I AM A TEACHER AND PHOTOGRAPHER. I USE PHOTOGRAPHY TO GAIN AN INSIGHT OF THE LIVES OF OTHERS. MY GOAL IS TO EXAMINE THE HUMAN CONDITION AND PRESENT IT TO THE VIEWER SO THEY MAY SEE PEOPLE AND EXPERIENCES THAT THEY WOULD NOT ORDINARILY SEE. I HOPE OFFER A GLIMPSE OF PEOPLE’S LIVES WHICH MAY INCLUDE STORIES OF SOCIAL STRUGGLES, TRAGEDY, OR TRIUMPH. EACH PHOTO REVEALS THE COMMON HUMANITY OF THE PEOPLE I DEPICT. I REFUSE TO PRESENT THE TYPICAL PHOTOGRAPHY OF HUNGER, POVERTY, OR DISEASE THAT IS TOO OFTEN SHOWN ON THE EVENING NEWS AND THE FRONT PAGE OF NEWSPAPERS ACROSS THE WORLD. AT TIMES MY PHOTOGRAPHS MAY CONTAIN SOME ASPECT OF THOSE TRAITS, BUT TAKEN AS A GROUP THE VIEWER WILL ALMOST ALWAYS SEE THE STRONG AND PROUD NATURE OF THE PEOPLE I PHOTOGRAPH. I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT TO TELL THE MANY STORIES THAT PEOPLE HAVE. WE ARE ALL HUMAN AND HAVE THAT CONNECTION NO MATTER WHERE WE LIVE OR WHAT LANGUAGE WE SPEAK. IT IS IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THE LIVES OF OTHERS NO MATTER HOW FAR THEY MAY LIVE BECAUSE WE LIVE IN AN INCREASINGLY GLOBALIZED WORLD.