How I got started

The only connection I had with my grandparents and relatives were the photographs my parents showed me.

I was fascinated by the images a camera could make.

I was influenced by the photos I saw in Life and Look magazines.

I enjoyed the photos of famous photojournalists and fashion photographers, I did not even know their names, since I could not read yet.

Later I learned that two of my big influences were Alfred Eisenstaedt, a staff photographer at Life magazine from 1936 to 1972 and of course Henri Cartier-Bresson one of the most famous photojournalists in the world.

As soon as I was able to hold a camera, I was off taking snaps. Took me a few years to really understand that Henri Cartier-Bresson was right when he said, “Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst.”

I saw photography as both capturing a moment in history and as an art form.

Seeing the paintings of Rembrandt, DaVinci, etc. and even Norman Rockwell, subliminally taught me about composition.

When I was in the Army from 1967 to 1969, my last year I spent time overseas. And when I had a day off, you could find me in the darkroom. When I came back home, I built my own darkroom.

Now since I use a digital camera, I use my computer to develop my photos. No more chemicals!