All of my work begins with an image, a moment caught in time, from the first time I processed black & white film many platforms ago. The stills have turned to moving image and sound, because I wanted to hear the stories of the people I was photographing. I tell stories in feature length for the big screen, or in minutes or less for the web and all screens in between. The tools and venues change, but never the inspiration.

Quite simply, I tell the real stories of real people, many of whose opinions have perhaps never been asked before—people who are survivors and who often thrive in the face of adversity.

Whether the subject is a woman from the subculture of 1950’s wrestling, a schoolteacher, a Midwestern farmer in support of gay marriage, a pop music icon, or the CEO of McDonald’s, I try to find the truth that emanates deep from within. It conjures up a moment of sadness left behind long ago or makes us laugh at a familiar image of ourselves, because, it’s something we’ve always wanted to say or do but are still working up the nerve.

That’s Ruthless storytelling.