/ 2012 / Press / Political

A sense of his soul

U.S. President George W. Bush, after his first meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, remarked that he â??looked the man in the eyeâ?¦ [and] was able to get a sense of his soul.â??

In Central Europe, where politics are still relatively unvarnished and few if any â??handlersâ?? exist, political candidates use posters that include portraits of themselves to generate interest and, hopefully, votes in the coming election. Posters that, presumably, the candidates personally choose the portrait for. Portraits that the candidates feel best represent how they want to be seen and perceived by the voting populace.

This series attempts to give us a glimpse into the mind of the politicians that run todayâ??s countries by focusing only on their eyes in the portraits from their political posters.

Look, then, into the eyes of these politicians from around Central Europe and gain a sense of their souls.

Vote for me.

I borrowed Mom’s camera when I was eight and never actually returned it. Dad taught me composition and together we learned how to make magic in a darkroom. And it is magic.

Majored in a self-designed Humanities program where I wandered through a number of disciplines. This taught me to see the bigger picture with the relationships and connections between seemingly dissimilar items. Scored a marketing job after college, which taught me a lot about goals, passion and delivery.

Today, my work is a mashup of things I love doing: photography, speaking, teaching. All of my time in the theatre, the darkroom, choir and conference rooms has merged. I constantly look for new ways to approach life as art and help others look at life and their work differently.

My photography reflects how I view the world: as one huge creative playground where I try to capture bits and pieces to share with others. I’m not constrained by certain themes; rather I continually try new subjects as I find them. They build on one another and I find that the story is evolving. Other artists work with a mix of media; I do the same, changing techniques and cameras as the situation dictates.

One role I plays is that as a catalyst to help bring out the creativity in others through speaking and workshops. The energy and curiosity we had as children remains a part of us; we just need to invite it out to play.

I try to visit a new country every year and search out Mexican restaurants upon arrival. In case you’re wondering, there’s one in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

Awards Awards
•“Bodyscape” Fine Art- Nude Category: Silver medal, Prix de la Photographie Paris (Px3) | 2012
•“The I of Big Brother” Fine Art- Altered Images Category: Honorable Mention, Prix de la Photographie Paris (Px3) | 2012
•“1 tree 4 seasons” Nature: Seasons Category Winner: 1st Place, International Photography Awards | 2011
•“Curved stairs, Rome and other images” Cityscape Category Winner: 3rd Place, Worldwide Photography Gala Awards, Pollux Awards August Contest | 2011
•“Morning torso 1” Figure and Nude Category Winner: 3rd Place, Worldwide Photography Gala Awards, Pollux Awards July Contest | 2011
•“Urban flamingos” Honorable Mention, Worldwide Photography Gala Awards, Color Awards Contest | 2011
•“Father and Son” “People: Family Category: Honorable Mention, International Photography Awards | 2011
•“Nudes, morning” “Fine Art: Nudes Category: Honorable Mention, International Photography Awards | 2011
•“Logo” Fine Art: Collage Category: Honorable Mention, International Photography Awards | 2011
•“Music in five parts” Fine Art: Abstract Category: Honorable Mention, International Photography Awards | 2011
•“Music in five parts” Architecture: Buildings Category: Honorable Mention, International Photography Awards | 2011
•“A modern relationship” Deeper Perspective Category: Honorable Mention, International Photography Awards | 2011
•“A modern relationship” People Category: Finalist, Prix de la Photographie Paris (Px3) | 2011
•“A modern relationship”: Finalist, Photographer of the Year, Black+White Photography Magazine | 2011
•“Fire escape”: Finalist, Photographer of the Year, City category, Black+White Photography Magazine | 2011
•“Endless”: Finalist, Photographer of the Year, Time category, Black+White Photography Magazine | 2011
•“The I of Big Brother”: Finalist, Photographer of the Year, Time category, Black+White Photography Magazine | 2011
•“A modern relationship”: Finalist, Camera Obscura Magazine | 2011
•“Urban flamingos”: Finalist, Camera Obscura Magazine | 2011
•“Fall from the series ‘1 tree 4 seasons’”: Finalist, Camera Obscura Magazine | 2011

Collections
• Museum of Fine Arts Houston
• Robert I. Kahn Gallery, Congregation Emanu El, Houston

Press
• Camera Obscura, Volume 4, US | February 2012
• Black+White Photography, Issue 120, UK | January 2011
• COLOR Magazine, Issue 10, USA | October 2010
• Refoto Magazine, Serbia | November 2009
• Pixel, MTV Hungary. Video feature | January 2009
• Black and White Magazine, Issue 63, USA | December 2008

Select Exhibitions
•“Toyed With” (Juried), Open Shutter Gallery, Durango CO, USA | August 2012
•“Abstract Consequences” (Juried), ARTROM Gallery, Rome, Italy | March 2012
•“A Thin Line Between Love and Hate” (Juried), United Photo Industries, NYC, NY | February 2012
•“Plastic Camera Show” (Juried), RayKo Photo Center, San Francisco CA, USA | January 2012
•“A Show of Light” (Juried), Flow Art Space, Minneapolis MN, USA | January 2012
•Center for Photographic Art Juried Exhibition, Carmel CA, USA | January 2012
•“Again: Reflections and Photography” (Juried), Photo Place Gallery, Middlebury VT, USA | November 2011
•“All Photography” (Juried) Light, Space & Time | October 2011
•“Narrative” (Juried) Black Box Gallery, Portland OR, USA | October 2011
•“Black, White and Definitely Gray” (Juried) Soft Canvas | September 2011
•“Seasons” (Juried) Light, Space & Time | September 2011
•“Toyed With” (Juried), Open Shutter Gallery, Durango CO, USA | August 2011
•“The Poetry of Shadows” (Juried), Photo Place Gallery, Middlebury VT, USA | July 2011
•“Light” (Juried), Santa Fe Photographic Workshops, Santa Fe NM, USA |May 2011