Born in the U.S., I've lived, traveled and taken photos all over the world. My photographic work falls into a variety of categories. One specialty is taking informal portraits, a style of photography I unexpectedly fell in love with a few years ago. My fine art work has been exhibited and collected internationally, and selections from my series of photos from life in Mali have been published in textbooks in the U.S.
In addition to pursuing my own photographic projects, I'm passionate about uncovering different kinds of hidden photographers, offering
- Lectures on the history of 20th century American photographers, with a particular focus on introducing the works of talented yet often overlooked female photographers
- Practical digital photography workshops that encourage everyone to unlock their own photographical potential.
Over the years, I've had a number of different jobs and careers. At various times, I've worked as a pianist, musical director and freelance journalist. I then earned a Ph.D. in Linguistics, subsequently working first as an ESL teacher, later as a visiting Linguistics professor, and then later still — and for almost 20 years — as a software interface designer. Since moving to Europe several years ago, I have had the good fortune to be able to pursue photography full-time, giving practical workshops and sharing my knowledge of the history of American photographers in public and university lectures.
My passion for photography has remained a constant throughout my life. When I was 5, my dad let me hold a camera and take photos all by myself on our vacation at Niagara Falls. When I was 7, a distant relative demonstrated a prototype of a Polaroid SX-70 camera — the moment when the photo automatically developed right there before my eyes was pure magic! When I was 10, my aunt Kathy, a painter and photographer, taught me the rudiments of darkroom photography while we were closeted away in my parent's windowless bathroom. As a teen, I became aware of the legacy of the beautiful photographs my grandfather had made in the 1930s in New York City. As an adult, I spent many years doing film photography, before switching over to digital photography, my current passion and the way in which I explore my photographic vision.
I currently live in Tübingen, Germany, but am available to conduct classes anywhere in the world.