My People

She is The Boss.  I met her at church, and she quickly became the most important thing in my life.  She controls my little existence and supports me in everything I have ever done.  If I'm a good man, it is because of her.

She's amazing at everything she does, a wonderful wife and mom, a great cook, and a fantastic interior decorator.  Everyone who knows her adores her.

Also, she is the REAL photographer in the family.  Her stuff is amazing. She supports my photo gear habit, hoping, I think, to make me a better photographer.

I'm the luckiest guy on this planet.

This is my firstborn, by Beck.  She has returned to my life through her efforts and those of my other two.  I'm so grateful.  I love how she has taken on the roles of big sister, godmother, auntie, and friend in our family.

She brought with her a great man and two more marvelous grandchildren.

I really, really need to take photos of them all.

She looks so much like her mom.

I'm amazed at how few photos I have of my son as an adult; I took hundreds of photos of Jay as a child.  I need to fix this problem.  This one is from my granddaughter's birthday party a few years ago.

An Iraq Veteran, he returned home, educated himself with the GI Bill, and earned his MS in Information Technology.

He is the best man I know.

I dig the hat and his Carnegie Mellon bowtie.

My daughter is, and always has been, a classic beauty; she looks like her mom.  Sadly, she never lets me take her photo.

I don't get it.  Each time she allows me, the photos turn out great.

She's an Afghanistan Veteran, still in the Army, and recently promoted to Lieutenant Colonel.  She's a Paratrooper and wears the AA Patch on her left shoulder.

I think this is my most recent shot of her.  Maybe one day . . .

My daughter-in-law was my daughter's college best friend and part of the family, long before my son showed interest.

A smart, college-trained interior and exterior designer, she works for a local contractor.  She's also an amazing artist.

She is proof that angels live among us, entering Jay's life at the perfect time.  She saved him.

Finally, a good man comes along.  I couldn't have picked a finer husband for my daughter.  Though a "Damnyankee," I liked him from the first.

 He is the perfectly calm opposite of my fireball daughter.  They are a great team, and he treats her like the Princess Royal she was raised to be.

Cooper liked him instantly.  Nuff Said.

I've taken photos of this youngster since she was a teen.  It's easy to see why she was my favorite of all my kids' high school friends.

She has always been a beautiful, fun Tornado!

She married my son and gave me my Grandson, JK.  Even though the marriage didn't work, she will always be one of my children and a member of my family.

Bee recently remarried and moved out West.  I'll miss her.

My grandson is one of the most photographed young men in America.  We all took thousands of him when he was little.  The Cadets and the school's public affairs office joined in.  He's smart, articulate, and quick-witted, with a tendency for good-natured Neel sarcasm.

Ignore his intelligence at your own risk.

It's hard to believe that he just graduated from High School.

I'm excited to see what his next big step will be.

I'm just getting to know this young lady.  She seems a little apprehensive about who I am, with a pinch of disapproving aire.

I expected that.

She's an amazing student and lacrosse player, already being looked at by colleges.  I hope to support that and become her friend.  She has enough Grandparents.

She's beautiful and smart like her mom.

I spend a lot of time with my granddaughter.  She's super intelligent, has a near photographic memory, and is into science like I am.

I enjoy taking photographs of her, and she enjoys posing.  She knows what she wants and must approve every shot.

This baby and I were great collaborators.  She was ready anytime Granddaddy wanted to take photos, as long as she got to review each shot and then push all the buttons on the camera.

When she had had enough of my camera and me, she gave me an emphatic "All Done!"  This also means, "Let me have a go with that camera."

I've taken photos of this beautiful woman four times: once for her Father's birthday, twice in Charleston, when I was there for one reason or another, and most recently, when we met up in Asheville for lunch in 2026.  Each session has produced some of my favorite portraits.  

She has become one of my favorite people and best friends.

We met through the VMI Hockey Team, while she was dating the assistant coach.  I sat with her in the stands.

She faithfully stays in touch, checking in with me more than anyone else.

We're connected like twins.  When I was diagnosed with a serious medical condition, she called the next day to ask what was wrong.

Professor and Artist, this was my hero growing up, though he plays golf and cheers for the other team.

Man, I need to take photos of him and his family.  That's always been hard, and harder now that he has moved from Alabama.

My Niece and nephew are such an amazing team that I can't write about one without mentioning the other.  They have built a great life out in Arizona, in a beautiful home, constantly full of children and grandchildren.

