I started taking pictures when I was four years old with an old Kodak Instamatic.  It used 110 film and flash cubes and went with me as much as I could manage it.  Those were different days, however, and people used film sparingly and cherished their flash cubes. 

My family took pictures on special occasions -- we liked the line-up of misery on holidays and vacations.  I craved taking pictures of people and things I liked -- such as my red Keds on the beach.  There was conflict but eventually film became less cherished and I started taking more pictures. 

I began taking pictures with a 35 mm camera when I was 14.  It felt like a rite of passage -- I went abroad to study in France and had a new camera to learn.  Unfortunately, many of my pictures from France were growing pains, but still I began to develop a feel for what I wanted to communicate with my photographs.  Sometimes it was as simple as I was here -- which, considering my interest in France, was important.  Sometimes I was beginning to experiment more with abstract images and patterns.  From the first 35 mm camera until today, my relationship with photography has become one of trying to take pictures that equal my sense of inspiration / emotion in the world around me.  

I work hard on my images and on developing a creative way of seeing the world.I established this website as a means of sharing this way of seeing -- which gives me a sense of joy and which continually opens me up to new possibilities.

When I'm not taking pictures, I work as a research associate at a university.  I also write essays, poetry and creative nonfiction.  I made an altered book of one of my poems, Brisance, which combines multimedia collage images and poetry.

Technical Information
I am currently photographing with a Nikon D300, D70 and Nikkor lenses.