Personal Work
Beekeepers of Philadelphia
Glass Artist
Black & White
Beekeepers of Philadelphia
For this project I had to look no further than my backyard. Our son decided to keep bees and set up two hives at the back of our property. At first I was hesitant, there were technical difficulties in that beekeeper suits are bright white with dark veils . Perhaps even more importantly I have an aversion to being stung. I could not imagine operating a camera wearing all that protective gear. My attitude changed on a sunny, Saturday morning as I watched my son performing a hive inspection. The Day Lilies and Hydrangea that surrounded the hive were in full bloom; a spectacle that I knew from experience would be short lived. I grabbed a camera and began to shoot. After several sessions photographing my wife and son I began to seek out other beekeepers by posting on the Philadelphia Beekeepers Facebook page. The response was positive yielding many more subjects and sessions.
Glass Artist
Perhaps it was a primal attraction to fire that drew me to Bernard Katz’s Glass studio. A purgatory of furnaces, torches and molten glass located in the historic Manayunk section of Philadelphia. Old world meets new world in Bernard’s grotto as he employs centuries old glass blowing techniques to a satellite radio soundtrack. Originally utilitarian in design his pieces have evolved into purely sculptural forms that resemble objects from the natural world. My approach was that of a documentarian, shooting candidly as he worked.
Black & White
While I have throughly embraced digital photography, I still carry a torch for film, especially black & white. I appreciate the simplicity of analog, it allows me to concentrate on my subject without being overburdened with settings and options. It's good to mix things up by working with different tools and materials to keep the creative juices flowing.