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Photography is a meditative practice for me, and I hope to create images that inspire moments of stillness and contemplation. Three elements are usually necessary to achieve that: Beauty, simplicity and mystery. Beauty alone isn't enough, and neither is beauty and simplicity. If some degree of mystery isn't there, the picture lacks a necessary depth and drama, and doesn't lend itself to reflection. A photograph doesn't necessarily have to tell a story, but it should suggest one.
In high school I studied oil painting, watercolor and charcoal drawing, all of which became influences when I discovered photography in 1990, at age 20. I studied photography for two years at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, and spent the following several years working independently to hone my darkroom skills and cultivate a personal style. My first gallery exhibit was in 1996, and in 2000 I began showing my work regularly at galleries and coffeehouses in the greater Los Angeles/Long Beach area. I live in Long Beach, California, with my wife, Janice, and son, Logan.
Equipment
I use a manual 35mm Nikon FM from the 1970s (the Vietnam War photographers' camera of choice) and a basic Nikon 2002 from the late 1980s. I like to keep my camera equipment as minimal and simple as possible. I also carry three lenses (a 50mm, 35mm and 70-210 zoom), a lightweight tripod, shutter release, and several lens filters. Using basic, well-built, manual equipment gives me more creative control, more reliability, and allows me to better focus on the creative process.
FilmRight now my films of choice are Ilford's black-and-white HP125 and Pan F50, although quite a few of my pictures were made with Kodak Tmax 100 and 400. When I work with color I use Fuji Velvia slide film. Several of the color photos in my portfolio were taken with an Agfa 1000-speed slide film that unfortunately is no longer on the market.
Darkroom
I consider the traditional chemical darkroom to be an integral part of my work and development as an artist. In traditional black-and-white printing, the negative is just the starting point for the final print, and at least half the work, if not more, is done in the darkroom. Ansel Adams likened it to songwriting in his famous quote: "The negative is the score; the print is the performance." I like the idea that prints from the same negative can be refined and evolve over time with different "performances," each having slight variations to make them unique. To me the performance is a very rewarding part of black-and-white photography. I use professional labs for my color prints and for large-scale reproductions of 20X30 and above.
Digital technology
I don't use digital for my black-and-white work. All of my black-and-white prints are individually handcrafted in the traditional process, using fiber-based paper, selenium-toned for appearance and maximum archival stability. Digital has come a long way, but I don't think it can yet match the nuances and rich tones of a black-and-white print on fiber paper. Nor can digital prints promise the same archival longevity as traditional black-and-white, which has been proven to last for many generations.
I use a hybrid approach with color prints and large-scale reproductions. The color images in my portfolio are created traditionally, on slides and film, and printed digitally, with top-of-the-line professional lab printers on Fuji Crystal Archive pigment paper. Fuji's archival stability matches that of traditional color process, about 75-100 years (versus old-fashioned black-and-white fiber prints that last well beyond 100 years). I've also been experimenting lately with large-scale digital reproductions of my work, professionally scanned and printed in sizes of 20x30 and above.
CommissionsI accept commissions on a limited basis, from clients interested in an artistic approach to portraiture. I've worked with adults and children to create fine-art archival portraits, and bands and musicians for publicity stills and CD covers. In the meantime, please email me for more information about commissions.
