Biography
Born on the leading edge of the baby boom in Minnesota, I grew up in Utah and California in a classic post war family. I graduated from Ventura High School in Ventura, California, then attended Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota followed by the University of Utah School of Medicine. I have been a psychiatrist for 45 years specializing in the treatment children and adolescents and their families. I met my wife at Carleton and we have two daughters both living within a few blocks of us. We have a grandson and a granddaughter.
Between my introduction to photography in the early 1970s and taking up digital photography in 2007, I was a competitive runner and triathlete for more than 30 years. I thoroughly enjoyed running and established most of my friendships on the track or the road. Bicycling mostly replaced running recently, although in 2012 when I was making a daily photograph, many of those were taken with a small camera I carried while running.
I started photography while I was in medical school and supported my habit by working as a stringer photographer for United Press International in Salt Lake City while I was training in psychiatry. Eventually, inspired by the work of Ansel Adams, I purchased a 4x5 view camera. I kept that camera for 30+ years because I didn't have the heart to part with it even though I didn't use it for the last 20 of those years.
I do almost all my work in Lightroom having started a few years ago in Version 3. Since then, with a change to Fuji cameras, I'm now using a workflow with Lightroom, Photoshop and the Nik Collection. Jim Welninski has strongly influenced my black and white work. He's remarkably creative, an excellent teacher and a great guy.
In 2012, I began making what I described as a "thoughtful" photograph each day for the entire year. This was a very rewarding exercise. I found my "eye" became both sharper and more discriminating. I'll never again wonder if a photograph can be found close to home and work. More than half my photographs were found within a mile from work in Research Park at the University of Utah. I undertook the same project in 2014 and the results were similar. However, most surprising were the changes in my style, my evolution, that were so apparent. I have started another year long project for 2016. I may try it again some other year.
I hope this website reflects the eclectic quality of my work.
