HOW DID YOU GET STARTED?

My father was an amateur photographer. He primarily used a Brownie camera and a Zeis-Icon camera my brother purchased for him while stationed in Germany. For 30 years my father took hundreds of pictures with those cameras, but he never filed his negatives. He opted instead to hang them on the wall of his darkroom. Each year my father and I would take down the negatives, wash them, and hang them back on the wall.

For my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary I cut and sleeved all the negatives, then cross-referenced them with contact sheets. When my father received my gift he was deeply touched. But so was I.

WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE ASSIGNMENT?

For the Philadelphia Inquirer and other publications I have shot some interesting assignments that have taken me all over the world. My favorite assignments, however, have been the ones I generated myself. My African-American cowboy project is one; my current project, Philadelphia’s landscapes, is another.

For me, Philadelphia’s landscape is a true challenge. So far I have photographed 14 historic bridges within the city limits. I am using a 4-by-5 inch (10-by-30 centimeter) large-format camera and shooting everything in black-and-white. Going from a 9 frame-per-second, 35 mm camera to large-format is like switching from a Ferrari to a Sherman tank. The camera demands that I slow down and concentrate on composition and timing. When I go into the darkroom I’ll intend to stay 20 minutes, but I emerge after five hours. It’s rewarding and artistic to pull images from those large negatives! I’m constantly learning and experimenting.

WHAT MAKES THIS PORTFOLIO SPECIAL TO YOU?

I have always been aware of the role African Americans played in the taming of the West. My grandfather was a cowboy who worked on a large ranch in Oklahoma. He was a talented rodeo performer too. I am always surprised to find out that many people do not know that many African Americans have a strong western heritage. In fact, at the turn of the century over one-third of all cowboys working the great cattle herds in the West were African American. I’m not sure if I’m finished photographing the story, but in the five years I have spent on the project, I have met some of the most fascinating people to grace the earth. I suppose it has turned into a mission.

ANY ADVICE FOR ASPIRING PHOTOJOURNALISTS?

Photojournalism, particularly documentary photography, is becoming harder to sell to newspapers and magazines. With the death of Princess Diana it seems that photojournalists have received a bad rap. I believe many photojournalists would prefer doing socially-conscious work rather than being on a celebrity chase. The reality is: The public demands celebrity photography. I believe younger people will have to challenge conventional notions of what photojournalism is and create new arenas to show their work. Young people will have to educate people about the value of photojournalism. The Internet offers great possibilities.

Young people should try exhibiting their work in galleries. While the audience is smaller than for newspapers or magazines, the photographs are more appreciated and tend to stimulate critical discussions.