My personal journey with photography began with simple exposures, experimentation, and the occasional fun fashion like photos I would take of my beautiful cousin who would model for me during our young teenage years.

A few years post high school, I began working full time as a B/W dark room technician developing film and printing enlarged prints for a busy and popular photo lab and studio in East Greenwich, RI. I also was offered a position working as an assistant wedding photographer for the, Bristol Workshops, also located in RI. I had met the renowned photographer, Stephan Brigidi, taking one of his courses he taught at RISD. He saw potential in the photos I would take for my weekly assignments, and offered me the job. I began working every weekend with him in giant Newport mansions for large wedding events. I both assisted and photographed using a medium format Hasselblad camera. I recall as a young adult feeling both overwhelmed and empowered working through my inner fears of large social gatherings and crowds. I was an introvert by nature so this was a new challenge for my young self. It wouldn't be a total surprise however, a few years in, I would decide to part ways. Weddings, I realized were not for me. That entire awkward, "let's group everyone together", atmosphere, wasn't going to be something I could find passion in, nor truly express myself as an artist. Photography would become a personal hobby I could have free rein to be fully creative with.

I would journey on into the medical world as a Radiologic Technologist. A sort of parallel shift and yet completely opposite. Still dimly lit rooms and film (pre digital era), yet, this time it would become a different world of chaos working in a level 1 trauma ER. Somehow my introverted self fell in love with that atmosphere! I realized I needed a job that was both challenging yet intense and had room for growth. Photography would become my outlet during my free time.

It would be years later that I discovered artists creating self conceptual photographs. I was immediately enthralled and inspired. Their images captivated me. It wasn't the idea of photographing myself that I was intrigued by, but the idea of creating a mood, expression, story, etc. that peaked my interest greatly. I would later also discover, through losing someone I was very connected too, in addition to other life upheavals, that it would become a way to release emotions surfacing within, clawing to get out. Self conceptuals would also lead to self discovery and profound introspection.

And so, off into nature I would trek with my camera, tripod and miscellaneous gear. I was free to be and feel whatever/whomever I needed within the solitude of both nature and the occasional abandoned home/building/sanatoriums I would come across during these explorations. My love and interest in the paranormal would surface in my art within these abandoned places FULL of stories and energies. I could probe the unknown and mysteries of life through my creations.

Technically, the process of taking a self conceptual while not in itself terribly complicated, can be time consuming. Photographing one's self, takes a great deal of patience, timing, SEVERAL photos and editing to the desired effect I strive for. Often times I don't have any clear idea of what I am going to do but once finding the right atmosphere and or environment, the idea or emotion I want to convey develops.

I place my camera on a steady tripod and use a hand held remote to take the exposure. This gives me the distance to work with and freedom from handling the camera itself. For photos where I appear as a "clone or twin”, I assemble together within the editing process, overlaying multiple photos, which takes another level of time consumption and patience. There is a lot of trial and error, learning curves, and quite often returning home with no images that speak to me to put forth.

Fast shutter speeds will capture motion without the movement, hence the, 'Reverie' photo with my hair spread out above me in the falling snow. Multiple photos are taken while I flip my head up and back....over and over and over until the timing works out where my pose and posture is calm and relaxed and my hair just so happens to spread out evenly. Sometimes it is just pure luck as I'm not even certain I could repeat capture that!

Slower shutter speeds will produce the motion/movement effects. It is these photos where I can most often capture the desired ghostly effects. I move as the shutter is released and the flow is captured.

Aesthetically, the final fine art photo I create must move me in some way. It is necessary for me to bring both light and deep shadowy blacks in several pieces, the juxtaposition coordinating with each other. I often will create and add texture overlay to produce a nostalgic vintage feel. The added element of etherealness gives the final completion of depth, soul and mood. The hope is that my viewers will appreciate my individual unique style/imprint, and experience something beyond the photograph itself. Perhaps, they will create their own personal story and emotions through viewing them.

And so….the journey continues…..