This was shot on one of my road trips coast-to-coast for family reunions, driving instead of flying in order to take photographs.  It is part of a roughly constructed series I do with the rural south.  I would stop the car in that part of the country whenever I would flash on something interesting.  She was one of a bunch of kids cavorting in front of a beauty supply warehouse on a Wednesday afternoon just after school let out, they were irresistible.  All of them really wanted their pictures taken and totally created their own scenes and postures.  It was overall a wonderful and friendly exchange and I got 5 or 6 'keepers', one of which has been accepted into the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery.

As a long-time professional musician, I bring to photography my own personal history.  I am a trained classical violinist and Bluegrass Fiddle Master and my career as a touring musician, recording artist and educator spanned non-stop from 1960 to 2013. All of my life, starting as a young teenager, I have been obsessed with photography, from my own bathroom/darkroom 2¼ x 2¼ black and white and color film to today’s digital revolution.  I avidly collected books by the masters recognized at that time: Cartier-Bresson, Ansel Adams, Richard Avedon, Edward Weston and browsed countless others in local camera shops every day after school.