For five decades, photography has been one of the center pieces of my life. Since publishing my first photograph in my junior high newspaper, I have been fascinated by the printed image. Whether it’s an 8×10 print made in my home darkroom or an image published in LIFE Magazine, my photographic experiences have allowed me to document my life and the world I live in.

While the subject matter of my commissioned work has been influenced by clients, it is the self-selected subject matter of my personal projects that has allowed me to develop my creative vision. In bringing this vision to the creation of evocative images, I have followed two guidelines from two photographers I admire: Minor White’s “pre-visualize the image,” and Henri Cartier-Bresson’s “capture the decisive moment.”

Emory University’s library archives acquired my 1970s silver gelatin print collection of the political, social, business, sports, and life styles of Atlanta. This acquisition gave me the confidence to start a larger project. The next undertaking is editing and digitizing the collection of 500,000 black and white and color photographs made over the past 49 years. The access I had to document many of my subjects is unheard of today.