Start of my Journey
Welcome to my new website and blog. Thank you for coming along on this journey that I have been building up from an idea, to a hobby, to now making it happen. I want to share a few things about me and how I got here. I was born and raised on Long Island in New York. I was always fascinated with photos. From an early age, I loved to look at old photos, especially the black and white ones. As a child I referenced those images as being taken in the “black and white days”, as my young mind thought the whole world used to be in black and white both in and out of pictures. I didn’t understand it at the time, but I loved seeing the history those pictures brought to my eyes. I loved the photos of the old houses with the people I never knew having a birthday party, sitting in a car, or traveling to anywhere. There were the photos of my parents as kids, my grandparents before my parents were born, classic cars before they were classic, all those images filled my head with curiosity, wonder and amazement. I found myself admiring the albums of old bands with pictures of rockstars, album art and track listings, wondering how all of it got put together like that (and of course listening to the magic on the big black record inside).
I remember my mother always having her 35mm Nikon film camera wherever we were. She would take photos of anything, landscapes, nature, and vacations or weekend trips. I would see her open the film door, take the roll out of the black canister, load the film, shut the door and turn the winder handle to get ready for the image. I know, such a process compared to now (pull out your phone and hit the screen). Then focus in the lens and hit the shutter button. I was too young to notice her making sure the exposure is good and adjusting her other settings. All I knew was that she used this camera a lot and one day the photos would show up at our house in an envelope or we would take a trip to the store where they were processed and pick them up. I could never understand how the beautiful pictures I was looking at came from the little black strips of film.
Fast forward many years, a construction career of over 20 years in the family business, starting a family, going back to school (in my late 30s) for a degree to achieve my dream of photography and design, and that brings me right here. It is the crazy year of 2020 and I am finally making my dream happen. I have accumulated gear that I use and don’t, I have taken class after class, I have shot tens of thousands of images, all trying to hone in my craft. Nowhere near a professional, I consider myself a continuous student of this art. I want to show you all my world, my home, and my interests. I want to share my stories and my images. I have created this site and my social media pages with the love and support of my family and friends. I am at the very beginning stage of this journey and I am appreciative of the support of all of you by reading this, following me, and purchasing prints. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for coming along with me on this crazy ride and I look forward to seeing where this takes us all. Be sure to subscribe to the mailing list for updates to my entire site. Stay safe and have a very merry and happy holiday season.
