ABOUT ME
For me, pictures are a way of ensuring that my memories aren't lost. I was the 6th of 8 kids and maybe because of that I only have a few pictures of myself before the age of 15 when my friends started getting cameras. I wish I had more pictures. I'd like to know more about what I was like at various ages and photos can give one an idea of how the self shifted through the years.
Since realizing in my 20's that I don't have much of a photographic history I've rather obsessively set out to photo-document my life. I like to joke that I was a Replicant (from Blade Runner) because of my obsession with personal photos.
Having a camera on hand so much lead me to interest in other photo subjects. I like to explore light and shadow, color shifts and shades and collateral subjects - e.g when the photographer is seen in a reflection in the shot or in a shadow cast on the ground or when something else is going on in the background that is incongruent or unexpected.
I also like to explore what happens when I slow down the exposure or move the camera during the shot. Sometimes you can't even see what the subject was but the image is still beautiful. I call those my "abstract" shots. For years I kept them only in my computer. I would look at them from time to time and when I did they made me happy but I was usually too embarrassed to show them to anyone else. Finally I started printing and hanging them.
My favorite thing is when I click a picture and something totally unexpected appears on the view screen. It may be some kind of effect from not having the settings adjusted right. Sometimes I can tweak the settings further to enhance the effect or I can shift the composition and I'll get something even more "Wow!" but often it's just that first accidental magic combination and the first shot is the best.
These days more and more I'm I find myself taking pictures with my phone camera. Having a camera in my pocket at virtually all times is pretty amazing.
I hope you like my work!