The Why.

I photograph because I see.
And what I see demands a response.
An acknowledgement. A yes. A validation. Yes, I see You.
Light and beauty catch me at every turn. They make me stop and gaze and stand in awe. Trying to memorize with my mind’s eye and my heart’s book what I see that I may never forget the goodness and glory I have been privileged to behold.
Photography is my yes. My way of bearing witness.
I release the shutter saying, I see. I see the light and the beauty and the wonder, and I will stand here and bear witness to it. I will not rush blindly by. I will slow down. I will stop. I will see.

I make photographs because I must.
Because it feels a piece of me is missing when I don’t.
As though when I am not creating, I am merely an observer on the outside, but when I create, I become a participator. I belong and have a part to play in this grand Creation.

My eyes were made to see.
They are captivated by the light in this world, in each face, each story.
Longing to paint each scene, face, and pair of eyes onto my film with light.
The clear, deep, untainted eyes of the young. Crystal clear and innocent, pure and untouched by the world. Crystals you see straight through, full of wonderment and beauty and childness. Their little young hands covered in pure, tender skin with smooth little fingernails. Stories just beginning.

But I especially love the old ones. The really old ones. The faces covered in deep set wrinkles and sagging, weathered skin. Hands wrinkled and spotted, knuckles swelled with arthritis from much use, fingers jagged, no longer straight. White and grey speckled hair, marks of honour for those who have journeyed through this world for many years. Their stories etched onto their faces and in their eyes. I always wonder at the stories they must carry, happy and sad, the things they’ve seen, the wisdom they have from living so much longer than me. Those blessed with long life.

I love to document not only the big events and moments in life, but also the simple and sweet, treasured moments of daily life that compile together to create a significant life. I love to document people — their stories. The free unguarded moments of truth, whether they be love, affection, pain, joy — the flash of the eyes, the twitch of the mouth, all telling their stories. We are originals. No two faces have the same wrinkles, no two eyes the same gleam. No two bodies or souls have the same quirks. We all carry our stories within us, etched into our very skin, and there is light and beauty in each.

I seek to capture the essence of people and their stories, the truth and beauty and life that is here all around us in the midst of it all.