Starting off- how did you get started a professional photographer?
I grew up in Murraysville – it was more rural then. I knew there was more out there and wanted to see and experience it. I would look at the Pittsburgh Press and see the pictures there – and my father was a natural storyteller – he had a gift for sharing stories.
I learned from all of that and wanted to explore the city and see the world. I wasn’t a great student but was curious. And like most photographers I couldn’t sit still for long periods of time!
I went to the Art Institute – my father died when I was a Senior in high school – I wanted to stay close to home. I grew to love the city – I would walk and take pictures – I loved street photography. It was a great joy to meet people and experience other cultures. Every day was an education – I was a student of life. I got to learn and use my observational skills which was beautiful.
Did you have mentors/influences?
I looked at newspapers and studied the work of photojournalists outside of Pittsburgh. Robert Frank – my mother gave me his book The Americans and that was a big influence on me. And Annie Liebowitz and her portraits – I was fascinated by her work. I also saw an exhibit by Henry Cartier-Bresson at the Carnegie Museum with my school class when I was a teenager -that was a big moment for me. He took few pictures – he was more about taking pictures of those decisive moments. That’s what his work is about. He captured one moment at a time.
How has growing up and living in Pittsburgh impacted your approach to what you do?
People were just so friendly and accessible. And the city was so different from my childhood. Exploring the Southside when it was a mill town – I met people who would invite you into their homes and sit and talk with you. It was a different time.
Have you done memorable shoots in Pittsburgh?
After the Art Institute I did some freelance work in the city. That was when Mayor Caliguiri was there and he brought in a lot of corporate money into the city. It was a vibrant time in the city. I didn’t have a driver’s license so I would gather all of my camera equipment and take the bus or get rides with friends.
After that I worked as an in-house photographer for Mellon Bank. That’s when you had to wear pantyhose and they smoked and drank in their offices and said whatever they felt like saying to the women there. It was an interesting time! But I was talking pictures of the corporate executives there.
In ’87 I was laid off and that’s when I knew it was time to get serious. I went to Ohio University’s School of Visual Communication and transitioned to newspapers.
You’ve worked in some very difficult areas – covering the Trek of Tears, Uganda as well as topics like living with Aspergers and Marcellus Shale. What goes into choosing your topics and regions?
The Trail of Tears was my first international work. My mother had just passed and my sister didn’t want to sit around in Pittsburgh – she got a job with the IRC and went to Rwanda working with refugees there. I was at the Post-Gazette – I was there for a couple of years – I asked them if I could go with my sister to cover their work. I spent a month there – it was life-changing.
At the Post-Gazette I could pursue story ideas if I could convince them of it’s value. It was hard at times but I had success doing that.
I really like to focus on how people live their lives and take care of their lives on a daily basis. How they find joy and how they connect with others. The magic behind all of that. It didn’t matter if that was in Pittsburgh or international – my drive was to show that community wherever it occurred.
How difficult is it being an outside observer in those situations that are so difficult to photograph?
You have to pay attention to what’s happening around you. When you’re just popping in you have to slow down and listen to what they are telling you. It can take a while but it’s important to do that – to understand them so you can show the strength and hope of humanity.
When I was in Rwanda they closed the border to Tanzania and told all of the Rwandans they had to go home. It was frightening. I got to stay – I was embedded with the IRC. I remember James Stanley of the New York Times was there – he asked who I was and how I was able to get in. He was surprised when I told him I was from the Post-Gazette!
There are always challenges – it can take a long time to know a region and be really sensitive to the needs and feelings of the people there.
Where can people see your work?
You can still see a lot of it on the Post-Gazette site. My website has a lot of my work as well. I have also done shows at the Carnegie Museum of Art, the Mattress Factory, Silver Eye Center for Photography, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Galleries and at Carnegie Mellon University – though it’s been a while since I’ve done a show. My work can also be found in the permanent collections of the Carnegie Museum of Art, BNY Mellon and the Newseum in Washington D.C.
What are the big advancements – and threats – to the profession?
For me it’s heartbreaking that more young people don’t get to work at daily newspapers and get to shoot every day. It’s always different – one day you shoot executives and the next a struggling family. You’re telling the stories of everyone and when you don’t get to do that every day you don’t get that experience.
Now on the positive side the ability to take photographs is accessible to more people. You don’t have to have all of those resources and equipment that I used to need.
In Pittsburgh there are three places you can get film developed now – there’s a real community for photographers. When Pittsburgh Filmmakers closed that was a big loss to the community. But now people are coming together -photo walks have become a big thing here, where groups of photographers walk together and take photographs as a community.
You’ve won numerous awards – a Pulitzer Prize, Scripps Howard Foundation Award for Photojournalism, a National Headliner Award and the Distinguished Visual Award from the Pennsylvania Associated Press Managing Editors and Pennsylvania News Photographer of the Year. What do you think distinguishes you as a photographer?
That’s a tough question. The greatest praise I get is when someone says that they remember when I took their picture because they had so much fun doing it and they still love the picture. it’s incredibly rewarding – if they didn’t enjoy the experience it wouldn’t have gone as well.
But some of those pictures – like ones in Rwanda – it’s not about the fun they had right? What more is behind your approach do you think?
I think I just try and be there for the people and listen to what they care about. It’s a partnership and a relationship you build between you and the subject. There’s real value in that.
Lastly, I know you’re doing a lot of work in McKeesport for citizen journalism as well?
That’s right – I’m the project manager for the McKeesport Community Newsroom, a citizen journalism initiative of The Center for Media Innovation at Point Park University. I started a writer’s group there seven years ago and we write about the community and help get those stories published in local newspapers. We’ve gotten over 20 stories published so far.