Signed in as:
filler@godaddy.com
Signed in as:
filler@godaddy.com
To elaborate a little on the information on the Home page, here's some more about my background.
I've been fortunate to have seen so many different places, had so many unique experiences and met so many great people. but I realize that I've experienced only a small fraction of what the world has to offer.
There are still so many intriguing and inviting destinations to visit all around the world. There are still so many beautiful places to see, fun things to do and intriguing people to meet. >>>
I've always considered myself a minor adventurer. I've never climbed Mt. Everest, been to either of the Poles or skydived from 10,000 feet, but I've had my share of interesting experiences and challenging, sometimes quite scary, adventures. >>>
I've been to more than 40 different countries. I've crisscrossed the United States by Greyhound bus, car, plane and train. I've traveled to parts of Canada, Mexico and Central America. I've seen the Northern Lights and I've been dropped onto a mountain peak by helicopter in the Canadian Rockies and told to ski down (which illustrated just how bad of a skier I really was).
I lived in West Germany as a kid and crossed the North Atlantic by ocean liner in mid February. I've logged close to 100,000 kilometers of rail travel throughout Europe during some 20 trips back.
I've flown to London for the weekend, and crossed the English Channel by hydrofoil. I had the opportunity to explore New York, Paris and Rome. I've walked the streets of Pompeii, shot the canals of Venice, and have taken gondolas to the highest peaks of the Austrian Alps. >>>
I've seen Denali from the air and flown over the Kamchatka Peninsula. I photographed Yellowstone's Old Faithful, the Mayan temples of Tulum and the leaning tower of Pisa. I swam in volcanic jungle pools in Costa Rica, and camped in 120 degree heat in Death Valley.
I've spent considerable amount of time in Asia, with a dozen or so adventures in Southeast Asia. I've shot Ankor Wat and the Killing Fields of Cambodia, the Elephant Training Camps and the beautiful beaches of Thailand, and wet markets in southern China. I've been in the infiltration tunnels under the DMZ between North and South Korea, and experienced the ancient culture and traditions of Japan.
I've traveled down stretches of the Mekong, the Mississippi. the Pearl, and the Rhine. I've taken longboats to massive caves and remote villages of Borneo and explored the New England coast on an ocean-going schooner.
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In the days when I was doing news/feature coverage, I shot the fall of the Berlin Wall and German unification, which became part of my Berlin and the Eastern Sector photo exhibit.
I've also covered major historic events, such as the early testing and first dozen or so landings of the Space Shuttle, and the deadly mid-air crash of Aeromexico Flight 498 as it was approaching LAX.
Other noteworthy events that I've covered include the 9/11 World Trade Center bombings and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the LA Riots, the Northridge earthquake, and the devastating Southern California wildfires. >>>
I've photographed Presidents (including spending a day with Presidents Nixon and the first George Bush), royalty, (such as Queen Elizabeth and the Emperor of Japan), religious leaders (like Pope John Paul II and the Dali Lama), and numerous major celebrities (like Michael Jackson and Clint Eastwood).
Many of the activities and adventures mentioned here have interesting stories behind them. Some of those stories will be detailed on the Blog pages.
(Many of those earlier celebrity and notable shots (both B&W negatives and 35 mm slides) have been lost, so some of that type of work, like the Michael Jackson shot above, have been scanned from prints and published material, when I had it available, so, unfortunately, image quality may not be up to par.)
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I've also faced my share of dangers. I've been held for money by crooks in the hills between Thailand and Cambodia, rousted by corrupt cops in Mexico, shot at (a couple of times), mugged, jumped, chased and taken in by con men. I was smuggled out of an Eastern European country while it was still Communist, and I've taken a wild midnight ride along the Cuban coast, trying to make the one weekly flight out of Havana back to Tijuana, before being stopped by the Police. >>>
Some of the assignments, travels and adventures were trips funded by host governments, airlines and local tourist boards. Some were for newspapers and consumer magazines, as well as in-flight, hotel, tourist, trade and specialty publications. Some were funded in whole or part by corporations that were supporting various projects that I was working on or were interested in having me cover activities and events they were involved in. >>>
Over the years, I've stayed in some of the finest hotels and most beautiful resorts in the world, but I've also stayed in my share of budget inns, low cost lodging and a few hotels and motels where I wasn't quite sure how the night might play out.
I've had the opportunity to fly First Class and Business Class to various destinations (including having an entire First Class section of a 747 reserved for me and five traveling companions), but all too often I flew economy class, being wedged into seats that were a little tight for midgets and super models.
I've had stretch limos pick me up at airports and ferry me around town for shooting excursions, but I've generally taken subways, buses, tuk tuks, motor scooters, bicycle rickshaws, snow mobiles and other forms of basic public and private transportation.
I've had meals literally fit for kings (as our hosts pointed out), but most of my meals consisted of whatever might be available on the go. (Unfortunately, I've also had meals that laid me up for good parts my stay in a city, sometimes from supposedly upscale restaurants.) >>>
Basically, I've had the chance to experience both the good life of travel and traveling on the cheap. Obviously, high-end travel is generally more relaxing, and certainly more comfortable than traveling on a budget, but, it often doesn't give you the sense of adventure and exotic travel that I like.
It usually doesn't let you interact with locals or give you a real sense of place. Connecting with and photographing locals is particularly interesting to me.
So I have to say (other than the few bad meals and wanting to fly business class a little more often) I wouldn't have changed very much at all. >>>
There's still a lot of the world to see. I've never been to the Middle East, Russia (except for flying over a part of Siberia) or the Indian subcontinent. I've pretty much missed all of the countries in the Southern Hemisphere, which is too bad.
I have to admit, now that I'm semi-retired, I've slowed down quite a bit. But that hasn't diminished my interest in travel, fashion and photography. It's just that comfort is becoming more of a priority, and I'm going at a more relaxed pace.
I've always wanted to go to India,. I want to continue working on my Shooting Ancient Architecture series, this time in Greece. I would like to see Machu Picchu. I want to go on an African photo safari. I want to work on my Rivers and Rails project, traveling the Amazon in Brazil, the Nile in Egypt and crossing Australia by train. Hopefully I will still get the opportunity to do at least a few of these adventures in the years ahead. >>>
While I'm not doing news/feature coverage any more, I still shoot Travel and Fashion, I work on my personal projects and I'm regularly adding to my Stock Image Library.
I'm always looking for opportunities, sponsorships and assignments to see parts of the world that I've missed and maybe return to some destinations that I enjoyed.
I don't market my services on the lowest bid basis. But my rate structure is very competitive and I'm always open to negotiations, particularly on long term and on-going working arrangements.
While generating revenue is obviously a factor, the type of project involved, the location and the logistical support (such as talent, transportation, accommodations and local assistance) that's provided are the most important considerations. # # #