I've always been a photographer. I was given my first camera at thirteen, by my father.
He travelled the world and would have marvelous slide shows, regaling us with stories
about the trip, people they met and the area's history. I was fascinated.
I turned pro at sixteen, shooting assignments for the local newspaper. In high school,
I shot for the yearbook and school paper. Having taken every photo class, I created my own
independent study, senior year.
I graduated from the Rochester Institute of Technology in 1985, with a BFA in Photojournalism.
I learned the chemistry, physics and processes of photography. I loved to shoot landscapes
on 8x10 inch film, rushing back to develop and print what I had just shot. I also loved
photographing the urban decay of old, disused parts of industrial Rochester. While satisfying
those aspects of my passion for photography, I threw myself into my photojournalism studies.
In addition to fulfilling class assignments, I was on the staff of the weekly student magazine,
the yearbook and a semi daily paper jointly published by the printing and PJ students.
Covering these diverse assignments, I learned how to gather news, look, listen and anticipate the decisive moment.
Within six months of graduation, I joined the photo staff of the Burlington (VT) Free Press. For nearly
a decade, I enjoyed being at the forefront of current affairs, covering news and people from all
walks of life. Working at a daily paper honed the skills I learned at RIT, culminating with
a Pulitzer Prize nomination in 1992.
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