Together... Tango

Captured at the open air San Telmo street fair in Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2012. It was my first time in the country. And my first time playing with a DSLR. Vendors and wanderers filled the street. Musicians. Artists. Tourists. Dancers. All ages. All walks of life. I fell in love with this couple, who danced a small, tight tango in the middle of the street. Surrounded by a bevy of distractions, their simple, small movements captured my attention. Their passion ignited my creative mind as my finger pulsed on the shutter release. There, I captured my first truly professional image, one of my all time favorites. It’s displayed, along with a sister (unpublished) shot of their feet in action, above our piano at home. In 2018, I was honored to have National Geographic publish “Together… Tango” in a book on Argentina.

Green and Blue

Alaskan coast as captured from a small airplane window on our honeymoon. August, 2017- Received Award of Merit in the Landscape Category at PPLAC’s Image Competition

Time

Chunks of ice calve off a shrinking glacier in Alaska’s Glacier Bay National Park. The layers or rings visible on the surface of these slow moving giants reflect years of growth and retreat. PPLAC Merit Award Winner in the Landscape Category- May, 2017

Tower Bridge at Midnight

London's Tower Bridge and the River Thames glow on a Saturday night. Received Award of Merit, August 2018 PPLAC Image Competition in the Landscape Category

Ebb

Folly Beach, South Carolina, looking towards Charleston and Morris Island Lighthouse August, 2017- received an Award of Merit in the Landscape Category with PPLAC.

Inner Light

There were so many cool, spiritual moments in India— just the gentle sway of a small chime in the breeze of an open air sanctuary can bring focus, clarity and connection. Our pilgrimage lead us to ancient temples carved into hillsides by Buddhist monks. Each threshold held a new experience, each cave a different story: small carvings, paintings and 50 foot renderings of Buddha etched into rock. As old as time, yet still visited with reverence today. I stepped up to a doorway and observed such a scene. I originally called this photograph, Connection, because that’s what I saw when I snapped the shutter release. As I continued to regard the image, I came to realize that it is deeper than just connection and I became fascinated by the light within: The Inner Light. Then, the George Harrison tune started playing in my head and I knew that was the appropriate title of this photograph of a modern day worshipper in a 2000 year old temple. When there is peace, time stands still. Received an Award of Merit in the Open Category at PPLAC’s Image Competition- May, 2018

Golden Afternoon in the Ancient Temple

We had spent a glorious day touring around Jaipur, India and ended with golden hour hike on a hill amongst ancient temples overlooking the city. I captured this image of one of the ancient, open air temples as a monkey dashed into frame. I did wish it to happen. February, 2018 received an Award of Merit in the Open Category at the PPLAC Image Comp.

The Only Constant

Ocean water pounds an old support pylon on historic Cannery Row, Monterey, California. Received an Award of Excellence at PPLAC’s Image Comp in the Open Category- May, 2018

Sea Nettle Soiree

The local aquarium is a great place to play around with odd settings. Taking action shots in low light through glass. Sounds like a nightmare, right? But you can surprise yourself and discover new techniques. Playing around with intentional overexposure and kelvin rendered this abstract shot of Jellyfish. Sometimes, you just have to swim in the joy!

Jellyfish in Motion

Captured freehand (sans tripod) in a dark display at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Since my first visit to the aquarium, I’ve always been fascinated by the jellies. I was thrilled to be able to capture such an intriguing image of these stunning creatures. February, 2018- received an Award of Excellence in the Nature Category at PPLAC Image Competition.

Under the Golden Array

Strength. Structure. Perseverance. And lens flare. The Golden Gate is something of awe and inspiration. This was taken just after passing under the tower on the San Francisco side, with the sun flaring through the cables.With the camera mounted through the sunroof and wide angle lens affixed to my Nikon D810, I grabbed shots of the Golden Gate Bridge on a lightly cloudy afternoon in April. Note: I am not driving. May, 2018- received an Award of Merit in the Architecture Category at PPLAC’s Image Comp.

Emerald Awakening

I’ve been fascinated with Aurora since the first image I saw, decades ago. There’s something captivating about this magical light display- like an apparition you’ve heard tales of, but is only seen when the atmosphere and the mood are just right. I was thrilled to photograph my first Aurora September, 2018 in Wiseman, Alaska. It was cold. It was blustery. But it was clear and the light display was brilliant. And Brief. Just enough to leave me wanting more… This image earned an Award of Merit at the PPLAC Image Competition in November 2018 in the Landscape Category.

Nebulous Separation Over Los Angeles Skies

I met up with a group of photographers to capture images of the Colorado Street Bridge in Pasadena, with hopes of seeing Space X launching from Vandenberg. While setting up I paid respect to the beauty and the tragedy of the location. Then, I received word that a friend had passed away by suicide. My heart was broken. And then I saw a brilliant streak in the sky. Space X launching. Life is sometimes a nebulous mess. Look for that light that makes you whole. Reach out and connect. This Image earned an Award of Excellence at the PPLAC Image Competition in the PhotoJournalism Category (image captured in the moment wiht no editing allowed).

Century City Kiss

They say art inspires art and artists draw inspiration from each other. I’ve always found that to be true. I had joined fellow PPLAC photographers to experience Joel Sartore’s “The Photo Ark” exhibit at the Annenberg Space for Photography in Century City. Afterwards, we sat in the open air courtyard for lunch. Good conversation. Vibrant atmosphere. We were photographing at the lunch table, for sure. My eyes were taking in the harmonious clash between the green grass and the cool steel and glass of the towers around us. As my eyes followed the lines of the towers to the light, it seemed as though the steel skyscrapers were lips about to touch. I grabbed my Nikkor wide-angle lens to accentuate the length of the lines and excused myself from the table to lay in the grass and grab this intimate portrait of the two towers. This image earned an Award of Excellence in the Professional Photographers of California 2018 State Image Competition in the Architecture Category.

Foggy Winter Twilight in Moss Landing

Low tide. Low Clouds. Low Angle. On a winter’s day. Moss Landing, California. This image earned an Award of Merit at the PPLAC Digital Image Competition, August 2020

Hidden Hare in Late Afternoon

A hare sits under a boardwalk in late afternoon. I love how the long shadows caused the weeds to form "bunny ears" on the hare. This image earned an Award of Merit at the PPLAC Digital Image Competition, August 2020

Graze and Gaze

Two Male Tule Elk on the Central California plain, with the Carrizo foothills rising behind them. This image earned an Award of Merit at the PPLAC Digital Image Competition, August 2020

Smoke Break: Mumbai

We happened upon these gentlemen while strolling through the Banganga Tank area of Mumbai. I asked if I could take their photo, no posing required. They were happy to oblige. This image won an Award of Merit at the PPLAC Image Competition, November 2019