For as long as I can remember, I have drawn pictures. I drew them, and I gave them away. I didn’t value them, I enjoyed the process, and the response.
By the time I applied for art school, I had no work to put into a portfolio. I couldn’t apply without examples of what I had done.
It was always a thrill when I was able to borrow my dad’s camera. He loved photography, and through seeing him, I learned to love it, too.
I submitted a collection of my photos, and was accepted into art school.
Photography was easy. I just looked through the lens, focused, adjusted the light, and clicked.
45 years later, I still take pictures, and I still love it. It’s even easier now.
I just shoot what appeals to me.
I developed a style of taking pictures unintentionally, just by doing it so much, and by learning what appealed to me, and how I best liked to tell a story through photography.
I’ve defined some of what I like, but much of it is just instinct, like composition.
I like natural light, and when I can’t have that, I like indirect light. Some shots just want to be black and white.
I take pictures of strangers… kissing, reading, smoking. I take pictures of boats and cars. I take a lot of pictures of my cats and my kids.
I have pictures of almost every one of my childhood birthdays, because my dad did the same thing. That’s where I learned it.