About me as photographer

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I have been taking photos since 1984

My first paying gig was taking photos of Steven Tyler of Aerosmith for my boss at Compton Terrace , Mr. Nicks.

My goal as a photographer is this:  

I want to create music in photographs.  I want to create photographs that stun.  That leaves you wanting more to the story.  Begs you to ask the question: What happens next?

I don't like heavy makeup, I like raw beauty.  To capture a person as they are.  A photo of the person, the true emotion.  The soul of a person inside captured in a heartbeat.   That hint of a smile, that flirtatious look in the eye.  The seductive touch of a light brush stoke of a finger on a shoulder.  A kiss in the eyes that lingers on your lips without a touch.  I like to capture people in their vulnerability, happiness, sadness, anger... emotion in the way they look at a moment.

I get into people very quickly.  I draw out emotions quickly.  I have at the very most two hours to grab all of this.  I want you want to leave the studio worn out.  

Emotionally  drained.  

That's my work in the studio with portraits.

My EPIC shoots:

I want to capture photos that makes the viewer want more to the story.  What happened before?  What happened after?  What is the story behind this series of photos?  Is this a movie?

I want to work with 20-30 people all in a photo shoot.  Imagine a movie being made for three hours.  Producing a series of photos that could easily make you dream of a movie.  I want to produce photos that are just far far beyond a simple photo.  Some of my EPIC photo shoots are tributes to famous photographers of the past.  I don't want to copy what they did, but. as kind of a continuation of their work.  Peter Lindbergh is one of my favorite photographers.... and I love to try to do things that would seem like just like an extension of his work.

My Concert work:

My goal with these is to capture the high that you get when you stand up against the security bars at a show.  That energy, the loudness, the excitement.  

We all know that high we get when seeing our heroes and heroines on stage,  that's what I strive to capture.

Ultimately.  I want to capture what other photographers just touch on... a hint of perfection... I want to perfect the photo.  Grab it by horns and go for the ride.   

I want to create art.  

A child can take a photo of a person.

I want your soul. I want your heart, sweat, your strength, your weakness, your fear, your loves, your truth, your desperation, your destitution, your ultimate joy,...

Are my photos altered by Photoshop?

My photos are very lightly touched up.  

I like to take photos of the person they are in that moment.  

I do use Lightroom to bring out the power of the photo, but that is only lightly used as well.

Where did you learn to take photos?

I learned from "The Masters".

I study photos and artwork constantly. How did they use light, how did they expose this or that....  deVinci , Mark Mann, Peter Lindbergh, Patrick Demarchelier, Peter Coulson, Avedon, Edward Weston,  Man Ray, David Bailey, Mario Testino, Robert Mapplethorpe, Annie Leibovitz, Pamela Hanson, Lara Jade, Danial Jackson, David Roemer, Helmut Newton, Irving Penn, Tim Walker, ...

Just to name more than a few.

I study photos and use of light most of the day when I am not working.

My biggest hope for my work: 

Is that everyone enjoys looking at them.  That my photos live on far longer than I will live.   That folks of all walks of life, from everywhere, will look at my photos and learn something from them as a person.  

I want my subjects to look at a photo I took many many years from now and remember how much fun they had creating them.

My photos are sort of a time machine. Bringing you back to that instant.

I do hope you enjoy my work.

Thank you so very very much for being a part of my journey.

I do love you so.