Profile
Freedom and Discovery
Growing up in upstate New York I hiked through forests and waded through swamps just to see what was there. I was a curious kid. At 12, I got a microscope and learned that those tiny animals with the weird tentacles living in a single drop of swamp water were Hydra. That triggered more wonder: like, what could I discover in the night sky? So, I saved money, bought a telescope and viewed most of our planets and the craters on the moon. I payed attention and learned to be patient as it led to discovery. I found Jupiter and counted twelve moons and then Saturn and counted nine moons. I was excited to show what I was seeing. To do that I had to document my discoveries. I needed a camera.
Gravitating 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 microscope and telescope could both be fitted with a camera, so I planned to use the club's camera to record those extraordinary things I was seeing. But the club was full, and I missed an opportunity to learn to use a camera. That was disappointing, but on the positive side, I completed two semesters of mechanical drawing that year and learned to use linear perspective to create three dimensional space on a flat piece of paper. That graphic training influenced my sense of composition that I'd use in camera four years later.
First 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 and was an 'epiphany' as it displayed what could be done artistically with a camera. Their work 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, PhotoVisions Gallery Director, Museum and Gallery Exhibitions
Photography was exciting. Although 90% self taught, I knew I needed to know more. After returning from military service, I completed 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 in use at the time in contemporary fine art and documentary photography. With encouragement from professors, my career advanced quickly. I went on to teach for the State University of New York at their Tompkins/ Cortland Campus as an Adjunct Professor of Photography in the Fine Art Department. I photographed throughout New England on several road trips and exhibited the work in New York and Canada. I then became the Director of PhotoVisions, a fine art photography gallery and curated eight photography exhibitions. I met with the Director of the Everson Museum of Art in NY to show him a recently completed series of my new color work. At the conclusion of our meeting the Director invited me to exhibit that series of twenty hand printed color photographs at the museum. At the close of the exhibit a few of my photographs entered the Everson Museum's permanent collection.
Art and Advertising Photography became Synergistic
I was using 4x5 and 8x10 inch view cameras for much of my artwork then, so it felt natural to begin freelancing as an architectural photographer. I quickly became known for high quality work not only in fine art and architecture, but also in advertising photography. Advertising, at that time, relied heavily on color photography. As a student, I had learned to process color film and print color photographs. After gaining several advertising accounts, I opened my first photography studio. To be efficient, I moved my Omega and Beseler enlargers and color processors from my home into the new studio space. Personally developing and hand printing my own color photographs was natural for me and the only real way to maintain the highest quality possible for all my projects. I've always been attuned to the way color affects emotion and mood in my work.
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 for several years, working with teams consisting of art directors, set designers, food stylists, hair and makeup artists. All along, I remained committed to developing and exhibiting my fine art work since it offered something very special... total freedom of discovery. That kind of freedom requires working without preconceptions.* I'm 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 see around me.
I live in Huntington Beach, California. 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. I have several jpeg renditions of my photographs displayed here. I post new fine art photographs regularly and enjoy exhibiting my fine art photographs in art galleries. One of my 'dream projects' for the future is to form a Cooperative Gallery for photographers in Orange County. I hope you enjoy viewing my 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.