Five Words.

Encouraged by a post from a friend recently, I decided to share a more informal description (from that of the one on my website) of my photographic style, based on five words. I went ahead and expanded on them -because, hey, it’s a blog, right?- but if I could only use just the five, these would be the ones.  


joyful. I love photography. I've loved it since my Dad introduced me to a little fully-manual Nikon film camera when I was a teenager. I love that it allows me to be creative and meet so many fun and interesting people from so many different backgrounds. And I think that as long as I love it, the images that come out of my camera won't be able to be anything but expressive of that joy.


genuine. I value authenticity a lot. I want the images I produce to be of real people with their weather-worn relationships and their long-awaited weddings and babies and other wonderful life milestones. I'll dream up and do my best to provide fabulous backgrounds and lighting situations, keep my hands out of the poses and expressions as much as possible, and let people do their thing.


reflective.  There are some photos that just spot-on pinpoint the personality of an individual. The tangible qualities are all there… the expressions and body language and things you can point to and say, “yes, Dave always slings his arm over the back of the chair like that when he’s laughing” but then there’s the intangible stuff… stuff I can’t really even describe that make up, even reflect, the soul of a person. I’m still learning what this means exactly and how to bring clients to a point where they feel comfortable slinging their arms over the backs of chairs, but I can tell you that it’s what I’m striving for when I work. I’ll let you know when I understand it a little better.


intimate. Portrait photography is, by nature, a very intimate thing. You’re getting into the details of people’s lives, their homes, their most treasured possessions – their families, spouses, children, their weddings and engagements and anniversaries. I’m just a stranger with a big camera, but I’m deeply honored to be invited in to try to put it all down on photo paper. I do my best to not get squirmy, to tread softly and to get those intangible qualities down with as little intrusion as possible.


uninhibited. I like the freedom that photography allows artists to have.  I like that there are always new things to learn and that I’m always one shot away from a new challenge. I like that light is always changing, people are always moving and that it’s next to impossible to recreate a moment that’s already passed.  I find that the work I’m most proud of comes when I’m not afraid of all these things, though they can be intimidating.