About Me: I think I have always been a photographer but didnt know it. I have walked around with a camera since I was 9 and my little sister was my first model. I loved dressing her up, fixing her hair and taking her outside to pose her. I have snapshots of all my childhood friends and lovers, i.e: boyfriends, etc. Photography was always there but in the background fabric of my life. It has contributed to some of my finest hours, greatest adventures and a couple of nightmares. I was one of the founders of the Livingston, NJ Camera Club, which is still going strong. That was (yikes) 1971. I converted the first floor laundry room in my home to a darkroom and moved the laundry to the basement. (Priorities, you know.) I LOVED the darkroom and my favorite little side job was developing and printing the film of the local newspaper editor and photographer. I loved improving on his photos although he never knew that. My first award in photography was a photo taken with a $3.00 camera. I learned something right then and there about “equipment”. Took a few courses at The New School and ICP and had the good fortune to learn from the likes of Lisette Model, Lucien Clergue, George Tice, Arthur Tress and others. Was a member of Soho Photo Gallery in NYC, which I believe was one of the first galleries devoted exclusively to photography. You have to know that back then, photography was not yet accepted as an “art”. No kidding! Sometime earlier and during, I had acquired a few degrees in Psychology, Sociology, Special Education and a Paralegal Certificate. I retired in 2003 from a 35 year career as a School Social Worker, which I loved, but now love retirement. An amazing turning point in my life and in my photography was the impact of the computer, which at first I resisted, saying I didn’t see how I would ever need or use a computer! My son suggested I use it for recipes. Thank you Steve Jobs!! My serious addiction to photography changed with my iPhone, 3Gs, which I fully intended to use as a phone. Ha! When I met Hipstamatic, I was totally hooked! Actually put together a little book called iWitness with a collection of my Hipsta images. Went to Cuba in 2012 with a group of “serious” photographers. They all carried major equipment including harnesses and backpacks so they could carry more than one camera with huge lenses, tripods, extra lenses, etc. I carried my iPhone 4S and did take along my little Canon G12 in case of emergency backup. Put together my book: La Belleza y Tristeza de Cuba, all images taken with my iPhone and processed exclusively on my iPhone and or iPad. I have two wonderful sons, one of which has provided me with three loving, gorgeous, granddaughters, who have been my favorite models and muses. I live in NJ and love both the country and the urban landscape and the proximity to NYC. I even love Newark, maybe because that was my point of origin. If you ask me what I shoot, it’s pretty much everything. I do think my favorite is street photography, people and portraiture. I’ve been accused of shooting anything that crosses my line of vision. :D Other interests: tennis, music, backgammon, knowledge. There are not enough hours in the day.
Posted on: Sat, 13 Sep 2014 13:44:06 +0000