I learned to respect film at an early age and love the possibility of expression.
In my photography, I try to capture the alienation that we sometimes feel even in a crowd. I look for people that seem slightly isolated from their surroundings. It is that reflective moment that I find so compelling and revealing of the human condition.
I saturated myself in the work of Robert Frank, Henri Cartier Bresson, Garry Winogrand, etc. You have to understand the language of the medium to be visually articulate. The visual language is a universal language. You do not need be visually educated to understand and appreciate a photograph. We as humans are hard wired to shape and form as a visual communicator. For example, a triangle has a very powerful shape and form. Think of The Pyramids. The design of the photograph is extremely important, but you can't be too calculated or the image will appear forced.
35mm photography is a subconscious medium. Feed your head with great photographs, paintings, music, etc. and just shoot from the gut.
When you edit your work put the principles of technique, composition and lighting to work.
I still use my trusty Leica M3 with a 35mm 1.2 summicron lens. A wonderful combination for the type of image I want. There is no light meter so the camera is very quiet. In "The Coffee Shop" image I was no more then two feet from the man on the left side of the frame. I pre-focused my camera as I placed it on the counter and coughed as I pressed the shutter. He never
