Museum + Gallery Exhibitions
Photography was exciting. I was self taught, but wanted to know more. Returning from military service, I selected advanced courses in photography at Syracuse University in the College of Visual and Performing Arts and the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and Journalism. Within those two schools, I was able to merge my skills with new ones aligned with contemporary trends in fine art and documentary photography. With the rigorous technical training I received at the Newhouse School and the Art School, along with the encouragement from my professors, my career advanced quickly. I taught for the State University of New York at their Cortland Campus as an Adjunct Professor of Photography in the Fine Art Department. I photographed throughout New England on several road trips and exhibited my work in New York and Canada. I then became the Director of PhotoVisions, a fine art photography gallery and curated eight photography exhibitions. The Director of the Everson Museum of Art in New York invited me to exhibit my new series of twenty hand printed color photographs at the museum. A few photographs from that series entered the Everson Museum's permanent collection at the close of the exhibition.
Fine Art Photography + Advertising Photography became Synergistic
I was using 4x5 and 8x10 view cameras for much of my artwork, so it felt natural to begin freelancing as an architectural photographer. I became known for high quality work not only in fine art and architecture, but also in advertising photography. Advertising, at the time, relied on color photography. As a student, I had learned to process color film and print color photographs. 4x5 inch color transparancies from one of my early commercial advertising assignments were used in print ads as well as stills in a thirty second TV ad that ran state-wide in New York. With a stronger portfolio, I acquired additional advertising accounts and opened my first photography studio. I moved my Omega and Beseler enlargers and color processors into my new studio space. Developing and producing my own work was quite natural for me and the only real way to maintain the highest quality possible for all my projects... fine art and commercial. I am empathetic to the effect color has on emotion and mood in all my photography.
Relocating to Southern California
Encouraged by success in working with advertising agencies representing businesses in NY, I decided to move my photography studio to the West Coast. I opened a studio in Santa Ana and moved a year later to Irvine, California where I specialized in advertising photography that served national and international clients. With a portfolio of fashion, fine art and advertising work, I also began working with Los Angeles and Orange County talent agents to help build their models professional portfolios. Over the years, I won several awards for my advertising photography from ADDOC, the Art Directors and Designers of Orange County at their annual awards ceremonies.
The Pursuit of Meaning... The Freedom of Discovery
I enjoyed the fast paced, collaborative world of advertising photography as a career, working with teams consisting of art directors, set designers, food stylists and hair and makeup artists. All along, I remained committed to developing and exhibiting my fine art work since it offered something special... the freedom of discovery. That kind of freedom requires working without preconceptions.* I have always been attracted to images that resonate with me to trigger emotion. For me, art photography is a personal exploration and a way to merge my thoughts and emotions with the world I experience around me.
I live in Huntington Beach, California and I'm out with my digital camera or working on my files every day. Photography is a perfect fit and an all encompassing passion for me. Photographs posted on this site were taken with 35mm film or digital cameras, 21/4 Hasselblad film cameras, 4x5 or 8x10 inch view cameras, or a Fujifilm GFX medium format digital camera. Since photographs need to be posted as small jpegs, you won't see subtle differences among them that would easily be seen in fine art photographic prints. I post photographs to this site on a regular basis, but ( to be honest ) I am more interested in exhibiting my fine art photographs in art galleries where the nuances of the work can be better seen. One of my 'dream projects' for the future is to create a Cooperative Photography Gallery in Orange County, CA. I hope you enjoy viewing these photographs as much as I enjoyed taking them.
Advertising Accounts, Photography Journals and Publications
A partial client list of advertising photography accounts I've held include the following: Allergan, Apple Macintosh, Avis, Beatrice Hunt-Wesson, Bentley Mills, Breyers, Coca Cola, Del Mar Avionics, FireTrac, F.X. Matt Brewing Co, ICN Pharmaceuticals, Ingram Micro, Knudsen, Lawry's, Marathon Inc, Northrup Grumman, Philips Electronics, Quantum Health Resources, Ocean Pacific Swimwear, Orange Coast Magazine, Taco Bell, and TRW. Publications and journals that have featured my fine art photography include Afterimage, the magazine published by The Visual Studies Workshop, Rochester, N.Y., Studio Photography and Design Magazine and the Everson Museum of Art Exhibition Catalog.
Education
* Zen Training and Practice ( Zazen ) Japan and U.S.
BA ( Psychology ) and MS ( Counseling ) degrees from Syracuse University.