Beginning in mid-1993, I decided to seriously pursue portrait photography, but not with a view of becoming another formal studio portrait photographer. I wanted to find another way of doing portraits which would be less formal and more spontaneous. Over the intervening years I have developed what I call the “Barefoot Portrait” style. It is very casual style. When shooting indoors, I like to use a summer-sky blue and white backdrop. Indoors or out, I try to keep the model’s clothes simple. I like the poses to be very relaxed, and even playful. I try to give the image a timeless look—by avoiding clothes and hair styles that will date the work. I often have the models pose barefoot, and I tell them to relax and be prepared to have a good time in front of the camera. At times I think that work in this portrait style has a bit of a Southwest or Santa Fe flavor. The fact that I have done workshops there with Joyce Tenneson and Greg Gorman probably accounts in part of that look. These are some of the images from that series.

Here you are, these images are from the first Virtual Gallery that I published in May 1997.