I started taking pictures of New York City when I was a teenager. I didn’t know back then why it was important to capture images for posterity, and still can't really explain it. But looking back, I think I’ve always known that looking back helps keep the present in perspective.
For me, the challenge is to use light and composition to evoke in a picture what I see in life. Always I hope that a picture, even if not of great historic import, offers some small insight, some unique perspective, on the world. Sometimes it may be entertaining, sometimes intriguing: a geometric design or a little bit of history, a light reflecting off a window, a sign reflecting changes in a neighborhood or a way of life. I try to capture moments that strike my fancy and make common sights seem just a little bit extraordinary. In many of my landscapes, my goal is to emulate the stark reality of an Edward Hopper painting.
Only rarely do I take pictures of people. Even in this world of self-exploitation, I don't like intruding on people's lives. However, I made an exception in Havana, Cuba, which I visited in 2002. The city not only has remarkable faded beauty, but the warmest people, least self-conscious people I've ever met, who made me very comfortable taking their pictures. I hope I captured some essence of their city and their lives for you to appreciate.
For me, the challenge is to use light and composition to evoke in a picture what I see in life. Always I hope that a picture, even if not of great historic import, offers some small insight, some unique perspective, on the world. Sometimes it may be entertaining, sometimes intriguing: a geometric design or a little bit of history, a light reflecting off a window, a sign reflecting changes in a neighborhood or a way of life. I try to capture moments that strike my fancy and make common sights seem just a little bit extraordinary. In many of my landscapes, my goal is to emulate the stark reality of an Edward Hopper painting.
Only rarely do I take pictures of people. Even in this world of self-exploitation, I don't like intruding on people's lives. However, I made an exception in Havana, Cuba, which I visited in 2002. The city not only has remarkable faded beauty, but the warmest people, least self-conscious people I've ever met, who made me very comfortable taking their pictures. I hope I captured some essence of their city and their lives for you to appreciate.