About me

As a staff photographer at The Philadelphia Inquirer from 1987 until July, 2009, I covered regional, national and international assignments including the civil war in Chechnya, the aftermath of genocide in Rwanda and the post-apartheid era in South Africa. I work on personal projects exploring contemporary life in the United States and Spain. I have also enjoyed photographing weddings in the Philadelphia area and beyond for the last eight years.

I was the recipient of the 1999 Overseas Press Club Award for "Rwanda: Aftermath of Genocide" and have won international, national and regional awards including World Press Photo, Pictures of the Year, Best of Photojournalism and National Headliners. My fellowships include a Penn State University Professional in Residence Fellowship; a Terra Fellowship from the Giverny Institute at the Museum of American Art, Giverny, France; and a Pew Fellowships in the Arts, discipline winner.

Together with my wife, photographer Kass Mencher, I work on projects including "Duets", which is a juxtaposition of our images, usually as diptychs. We have exhibited locally, nationally and internationally and are currently finishing work on a decade long project on the Lincoln Highway, the nation's first cross country highway, which stretches from Times Square in NYC to San Francisco and celebrates its 100th anniversay in 2013.

I believe in and love photography. It's a rare moment when I don't have a camera in my hand. Photography alone has the unique ability to forever freeze a mystery, a memory, a moment. I like to photograph everything, from the most (seemingly) mundane daily details to the significant stories of our day. The street is the most fascinating theater I've ever photographed--it is an unending performance with a cast of characters unwittingly playing out their parts. Their stories unfold one after the other--at least once in awhile, I hope, in front of my camera.