a forsaken place

The Demise of Durban Deep During my recent visit to South Africa, I spent a lot of time on the outskirts of Johannesburg in a neighborhood centered on an old goldmine called “Durban Deep”. I was there to document the work of Cora Bailey who founded Community Led Animal Welfare (CLAW), an organization that provides veterinary services to some of the area’s most impoverished…

gorilla gazing

Waking up at the foot of the Virunga Mountains–a massive chain of volcanic mountains that borders Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo–the first thing I saw was a perfect cloud cap covering the peak of Mount Karisimbi (14,763ft), the tallest of the volcanic mountains in this area. Up in the jungle of these beautiful mountains resides the greatest concentration of mountain gorillas left in the world. Perhaps most will know this region from the 1988 movie “Gorillas in the Mist” which centered on naturalist, Dian Fossey’s work with these primates. I’d come to see these same gorillas and with the rich, green mountain range looming up before me, I had a great sense of anticipation.

portraits from a new Rwandan generation

I just spent two weeks teaching a portrait and self-portrait photography workshop to students at the “Through the Eyes of Hope project” in Kigali, Rwanda. “Through the Eyes of Hope” was started by photojournalist, Linda Smith, in 2006 and is a wonderful program that empowers kids through photography, allows them to express themselves creatively and also enables them to earn a bit of money through the studio they run where they primarily provide passport photos for locals. The students’ work has been shown in exhibits in both Rwanda and the US.

the humanness of monkeys

Watching the macaque monkeys in the Sacred Monkey Forest in Ubud, Bali, I found myself mesmerized by their expressive faces and extraordinarily human interactions. I watched a mother macaque gently chastise her teenager when he pulled away from her grooming, two adults squabble over a banana, an infant peeking anxiously from underneath its mother’s belly and siblings huddling together in mutual protest of their…

life on a tiny island

Imagine three tiny islands with no cars, motorcycles or dogs, surrounded by beautiful clear blue waters and white sand beaches. The occasional clip-clopping of horse hooves blends harmoniously with the rhythmic sounds of the ocean and the occasionally mewling of a cat. What you’d have imagined are the Gili Islands, an archipelago of three tiny islands off the coast of Lombok, Indonesia. “Gili” which…

of bogs and berries

Every fall Cape Cod’s cranberry bogs are transformed from dull fields into a colorful landscape of floating red berries when growers flood the bogs. This October, I spent some time photographing Ray Thacher and his crew as they harvested their berries.

the creepiest house on Cape Cod

WARNING: SOME OF THE IMAGES BELOW ARE GRAPHIC AND POTENTIALLY FRIGHTENING (ALTHOUGH ALL IN THE SPIRIT OF HALLOWEEN). USE DISCRETION WHEN VIEWING AND HAPPY HALLOWEEN!! Ask anyone in South Yarmouth, MA and in all likelihood they will know exactly where Chris Baker’s house is. During the days leading up to Halloween, he has so many people drive by (43 Captain Daniel Rd, South Yarmouth)…

paddling dreams

When I photographed local entrepreneur and Adventure Chatham owner, Justin Labdon, in the spring for the Boston Globe, he told me about the night supping adventures he was beginning to offer. As a stand up paddle boarding enthusiast myself, this immediately captured my imagination and knew that I wanted to photograph it. What I love so much about stand up paddle boarding is its ability to transport one to a quiet, meditative state, surrounded by nature. So what could be more magical than having that experience on a moonlit evening? I also knew it could be visually beautiful although I wasn’t sure how well it would photograph because of the low light conditions.

pastoral India

Agricultural workers prepare nylon ties to bundle harvested wheat in Manpur, India. I was struck by how many of India’s agricultural workers are women–apparently around 70%. I just spent a week in India on assignment for a world hunger foundation that supports sustainable agriculture. As those who have been to India know, in the urban areas, the crush of cars, cows, motorcycles, rickshaws, goats,…

Wintry Cape Cod

My dog, Winnie the Pooch, explores the icy landscape at Linnell Landing Beach in Brewster, MA. Most people visit Cape Cod in the summer when the world is green and bursting with life, the beaches are colorfully peopled and the roads are jammed with traffic. In the winter, Cape Cod is a very different place. While the short, cold days can be challenging, there…

silhouettes and seascapes

A young man stands on a piece of driftwood and looks out at the ocean at Playa Pallada, Costa Rica. I love silhouette photography for its ability to capture a sense of drama and mystery. The early mornings and evenings along the Pacific coast in Costa Rica, have this exquisite mystery about them and I couldn’t help but create a series of silhouettes trying…

dancing to freedom

The first time I ever saw Tara Murphy dance, I knew I wanted to photograph her. She was like a bird recently uncaged, flying through the air with an appreciation of its own freedom and joyousness. It was stunning to watch. I finally had the opportunity to photograph Tara dancing at a beach on a beautiful summer evening a few weeks ago. The experience of photographing her was as inspiring as that first time I watched her dance. At times, I thought she might fly off into great blue Cape Cod sky. Afterwards we sat down to talk about her dancing and the story behind it.