The trajectory is familiar: I’ve been taking snapshots since I was about 10, took a class in black and white photography at Santa Monica City College in the mid-70s, abandoned it, and revisited film and the darkroom after buying a DSLR in 2010. I then took a class in traditional darkroom photography from Greg Mettler, who I met shortly after we both moved to the Monterey Peninsula from the San Francisco Bay area.
My attraction to black and white photography was certainly the result of my father being a fine silversmith. The subtle shadings produced by light bouncing off the curves of silver intrigued me. Memories of poring over black and white photography books remain vivid. Dad’s childhood portraits of me in black and white remain beloved, and true to my serious spirit.
In 2012, with the encouragement of friend and dive buddy, photographer Chuck Davis, I joined Greg Mettler and Robin Robinsons’s darkroom. Both are accomplished fine art photographers.