Why Pierless

First of all, an explanation. Why the ambiguous spelling of “Pier-less?”  My wife Kelly and I were married in 1992 on Crystal Pier in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. Three years later, Hurricane Fran sent most of that pier to the bottom of the sea. Thus, while “peerless” may be a presumptuous epithet, we are clearly “Pierless.”

My interest in photography began 25 years ago with picture-taking on our family trips across the US, Canada, and Europe. Concurrently, I was writing a regular column for a newspaper that paid me to take photos to accompany my features. At many of the events I covered, I met and conversed with other experienced, professional photographers who were eager to share knowledge. I learned so much from these artists, and I so grateful for their support.

I also began to take pictures in support of a position in communications at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, and by the 2010’s, I was also photographing athletic and cultural events and taking on portrait and profile projects, all the while continuing to study and hone fine art and travel photography skills.

Now retired from my career in communications, I’m free to focus (pun intended) on photography to a greater degree, ever improving my eye and my technical skills, and amassing a portfolio that emphasizes mood, contrast, color, and occasionally humor and irony. In portraiture, I work closely with subjects to honor what is personal, unique, and beautiful in everyone through both posed and candid approaches.

A brilliant photographer once told me to listen for laughter and aim a camera toward it. But the natural world also wears emotion on its face. It’s my goal and passion to celebrate that stirring beauty through my photos and share it all with you and with the world. I look forward to the opportunity to do just that.