It’s been a long time since an update, so I will do my best to recap on what has been going on within the next couple posts. I am going to tackle the issue of my M.F.A. thesis first, which has been occupying the majority of my time this summer. I decided back in the spring to undertake a photographic documentary of East St. Louis, Illinois for my thesis. Documentary photography has always been my first love, and I decided to return to that discipline after trying numerous other styles and approaches that just didn’t suit me very well. I chose East St. Louis for several reasons. It is a city with a rich history and heritage that has undergone extremely rough economic and social hardships. The city is one of the most dangerous cities in the nation, with a crime rate that is 6 or 7 times that of the national average. The cities population has decreased since the 1960s, and many houses and entire neighborhoods are completely abandoned or destroyed by fire or vandalism. When I began this project, I wanted to put aside all of the preconceived notions that myself or others may have towards the city, and venture into the city with an open mind. I have been photographing for almost 3 months now, and I have met many wonderful and extremely welcoming people. I am still scared out of my mind every time I venture into the city, but to me that is part of the excitement, and the challenge. I am going to attempt to keep a fairly regular journal of my experiences as I document East St. Louis, and many of my images will be appearing on the photography portion of this website. I already have several images online, and I would love to get your impressions and/or thoughts.

I hope you like the new look of the site.  It is an Apple inspired theme, which, as you know, makes me very happy.  I will be updating very soon..like tomorrow probably.  I have updates on my thesis project in East St. Louis.  I apologize for my lack of writing.  I know many of you have been holding your breath for months…awaiting my imminent return.