DOCUMENTARY
I enjoy documentary work! I have four documentary projects on the go, all exploring place and culture, combining my interest in photography and history. I combine photography and my interest in history to learn. The projects will become books. I love good books; they’re a great way to organize big ideas. The books will include photographs and text, all by me. The writing is taking some time, but I’m loving the process.
Portrait of Cambridge, England
Of all my projects, Portrait of Cambridge is furthest ahead: all the photographs are finished, and the text is on its way. Cambridge has a long history of royal connections, and this link to the crown forms part of the book’s narrative. I’ve already written about the War of the Roses, the Tudors, a great-grandson of Alfred the Great, and Her Majesty the Queen. In addition, there are gargoyles, chapels, cricket, and courts. I am determined to complete this book by the end of the year.
Below: Jimmy (King’s Parade), the Corpus Christi Clock, broken window (St. Peter’s Church), and cricket (Parker’s Piece).
London-opoly
As a child, I often played Monopoly, a board game where you buy properties, charge rent, and try to bankrupt your opponents. Even now, I never win (just ask my nephew, Jimmy). I played the London version of the game, with properties starting at Old Kent Road and finishing at Mayfair. Around the board, you might also stop at Pall Mall, the Strand, Piccadilly, and King’s Cross Station. London, the place, remained distant to me until 2022-23, when I lived only an hour away. I visited often, walking the board, looking with my camera. The photographs for this project are complete.
Below: Pall Mall, Bow Street, Euston Road, and Piccadilly.
Small-town Pennsylvania
If you draw a Pennsylvania-shaped rectangle and mark it right in the middle, that’s about where I live. Driving a few hours in any direction for this mark, you’re in small-town Pennsylvania. The term “small-town” is used loosely: most small towns are actually boroughs or townships (officially, PA has only one town). Work on this project is ongoing and progressing well.
Below: Lewistown (borough), Hawk’s Run (county), Pork Matilda (borough), and Pleasant Gap (unincorporated community).
Statues of Westminster
This project is ongoing and a great excuse to visit London. I discovered this project while examining my London-opoly photographs; many were of statues. Statues combine my interest in portraiture and history; photographing a statue is like making a portrait, except I can’t ask my subject to move. These statues represent a collective shared national memory. They beautify space, memorialize achievement, and commemorate loss. This project is ongoing.
Below: The Women of World War II (Whitehall), Viscount Wolseley (Horse Guards Parade), George Washington (Trafalgar Square), and the Joy of Life Fountain (Hyde Park).
