Woman Buying Newspaper 1979 NYC Vintage Gelatin Silver Print Photograph

I found photography at a very early age. My first interaction with a camera was with a Polaroid Swinger. I was 8 and my Dad took me to Shea Stadium to see the Batman Show with Adam West. Even though our seats were high up, I took some photos anyway. It was then I realized I discovered something special. Then I went to sleepway camp in Vermont. I didn’t like the seclusion of the wilderness but loved the seclusion of the darkroom. While most boys were hiking and swimming I was printing. By the time I was 12, my Mom would take me to the Bowery in NYC solely for the purpose of taking photos. She and my Dad encouraged my new found hobby and let me build a makeshift darkroom in the bathroom of our apartment. Throughout middle and high school, I would scour the streets in search of that “Decisive Moment”. I was fascinated with photographing people and the fact that the exact image could never be replicated. I was consumed with photography. In fact, my 3rd grade teacher commented “too much photography and not enough studying” on my report card. It was at this point I knew I wanted to be a photographer. I attended Syracuse University and majored in photo illustration. I also took courses in photography at Rhode Island School Of Design and The School Of Visual Arts. My career started as a commercial still life photographer after being an apprentice to some of the top studios in NYC. I enjoyed the flexibility of still life and it’s tranquility compared to the busy streets. In between assignments, I would still photograph ongoings in the streets as well as develop my sense of style in non commercial still life photography. I was interested in the many concepts one could achieve by using objects and props and would photograph my ideas with a large format view camera. I would experiment with found objects as well as things I picked up at nearby flee markets.