Photographs :: Portraits

ARTIST’S STATEMENT

I have been photographing people, well known and unknown, for over 30 years.  My primary interest has been to discover and unveil the uniqueness that makes each person a unique being.  I find that when I successfully photograph a person the image we create is quite amazing.  The people I’ve had the pleasure of photographing are truly beautiful, even when our culture may say that they aren’t, and this becomes fully evident in examining the finished work.  Because my goal is to reveal the “soul” of each individual, I prefer that the viewer engage actively in a duologue with the person photographed.  When the person sitting for a portrait speaks to me with their eyes wide open to the inquiring camera, they create the possibility for a conversation with whomever may examine the photograph in the future.  I’m thrilled by the possibility of creating a space in which the subject may reveal themselves in an intimate way, with a viewer whose only access to understanding them is through the single image.  Much power exists in this interchange and I am honored by the trust exhibited by both the subjects and viewers engaging in this silent interchange.