The genesis of my love for photography came about indirectly. It started as an avocation when I was a Foreign Service Officer in West Africa shooting with a small fixed lens camera. Luckily, I became friends with the Swedish ambassador who was able to get me a factory “diplomatic” price for a Hasselblad 500C, after which photography became a serious passion.

Ironic as it may seem, my inspiration came from the happy faces of people, especially children, living amidst abject poverty, and I felt compelled to capture their faces and actions. As I continue to travel around the world, I still look for those people, places and objects that affect me emotionally.

As my interests developed, so did my need to carry a multitude of camera bodies and lenses wherever I traveled. Today I shoot with an array of Canon equipment which allows me even greater latitude to portray images that, for me, define “the moment.” My photographic palette consists of texture, color and depth, but finding the perfect light is, for me, what it’s all about.

A word about 9.

My first name is only the letter “G” and since I sign my name in all lower case, the “g” looks like a 9. Signing off on documents in the government, one used only their first-name initial. Thus I became known as “9.”