After a life-long love affair with all things Indian, I took the plunge and visited South Asia in 2001. The spice scented dream became an intense reality filled with brilliant colors, action, gritty poverty, all intermingled with Indian friendliness and often set against the backdrop of fantasy mogul castles or ruins. To me, this made the world’s most populous country a people photographer’s paradise. During my first trip, I documented the common village and city women busy with daily chores. I did not stop any ladies for close-up portraiture. During a second trip to India, I completed portraits of some older women and decided the series will span birth to death. Thus far the series begins with tribal babies to schoolgirls and on up to 80+ years.

Returning to the USA, I decided to continue the series with Indo-Americans. A recurring dream image of an Indian bride floating in a river compelled me to find the perfect model and accomplish the water fantasy portrait, “Namaste I or The Water Bride” which is my home page image. From there, I began to find and document a bevy of young beauties from all walks of life, including Miss India Texas. It is my democratic goal to portray women ranging from the unknown garden sweeper or housewife to famous politician and Bollywood superstars. Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Parsi and Christian will be photographed on the job or at home. Many kind Indians in the US, Europe and India are promising to open doors so that I may document their local women.

I return to India every year. In 2003 and 2004 I visited many remote mountain villages in Andhra Pradesh and Orissa to document tribal people living much as they have for thousands of years. Watch this space for more images. I visited the Nilgri Mountains in 2005-6 to capture the Toda and other tribes. 2008 found me enjoying both dancing and clicking with the Kalbliya & Bhils in Rajasthan.

Honors:

2010 Marquis Who’s Who in American Art
2009 Visiting Professor, Osmania University, Hyderabad, INDIA
2004 Visiting Professor, Utkal Culture University, Bhubaneswar, INDIA

Exhibitions:

2006 "Faces of India" Texas State Museum of Asian Cultures, Corpus Christi
2008 Retrospective: Photographs 1978-2008, CICCC, Beijing, CHINA