Tell us what defines you as a person.

One description I have been known to use to define myself is that I am, "A Photographer by trade, and curious by nature." These are perhaps my two greatest passions and that which drives me on a daily basis. My curiosity keeps me constantly looking for new ideas, new concepts, new locations, things I have never done, seen, or tried before. It keeps my mind fresh. My photography enables me to capture the magic of those moments forever. I used to keep my office walls covered with photos of things I've done and places I have gone. Of people I love. I don't currently have an office but I will again one day soon. These photos have served to keep me firmly rooted in not just the things I have done, but are also a reminder of the things that I still have yet to do.

How did you find out about deviantART and why did you join the community?

This is not my first account on deviantART and I am not really sure how or where I heard about dA for the first time. I had an account once before for about five years. Though I had amassed a healthy following and had about fifty thousand page views it really didn't accurately define what I wanted to say in my photos. So a few years ago when I moved my photography company to the west coast I decided it was a good time to start over. I took everything down and walked away from the web for about two years while threw myself into these life changing events. I am fortunate to have received a lot of inspiration and endless support from my girlfriend LGT. She has a way of looking at things almost childlike. Or perhaps a better way of saying it is with "new eyes". So what you see on my DA page today is the embodiment of where my photography is now as a result of that inspiration. And I think more accurately defines what it is I am most passionately about. I owe this renewed vision to her. A debt I can never repay.

When and how did you discover your passion for art?

I have owned a camera in one form or another for as long as I can remember. I owe this to my Mother who was always snapping away as we were growing up. She would then, and still does now, sit back and look at those photos over and over again for hours. I think that's when it occurred to me that through those photos she could relive those moments as many times as she wanted. It also allowed her to share these moments with others. So when I left home for the military, now more than thirty years later, one of the first things I pack was a camera. These photos are now memories I can hold in my hand.


What inspires you the most and when do you think your creativity is at its maximum?

I get juiced by the excitement of others. I love passionate people. I find their excitement contagious. Even if it's not a project that particularly excites me. Working with someone who is passionate and excited about a project has always pushed my photography to new levels and driven me to capture images that are someone else's vision. This helps me to see things from different perspectives and in ways I may not have seen them otherwise.

I am a bit nocturnal when it comes to my creativity. I see things more clearly at 2am than I do at 2pm. As a result I tend to retire very early each night and rise while most everyone else is still sleeping. Perhaps it is the peace and quiet I find in the early hours. I really don't know. I just know I am most productive and creative at this time of day.

What do you think you'd be doing if you hadn't chosen this path?

Well, my lack of an advanced formal education precludes me from doing the only other things I enjoy which are history and writing. So I would likely be trapped in some mundane occupation spending all my time trying to convert my nickles into dimes. Much of the first half of my life was spent working for someone else. I may not have the security now of that guaranteed paycheck most enjoy. But I think what I do now has more meaning, more value. At least to me.

What do you think it's your most meaningful deviation and what makes it special? Does it have a story behind it?

That's a hard one. Every photo I take has some special significance to me. It was a time, a moment, a day, that will never come again. But if I had to choose just one it would be Drinking Deeply Of You. Now to most it is just simply just another landscape photo like the tens of thousands of others here on DA. And not really a very good one at that. But as I look at this photo I can still remember deeply what I was doing, how I was feeling at that exact moment. I was standing along the Pacific coast with LGT looking out at that amazing horizon and thinking how fantastic and short life really is. That we spend our whole lives burdening ourselves with such trivial matters as what to wear, what kind of car to buy, where to live... etc. It's bizarre what we humans find important. But for me that moment, standing along the side of the road on Highway 1, holding LGT's hand, and looking out at that magnificent view. That day, that minute, that second has passed and will never come again. But the feelings I have and that photo are now and will forever be a part of me.


Do you have any insecurities regarding your art?

No. It is my art, my vision, my interpretation of what has, or is occurring. This is not to say I don't hope people like my photography. Because I do. My photography is what keeps me eating and sleeping in doors. So people liking it is kind of a prerequisite. But in the grand scheme of things it is still my art. I endeavor with each shot not to just show the viewer what I am seeing, but how I am seeing it.

Did art ever helped you to deal with your life problems?

My photography is my escape from life's problems. Each photo embodies a great adventure, something beautiful or wonderful. By reflecting on these photos when the events in my life are not going well or things have gotten rocky serve to remind me that it won't always be that way. That joy, hope, love, they are right there in the photos in front of me. They are real. They happened. They still exist and will again. So no matter what life throws at me or what ever mistakes I have or will make in the future, they will pass. There are happier times ahead and that's worth living for. You see it should never be enough just to live, a person should have something to live for.

What is the one thing you always wanted to do but never got a chance to?

My so called "Bucket List" tends to change almost daily I'm afraid. I can't really pick one thing out of all my dreams that I still want to do but I can give you two that are equally important to me.

First, I want to shoot Egypt. I would love to spend about a year stomping around the Middle East just getting to know the culture, the people, their history, religion, every facet of their daily lives. I spent three years in Europe and a year in Asia, I really want to experience the Middle East.

Second, I would love to have a book published on Street Photography. I love faces, old, young, rich, poor, affluent and homeless. The human condition. Life as it happens. We see people everyday but we never really look at them. Their hopes, their fears, their dreams. What makes them smile, what makes them cry. It's all written right on their faces. We are the only animal on this spinning ball of blue capable of such things. I want to capture all of it I can. Capture it on high contrast glossy black and white paper for the whole world to see. I would wrapped it all up in a hard backed coffee table book and dedicate it to my beloved LGT. She inspires my vision and pushes me to new heights everyday. Or, as the Pharaoh Ramses The Great once said, "She for whom my sun does shine".


A few words for our fellow artists?

Don't quit. Sing your songs even if you are out of key. Write down what you have to say, even if your grammar is not the best. Paint your pictures as you see them. If the sky is purple to you, paint it purple. Your art is self defined, not defined by others. If you like to take photos of flowers, then shoot every flower you can and in every way you can. These are the things you will leave behind when you are gone. No one will care what kind of car you drove or how much money you made. All of your worldly possessions will quickly fade away. But one day, someone, somewhere, perhaps far in the future, will sing your songs, read your words, see your paintings, drawings, or photos, and they will remember. Remember everything about you. How you laughed and how you cried. What made you smiled and what moved you. Not how long you lived but how you lived. That is immortality. The only one we can all truly hope for. Through your art you will be remembered. Even if it is only by those you loved.