2015 Canandaigua Lake Watershed Association Photo Contest - 1st Place

2015 Canandaigua Lake Watershed Association Photo Contest - Honorable Mention

Although not technically an award, I also had one of my fall foliage images selected for the News 10 NBC weather calendar in 2012.

The FLWA Photo Contest was my first award. I joke there were only 4 entrants and that my Mom was a judge! I’m generally not a big fan of artistic competition because I find the process rather arbitrary. It’s kind of like judging figure skating. I can never pick the winners. When I look at photo contest results in magazines or other publications, I often like an honorable mention photo much better that the winning photo.

To me, photography is about an emotional connection to a place and time and trying to convey that emotion to the viewer. I have been very fortunate to have visited some of the most beautiful places this country has to offer. When I look at one of my photos, I am instantly taken back to that location. The great thing about art is that it is personal and subjective. One person can look at a painting and think it is garbage while someone else thinks it’s a masterpiece.

I am in a good position because I do not rely on photography to make a living. Therefore I have no pressure to produce hundreds of images to sell. I’m an educator not a salesman. Photography is a passion of mine and my goal in creating this website is to share that passion with anyone who might find my images appealing. Believe it or not my biggest critic is my wife Leanne. While I show her a series of photos, I get responses like; “It’s ok”, “Not your best”, “Meh, it’s alright”, “Not a fan” and “Oooo…I like that one!”. She is very good at helping me weed out the mediocre.

My biggest fan has got to be Bandit however…though he is not hard to please…a walk and food is all it takes!