I was introduced to what was to become my life's passion at the age of thirteen. That summer my father, knowing I was intimidated by his 35mm camera and its many buttons and dials, gave me a quick lesson in exposure, handed me a roll of Tri-X film, and told me to "take a walk" around the lake of our summer home.  During that walk I discovered what it was like to see the world through the lens of a camera, and how to use it to tell stories, instilling in me a passion and purpose I have had ever since. That was the first time I realized that anything I created with my camera would be uniquely mine. It was empowering!

I grew up in the greater New York City area where my artistic sensibility was shaped by frequent visits to the city's museums and galleries. The exhibition settings felt like sacred spaces to me and, as an astute observer and blossoming image maker, I saw in the work of others what was possible for myself.

From 1978 to 1982 I studied photography at Hampshire College, a school known for its emphasis on documentary works.  There, under the guidance of Jerome Leibling and Elaine Mayes, I was introduced to a world of observing, questioning, and listening, and then documenting what I saw with my camera. A freshman summer internship at the legendary Light Gallery in New York City immersed me in a prestigious photo gallery, meeting world known fine art photographers and learning how the photo art world worked. My memories of lunch hour trips downstairs to Fifth Avenue and stumbling upon gallery photographer Garry Winogrand, his Leica held high above his head shooting the crowds of people who passed by, will always stay with me. The next year, a coveted summer position as the Park Photographer at Grand Canyon National Park sparked a lifelong interest in creating imagery of the natural world.

Now based in Montclair, New Jersey, I am again close to New York City.  My most recent body of work, the “MELT Project”, is a study of the impermanence and erasure of our customs and tastes. It documents what had once been both commonplace and treasured objects: the discarded or damaged antique sterling silver and gold items that ended up in our family antique store, and then eventually melted by a smelter.