I was born in Marion, NC in 1949, but moved to West Virginia as a child. My father was a coal miner and construction worker.  We lived in VA, PA, NC, and KY, but fortune and circumstance brought us back to Beckley, WV, time after time. At 15 years of age I was back in Beckley for good. I've sailed around the world twice and visited numerous foreign countries. As beautiful as many of the places I've been , it is the Mountain State that has truly captivated me for over half a century.             

     In 1968, I enlisted in the US Navy. I was fortunate enough to be selected to attend the US Navy Photography School in Pensacola, FL. After graduation, I was stationed aboard the Aircraft Carrier USS America. During my tour of duty, I went to Viet Nam twice. I was fortunate to be able to visit and photograph in more peaceful locations like Cuba, the Caribbean, Brazil, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Japan, many Pacific Islands, and the countries around the Mediterranean Sea.              

     After being discharged in the summer of 1972, I returned to Beckley, West Virginia, where I live today with my wife, Linda, and five cats.      

     All my photographs are taken with traditional film cameras. As old as my methods are, they cannot be matched by today's small format and digital cameras.  I do all the processing and printing of my negatives by hand in my darkroom.     

     My photographs are archival printed and selenium toned for maximum preservation. I also mount, mat, and frame the prints using the finest acid-free materials available. As labor intensive as all of this is, I wouldn't have it any other way because it gives me complete control in creating the final image.