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I remember the exact moment when my passion for photography and art began. I was no more than 10 years old. My best friend received a Christmas gift of a black and white film processing kit which included chemicals, a plastic film processing tank and some photographic paper. I was mesmerized from the first moment when they invited me into their darkroom, an old coal bin converted to a lightless space with blankets, cardboard, rags, waded up newspaper or whatever could be readily found and tacked up over or stuffed into any opening where the light was coming in. The experience of the entire process was ceremonious with each step precisely timed for the exchange of the developer and fixer. Under the mystifying glow of the deep red light and the smells of the chemicals mixed with the musty, earthy, lingering coal dust I saw for the first time the wet, slippery roll of film with actual images all along it's length, slide from the dripping spool of the black plastic developing tank. I was captured forever by the magic.
My pursuits of the magic art ultimately lead me to photography school. I graduated in 1983 with high honors from the Rochester Institute of Technology School of Photographic Arts and Sciences with a B.S. degree in Professional Photography. Following graduation I moved to Pittsburgh , Pa. where I established a commercial photographic studio. The greater part of my serious photographic experience was working in my studio where my artistic energies were primarily applied toward producing still images for use in print advertising and design. My clients included many major advertising agencies design firms, and corporations including Heinz, Rustoleum, Eat n' Park Restaurants , Pennsylvania Tourism, among others. My work has appeared in print advertisements featured in many major publications. I worked from layouts and most often utilized formal studio lighting and composition with the majority of work produced using large format cameras. I always took pride in the work I created and in the favorable consideration that my clients and colleagues held for me with regard to my skills as a photographer and artist. But the nature of commercial work and the value of its content never transcended far beyond its intended purpose. I became increasingly restless with the desire to turn a corner and head in a new direction with my art; toward the place where I have always found the greatest inspiration. That place is the present me and my observation of the world in front of me as it exists at that moment. I am constantly looking and I try to respond to the intrinsic beauty that fills the world that surrounds us. Contrary to working in the studio where composition and lighting can be achieved by thoughtful arrangement of the subject matter, working in the moment requires that I rely mainly on the existing light and environment. I have found that the most banal and overlooked subjects can be the source of the richest beauty. My personal experience with my work has become more intense and meaningful and my enthusiasm and passion for art and photography has been renewed.I have adopted a complete digital workflow for the production of my images. However, as important as equipment, technique and understanding of the process may be to creating my artwork, I do not assign a special significance or value beyond its primary, relevant purpose. The camera and my processes are simply the tools I choose to capture and express my observations. For me it is always about the image with my ultimate goal of connecting with the viewer and relating that expression of the way I see the world at that moment.