Pawn Shop, Kingston, NY Photograph

When I was twelve years old, my parents gave me an old, simple roll film camera, and a couple of rolls of black and white film. I played around with it, learned to load it, and ventured outside. Now that I remember, "street photography" or "social landscape photography" are a good description of my first attempts, in Pearl River, NY. I had never heard those terms, of course, nor would I have known what they mean. I shot storefront windows and their displays, with reflections of the outside world showing. I was fascinated by reflections and by light, though I could not have formed that thought into words. As I grew older, Christmas presents were first, a Yashica 35mm slr, then later, a Nikon F Photomic. After four years in the Navy, I brought that Nikon with me into the School of Visual Arts, in New York City. There, I met and was taught and influenced by Dena Rubenstein (Dena, Photographer), Jimmy Moore, Al Francekevich, Dick Frank, Bernie Lawrence, and others. I learned (I hope), to see, and to talk about images. I am grateful. I photographed weddings and portraits in Rockland and Westchester Counties, in New York, and Bergen County, in New Jersey, more and less often, for over thirty years. During the same time, I worked extensively for corporations and publications in the Tri - State area. Some, but not all, were Mercedes Benz, North America, Arriflex, Orange and Rockland Utilities, United Water Resources, McGraw - Hill, Holt Construction, Austin PR, St. Thomas Aquinas College, SUNY - Rockland Community College, Gannett Suburban Newspapers, Spotlight Magazine, and others. I was honored to photograph President George W. Bush; Governors George Pataki, Mario Cuomo, James Florio, and Christine Todd Whitman; Senators Bill Bradley and Frank Lautenberg: Members of Congress Geraldine Ferraro, Elliot Engel, Benjamin Gilman, and Nan Hayworth; Secretaries of State Madeleine Albright, and Hillary Rodham Clinton; Princess Yasmin Aga Khan, Ille Nastasse, Roberta Peters, Mandy Patinkin, Barbara Taylor Bradford, and Jimmy Breslin. These days, I photograph in "the street," or in the world, because I want to, because I need to. I feel a need to offer my view of the life and times around me, of my various environments. I want to portray our relationships with each other, and with animals (non-humans). I hope that you will enjoy looking at some of my images. My photography is centered on a fine art purpose.