As a child, I had a plastic toy camera. It was cheap, during a time when “made in China” meant low-cost and inferior.
The primitive, plastic lens and crude, tiny viewfinder made taking pictures a process of experimentation. Lacking precision, photographs were the result of chance rather than skill.
Looking at the printed photos, I marveled at the strangely interesting effects that gave the images an other-worldly appearance. I knew nothing of what I was seeing, only that these distortions and defects added to the picture’s interest for me. They became dreamscapes I could escape into, visions of an alternate reality.
I continue to be fascinated by the juxtaposition of reality and dream worlds. My photographic work has primarily focused on travel and architectural photography, since these were subjects I could quickly capture when my professional career took me to places all over the world for business meetings.
In recent years, I’ve become obsessed with street photography; my favorite subjects are people I encounter by chance, random interactions in fleeting moments. The stories in their eyes are rich, powerful, sad and hopeful.
