Artist Statement

After I had been photographing for a while, I took a workshop from Fred Picker in the early 80's. I was drawn by his no nonsense approach to the technical aspects of photography and his emphasis on making pictures. While at the workshop he took us over to a gallery where some of his river images were on display and they really had a profound affect on me. I was also photographing rivers but didn't really think that anybody else was drawn to these little streams until I saw Picker's work. I felt a real connection between what I was doing and this work that was hanging on the wall. Simplifying the process, one lens, one film, one format and one orientation - Fred was creating jewel like images that were quite magical.

Some of the other photographers that have and continue to influence me are such notables as Edward Weston, his son Brett, Morley Baer, Wynn Bullock, Paul Campanigro, Paul Strand, Eugene Atget, just to name a few. But those are pictures in books and photographs in galleries, I am most influenced by my friends and fellow photographers who I see, show my work to, and relish and respect their criticism.

Photographing takes me to places that allow me to think positive thoughts. While it may not always be about feeling good or bad, it is about thinking of life in a positive way and trying to communicate that feeling to others through my work. I photograph throughout the year in both good and inclement weather, most times I'm out when no one else is, so the images I make or am drawn to tend to be unique - or at least ones that no one else is making when I am.

Some say that my work is optimistic, reflecting my view of life. I'm not sure about that, but my intention is to make interesting images, one's that will garner a second look and maybe an hhmmmm! This may be why I try to remove a sense of scale from my images or try to take rather ordinary scenes and imbue a sense of the extraordinary into them. Some things are mundane only because we choose to see them that way.