Who am I? A Midwesterner, sometimes smart, occasionally zenish.

What's my purpose here on earth? I'm a day worker, an active journalist and photo editor, mostly self-taught artist, gourmand, cineophile, and chained wanderer.

What's my artistic stance? When I look at a photo, I want the rest of the external world to fade into a grey and silent background. There should be some moment from a photograph that tenders emotion from the viewer.

Beyond a sense of place and time, there are forms within shadows and architecture (even human body construction) that I'm continually studying and capturing.

Who are my heroes? I'm often surprised (or dismayed) after I make a work to discover someone famous has been there before me. After 20+ years of shooting with whatever equipment I could get my hands on, I've instead just let the moment grasp me without regard to the fact that it may be derivative or built upon someone else's take and just click the button. My vision is my own.

(My Favorites? Bresson, Eggleston, Deakin, Winogrand, Arbus, Weston, Stieglitz, Mann, Leibovitz, Bourke-White, Brassai, Friedlander, Lange, Cunningham, Doisneau....)

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I currently use a Nikon D50 with various lenses and flashes. Occasionally I go back to my stealthy and quick point-and-shoot, which is often good enough.

((This artist statement was approved by my old dog, Benny))