Bio

As a photojournalist at The Philadelphia Inquirer until 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 now work on personal photographic projects exploring contemporary life in the United States, Guatemala and Spain. For the last 14 years I've also had the opportunity to photograph many memorable weddings in the Philadelphia area and beyond.

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.

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 road, which stretches from Times Square in NYC to San Francisco and celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2013.

I believe in and love photography. It alone can forever freeze a mystery, a memory, a moment. I photograph everything, from the most (seemingly) mundane daily details to the significant stories of our day. Wherever people gather, whether at a wedding or in the street, I witness the most fascinating theater--real performances with a cast of characters unwittingly playing their parts. These stories unfold one after the other--at least once in awhile, I hope, in front of my camera, cumulatively telling the story of life itself.