Barack Obama

I offer these photographs I made of Barack Obama, in honor of his historic nomination to the presidency tonight, which coincides with the 45th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther KIng Jr.'s "I have a Dream" address to our nation.

The photographs were taken a while back at a relatively informal talk the Senator made in the Capitol to a group I was covering.

I found his manner and message to be uplifting, gracious, capable, genuine, engaging, and brilliant. I still feel that way.

Portrait of a young woman with an El Greco

I photographed this young woman, a staff employee of the Phillips Collection in Washington, DC, near the El Greco painting, "The Repentant St. Peter."

At the moment of exposure, she was unaware of my actions; it was completely unposed.

I was documenting a reception for the Diebenkorn/Brett Weston opening at the museum in June.

Sometimes... the light...

Columbia Pike Photographic Documentary Project- new work

This new work is part of the ongoing project I am doing on the Columbia Pike neighborhood in south Arlington, Virginia, near where I live. I am collaborating with two other sensitive and capable photographers, Xang Mimi Ho and Paula Endo. Mimi and I recently spent time documenting people and places we found compelling and indicative of the Pike's blend of character.

Right now, the area along Columbia Pike is among the most ethnically-diverse locations on earth. It is a magnet for new immigrants from every compass point, mixed together with old Arlington, the remnants of pre-strip mall and condo culture, and the large transient population that comes to sojourn here in the shadow of the federal government.

As Columbia Pike is currently undergoing rapid and aggressive gentrification, much of this vibrant melange of peoples will likely begin to lose its particularly blend of pungencies.

So- a bit of what I see, here, now.