I’ve always been drawn to photographs. Initially, as a child I just loved looking at pictures, but it didn’t take long until I picked up a camera and took my first “happy snap,” an impromptu photo of my father, when I was 4 years old.
After that I used whatever point-and-shoot Kodak camera was in the house at the time; my subject pool was limited to whatever I could walk or bike to since my family didn’t travel. At age 17, during the summer between high school graduation and college, I took a basic photography class at a local community college … just for fun. During that summer semester I learned to use an array of SLR camera equipment, how to utilize the light, process film, and print black and white images. Then, before the fall semester even started (what was to be my first), I abruptly changed my major from music to photojournalism. My mother and music teacher were less-than-pleased.
A Bit About Me …
• Born in Hollywood, California to a mestiza mother and Irish-Am father.
• First career was in the music industry as a manager/publicist/booker for local progressive rock bands; also
worked for an entertainment PR agency and a major record label. During this time, also studied photography with Norman Seeff; and completed an internship through UCLA with concert promoter Jim Rissmiller.
• Mid-life career change as a psychology researcher & writer; and psychotherapist.
• Research specialty was in cross-cultural psychology; and the development of racism in young children.
• Holds undergraduate degrees in journalism, and in psychology; master of science (MS) degree in community-clinical psychology from CSU Long Beach.
• Authored book on home educating special needs children, published by Random House.
• Parent to adult Asperger’s son.
• Politics junkie; unabashedly liberal (grew up in a union family).
• Resides with one cat, but is known to strike up conversations with strange cats on the street.
• Has a thing for historical buildings.
• Lives in a Los Angeles coastal community.
You can contact me here.