I began working as a fine art photographer specializing in portraits and figure studies fifty years ago. I have shown my work in galleries from the South to L. A., and I have won awards in juried exhibitions, from honorable mention to Best of Show. Although I am a professional working under the moniker "Intimate Portraits," I do no commercial work.

I work in a wide range of styles and processes, from formal abstract studies to the avante-garde and wacky. I love doing emulations of famous paintings, but I am also constantly pushing the limits of conventionality, always avoiding the generic.

My mentors include the "classical" work of photographers like John Rawlings, Andre de Dienes, and Howard Schatz, and the avante garde work of Jan Saudek, J. P. Lefauche, and Eric Kroll.

Trust and rapport are of the utmost importance in a photo shoot. Excellent art is possible only when both photographer and model feel comfortable and natural. I've been doing this work for half a century, and I find it very easy to help a model relax and feel safe. My motto is "the model comes first." The model always has the final say about the photo shoot and the choice of images that might be used in a gallery, exhibition, or website.

When I choose a model, I'm not looking for someone who sees herself "as a model, posing for photographs," but someone who has boldly decided to reveal herself and her outer and inner beauty with pride, courage, and self-admiration. I want the photograph to say, "This is the real me, and I love who I am."

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