about-me.jpg

I am an amateur photographer in the traditional sense of the word—that is, I do it for the love of the art. I’ve been at it for over 40 years, since my grandparents got me a plastic 120-roll film camera for Christmas when I was six. I went crazy with it, snapping photos of everything and everyone until my sister threatened to beat me with it. When I finished the roll of film, I sat down and opened the back to see my pictures. Imagine my shock after my grandfather gently explained what I’d just done. I cried for quite a while afterward.

Today, I shoot with a digital camera and several very good lenses, and now I can simply look at the back of the camera to see my images. But I still get the same feeling of anticipation that my six-year-old self did when I look to see if I’ve gotten what I hoped for.

That is what I want to show you here: the photographs and stories I find close to home …and far away. How I see the world and its impact on me …and others. Mostly, though, it’s about being out there making photographs; learning through experience and growing as a photographer and as a human being. It’s about life, really, because as Henri Cartier-Bresson said, “Life will give you photographs.”

I am also the author of two Craft & Vision books about photography, the bestselling Close to Home: Finding Great Photographs in Your Own Back Yard, and Shoot + Share: Getting Your Photographs Out Into the World. I also teach photography classes at The Cornerstone Center for the Arts in Muncie, Indiana.

If you have questions about my photographs, books, or classes, or just want to chat, please feel free to contact me using the form below.