A retired State Department Foreign Service Officer, John has been an enthusiastic amateur photographer since his high school days in Montana. Introduced to serious photography by a family friend, he pursued the hobby passionately throughout his adult years while on various diplomatic assignments in Washington, DC and abroad, including China, Burma, Switzerland, Singapore, Turkey, Brazil. Initially John used Nikon cameras and a Rollieflex to create film images and explore the mysteries of the darkroom.. Ten years ago he converted to a digital SLR and currently uses a Nikon D300 (favorite lens a Nikkor 18-200mm) and edits primarily with Photoshop.

Over the years John's primary subject interests have been his large family and the unique scenic opportunities presented by overseas assignments. He is working on a project to scan his archive of  negatives and slides produced in those days. Of late John has focused his attention on images in nature and his surrounding world that contain appealing abstractions and strong design elements. Subject matter is secondary; John's goal is to recognize and carve out "rectangles of beauty" and "aesthetic vitality" in our complex, everyday visual world.

Though he has taken a number of film and digital photography courses in the Washington area (Smithsonian, Corcoran, etc.) he had never been interested in exhibiting his work outside his home until joining NVPS in September, 2006. He would classify himself as a fairly skilled amateur with a drive to use his camera and all available technology to produce artistic photographs pleasing enough to hang on his own walls and, perhaps, elsewhere!