HJ is a professional family and addiction therapist and serves as the family fitness guru.  I have never asked her about anything physiology-related that she didn't know about.  I could listen to her all day.  

This guy is an ex-Army Special Forces NCO.  He works as a drilling engineer.  He is also an amazing cook and a born comedian.

These are two of the finest people I know, always willing to help someone in need.  I enjoy visiting.

While our niece lived with her grandparents, I asked her to sit for me.  What photographer wouldn't?  The Alabama sun coming in the window was harsh.  I underexposed and was unable to make a decent print in my darkroom.  I gave up and filed the negatives.  

Technology Improved.   

I scanned the old negatives, individually, and worked on them in Photoshop

 Finally.  Amazing!  Never give up on a photograph.

By far, the finest soldier with whom I ever served.  He was the best shot, navigator, scout, and leader, and the second-best jumpmaster.  Hes a Combat Vet of Grenada, Panama, and Desert Shield/Desert Storm.

He and I are back in touch after far too long, and it is like we've never been separated.  The phonecalls are hilarious.

He and I met back in 1976, and became close friends when I moved to scouts.  I've been his boss, he's been mine, and we were Section Leaders in the Scouts.  We've done lots of crazy shit together.

I owe him.

There are few people I love as much as this lady; I consider her one of my closest friends. 

She sat for me when she visited us in Church Crookham, England, in 1988 or 89.  I shot three rolls of Tri-X and ruined them by turning on the wrong tap and rinsing in hot water.  I managed to salvage a few photos using all of my Photoshop skills.

We stay in touch, emailing back and forth, almost daily.  Kady and I are blessed to know her.

Unless I take her photo again, she gets to be in her thirties forever.  Not fair.

This photo was't meant to look heroic, it simply couldn't help it.

This Guy is, by far, the most highly-trained and tested warrior I know.  He's done it all.  An Air Force Combat Rescue Officer, he was once my Cadet RSM and became the C1C at VMI.

I took this shot in front of my quarters on the 4th of July.  Of Course.

A former VMI Cadet, we became friends during the deaths of her grandfather and one of her Brother Rats.  Then, as always, life, time, and distance intervened.  That's normal, I think.

I've tried to stay in touch, but she is busy being a single mom, working two jobs, and raising two boys, away from her family and with no support.

We've made some amazing photos together.  It is easy to see why she was a favorite subject; she's so beautiful.

Also, she can throw a softball about a thousand mph.  Scarry.

The Colonel was the VMI Band Director when I was there.  He recently retired.

We share a love for battlefields and have traveled as far north as Gettysburg, and as far west as Shiloh.  He reads descriptions of the battles in an amazing Shelby Foote voice.  Not too bad for a Yankee from Philly.

He stays in touch.

Father to a VMI Cadet and Naval Aviator, I met this great man when he visited VMI.

For a long while, he recruited for a scholarship for North Carolina kids.  Almost every one of these young people became leaders in the Corps and commissioned in the service.

I gave himaccess to the barracks by escorting him anywhere he wanted to go, anytime he wanted.

We stay in touch.

This is my most faithful Turkish friend.  I met her while playing baseball at the new park along Izmir Bay back in 2001.

We became great friends, and I worked for her, pro bono, as a photographer and web designer, during the early days of her modeling agency and my earliest days using digital photography and learning web design.

We have stayed in touch on Instagram, and I consider her family part of my own.

If I ever return to Turkey, this young woman will be the reason.  If I don't go back, she gets to stay 28 years old.

This was my Turkish Assistant and friend in Kosovo.  He acted as translator between the Turkish soldiers and the rest of the Headquarters and was our go-to guy for getting just about anything done.

I called him Uzzi, the Turkish Godfather, because he was secretly in charge.

We continued our friendship back in Turkey.  I would invite him out with my friends and me so that he could leave the garrison.

He met and married a beautiful girl right after I left (just like I told him he would), made Sergeant Major, built a family, and retired a few years later.  We stay in touch on Insta.

He still calls me "John Baba."

Somewhere in all this fur is my new bud, my daughter's Bernadoodle, Scout.

He's a treasure—trained, happy, and well-behaved.  OK, he does like getting in the trash and has a stubborn streak a mile long, but he's a good boy.

I didn't think I could love another dog after Cooper, but this guy won me over.

When I'm in NOVA, he's My Dog.