have been making photographs since I was eight years old, shooting black and white film with a Kodak box camera and developing the film in the bathroom. I progressed to a Canon SLR and color film but careers got in the way.  After experience in several industries and after starting several entrepreneurial companies including Ridgewood Closets, which I founded and owned for 13 years, I sold Ridgewood Closets in 2011 allowing me to again focus on photography.
 
While I was busy running Ridgewood Closets, I had already begun to do more photography…of closets, and mudrooms, and garages, and pantries, and anything else that we built. I needed to have good photos for my portfolio, website, marketing materials and advertising and couldn’t afford the $1000 to $1500 that a professional architectural photographer would charge for a day’s shoot. In addition, coordinating it with the client was a hassle. It was just easier to do it myself.
So, I started attending courses and photography workshops; I have studied with Chip Forelli, noted commercial and fine art photographer and with Nancy Ori, who studied under Ansel Adams and taught at his workshops.
 
During the April 11 Closets Conference in Chicago, I will show you how to make better photos of your work so you can sell more from your portfolio)
Throughout the presentation, there will be lots of example photos. We'll answer these questions and address these issues:
  • What should be in your portfolio?
  • What equipment should you have?
  • Considerations for the  actual shoot
  • Post-processing (formerly called developing)
  • HDR (High Dynamic Range) to fix bad lighting or bright windows
  • Panoramas for large closets
  • Legal issues
Since I sold my closets business, I have also pursued purely creative photography. 
 
In 2010, I visited a commercial orchid grower and was struck by the natural beauty and distinct characteristics of the orchid family.  That began a love affair with orchid photography that has continued to this day.  I recently worked on a multi-year project with the Brooklyn Botanical Garden to photograph many of the orchids in their collection as they bloomed and have photographed orchids at Marie Selby Botanic Garden in Florida, Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden in North Carolina, and numerous commercial growers from NJ to Hawaii.
 

In addition to my “Orchid Portraits” collection, I have developed three other noteworthy collections:  “Nature Coast,” black and white landscape photographs of the west coast of Florida north of Clearwater; “White Paper,” photographs of a single sheet of white bond paper; and “Glass Art,” close-up photographs focusing on the details in glass pieces so that the artistic individuality of the pieces is emphasized and the viewer can enjoy the color, shape and movement waiting to be revealed.

 

My photograph, “Golden Tang Orchid #1” earned the top prize “Award of Excellence” at the NJ Photography Forum’s juried photography show at the Watchung Arts Center in the fall of 2011 and I have had solo shows at the Frelinghuysen Arboretum in Morristown, NJ, the Madison Gallery at Morristown Memorial Hospital, the Patrons’ Gallery at the Mayo Theater in Morristown and The Cottage Gallery in Ridgewood, NJ in addition to participating in a number of juried shows and group shows by invitation.  

I am a member of the NJ Photography Forum.I have taught orchid and flower photography workshops and have been a guest lecturer at photography courses.  I also photograph classical music concerts and am available for exhibition inquiries, workshops or print purchases.

 

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