A Life Shaped by Creativity and Curiosity

I was born in Newport News, Virginia, although I lived there only until I was two years old. I have two older sisters—one now lives in Tacoma, Washington, and the other in Boston, Massachusetts.

I really grew up in California. My family first lived in Fullerton, a suburb of Los Angeles. One of my favorite childhood memories is seeing the Disneyland fireworks from our house. We visited Disneyland often, back in the days when guests used books of paper tickets for the rides. That early connection to Disneyland has stayed with me throughout my life, and today I have an extensive collection of Disneyland pins.

Around 1965, our family moved north to San Jose. I attended Lynbrook High School, where I took woodworking classes and participated in both choir and drama. It was also during those years that I developed an early interest in photography. Like many photographers of my generation, my first camera was a Pentax K1000.

After graduating from high school, I attended San Francisco State University, where I met the woman who would become my wife. We have three grown children and now make our home in Fairfield, California.

Photography has remained my greatest passion. I operate a part-time photography business with an emphasis on landscape and nature photography. I also photograph portraits, weddings, special events, and other important moments in people’s lives. Photography gives me a way to explore the world, preserve memories, and share the beauty I see around me.

Another major creative outlet for me is Halloween. Over the years, I have transformed the front of our home into an animatronic graveyard filled with singing skeletons, a skeletal witch, and many other effects. It combines storytelling, technology, craftsmanship, and a sense of fun—interests that have followed me since my school days.

I also grew up with aviation and engineering as important parts of family life. My father was an aeronautical engineer—a genuine rocket scientist—who worked at NASA on the Gemini and Apollo programs, along with many other aerospace projects. His personal passion was flying model airplanes, and he introduced that hobby to me as well.

Looking back, many of the things that first captured my imagination as a child—Disneyland, photography, theatre, craftsmanship, aviation, and visual storytelling—continue to be important parts of who I am today.

ARTIST’S STATEMENT

I love the world we live in, and I’m passionate about capturing its beauty through photography. My work focuses primarily on landscapes and cityscapes, where I find inspiration in both the natural and man-made world. From the drama of mountains and the serenity of the sea to the lines, structures, and character of our cities, I aim to reveal the beauty that surrounds us—whether shaped by nature or by human hands.