Through the camera lens, the photographer grasps a vision that the eye alone does not see. The one lonely face stained with tears becomes a universal face for all of us.  Why?  A solitary figure beneath a huge monument and a leaden sky evokes our own loneliness.  And compassion. A small child’s preoccupation with an ordinary flooring light provokes our own childhood wonder.  We reflect.  Two friends connecting in a busy urban park connect us to friends from our past or not with us anymore.  We mourn.  Images are often more powerful than words.

I am a retired educator whose career spanned thirty-eight years working mainly with English as a Second language and formerly incarcerated and incarcerated youth.  These experiences helped frame a greater awareness of social justice issues, the need for criminal justice reform and a deep respect for cultural diversity.

I never picked up a camera until I was 68 and walked into Kingsborough Community College’s decided to take Black and White Photography 101. I have not looked at the world the same way since.

I never looked at myself as an artist.  I thought, perhaps, I was creative.  It simply proves: Human beings can change and the world can be transformed.

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