After graduating from the University of Missouri — Columbia School of Journalism, I went to work for two newspapers in the Western USA. Because they were two smaller newspapers, I was able to photograph many different types of news and features. Even early on in my career, I saw myself working more in line with the long history of documentary photography as art.

While on assignments, I would strive to get beyond the obvious image, and look closer at the quality of light, the composition and design, the shapes and textures in the frame. Patients and timing were the two other elements that defined my most compelling images. I look for a composition, wait for the players to enter the frame and do my best to document what I hope is a decisive moment.