What led you to photography?
I began photographing seriously at the age of 10, heavily influenced by my mother’s love of art. She took me and my brother to the Los Angeles County Art Museum time after time so much so that I can still recall numerous paintings in the permanent collection. I tried my hand at drawing but realized I was not particularly gifted so I took up my Kodak Instamatic camera instead. I set up still lifes and have friends dress up and act out scenes. I always took my camera on family vacations and took what I would today call documentary photographs.
Tell us about your creative process. Has it evolved over time? How?
Image making is about seeing rather than looking. I don’t believe the way one sees changes over a lifetime. What one might choose as subject matter or what techniques one uses to achieve their vision certainly changes. My work has shifted back and forth between photographing in a studio and photographing outside, and consequently, so has the subject matter. Many times the two occur simultaneously. For example, I did a 10-year study from the Huntington Beach pier of Southern California beach culture while at the same time I produced the “Light Music” series as well as another series called “Water Music.”
Who has been particularly influential in your career?
Edward Weston and Life Magazine.
How do you handle times when creativity won’t flow?
It has never been an issue for me. Much of my work involves travel. For example, I have been walking the streets of Paris for 40 years. I never plan in advance to photograph a particular thing. I allow myself to respond visually to the environment around me. As result, one day I might make one image; the next day 10 images. Otherwise, I limit myself and reduce the likelihood of a chance discovery.
How do you keep track of your ideas? How do you decide when you’re ready to give an idea more attention?
It has never been a conscious thing for me. I’d say all of my work has evolved from a single image that for some reason weighed on me. It just wouldn’t let go so I decided to follow wherever it might lead.
Share with us one or two beginning photography tips. What “rules” do you swear by to make a great photo?
There are classic rules of composition that are essential to understand if you don’t have the gift naturally (these rules are available online both under photography or art composition. Look them up!) My first lecture in beginning photography was to teach them to my students while exposing them to famous photographs that used them. Second, photography is about understanding light. Select a stationary subject outside and photograph it in early morning light, at high noon, and late afternoon light. See what differences there are and how something as simple as the time of day is critical.
What are you working on now?
I’ve put together a book of 120 photographs taken in Paris over a lifetime. The hard part is to find a publisher.
