About
- PHOTOGRAPHER -
Born in central France to a French mother and American Air Force serviceman, I've lived in various parts of the world and U.S.A. My artistic influence comes from my father's side of the family. My father was a writer and my paternal grandfather was a painter/musician as well as was my paternal grandmother. My mother's French side provides the fiery passion the southern Europeans are known for. They also got all the doctors and dentists on that side who have no artistic leanings, but they're good people anyways!
I came to photography at a relatively late age studying at the Art Institute of Atlanta and graduating in 1979. That was when I made my first photographic European walkabout. I was asked to come back to the Art Institute and managed the school photo lab for 5 years. Leaving the Art Institute, I made another European sojourn walking around Europe from first light to final darkness. That continued to be my way of life for many years - always working in the photo industry, saving my pennies and jaunting off to the streets of Europe until my money disappeared, then returning to the U.S. to work so I could return to Europe to take pictures.
I do not travel to Europe anymore, but now make my images inside a 5 state area adjoining my adopted home state of Georgia and my photographs have been widely exhibited across the United States. I was previously represented by Fay Gold Gallery and Jane Jackson Gallery, both in Atlanta, but currently represent myself and sell my work around the United States at art festivals/shows.
I have never done any commercial work and am reluctant to let photography become a "job" that I foreseeably could come to dislike. Instead, I've kept my focus (intended) on my personal work and I hope you will feel the images as deeply as I do.
- PHOTOGRAPHY INFORMATION -
This website, of course does not include all of my images, but is a sampling of my overall style and basic body of work. See My Etsy store at Etsy.com for a more complete listing of works. There is a link at the top this page to it.
All images are printed in my darkroom or setup by me in photoshop and sent to my lab. The papers I use are either fiber base (b/w only) or Fujicolor Crystal Archive (b/w and color). Both materials are photographic papers and offer the maximum image stability available by today's technology. I also only use only glossy surface papers as I feel the brilliance of an image comes through better and really makes the image sing.
Most of the images can be printed rather large (up to 20X30") even though it is rare that I use a tripod. A few of the images have been printed as large as 4x6 feet. Please check with me should you need to go larger than 6 feet on the long side.
For you techies out there - I use film cameras to make my images. Specifically 35-40 year old Minoltas with a few Minolta lenses and a mix of off brand lenses. All color images are made on Kodachrome and the black and white are shot on various Kodak and Ilford B/W films because of the extreme long term keeping of those materials. There are a few 4x5 images in the mix as well, but I find I am too impatient anymore with the big camera and haven't used it in years. It is not often that I use a tripod and could count the number of those images on 2 hands- I am not hung up on razor sharpness, as the technical side of photography can overwhelm the artistic side (don't let it happen to you). Just make the images using whatever tools you have. I am mentoring a friend who has a great eye but is monetarily poor and shoots with a camera phone. I'd put her images up against anyone who thinks they can make better pictures with a 15+ megapixel camera and $10,000 worth of equipment. She'd be better than me if she could afford even a point and shoot digital. It is not the tool, but the person using the tool. I process my B/W in HC-110, dilution B and print them using a 4x5 Omega enlarger with a color dichroic head (Chromega). B/W film and papers are archivally processed and pass the HT test. I recently bought a small point and shoot digital camera and it is extremely fun! A few of my newer images on Etsy.com have been made with it.