The Age of Innocence :  

what makes me love you more is beyond these lights, 

beyond the light

There is always a trigger that makes one wonder what life is all about. Ever since I was young I always wondered why we are here, especially so in my case for I always felt that I did not belong, that I was different . I became an existentialist when I experienced death for the first time, the day that my father fell down the stairs in our home.  That was the last time I saw my father alive.

At the age of 14, facing death is what changed the course of my life.  In search of meaning, I was a seeker in need of answers about life.  I realized then that life is very fragile, a gift that we often take for granted.  In my humble view, to live life fully meant to learn, to see the world, to seek adventure for it is through life’s experiences that we gain knowledge and insights. Most importantly, love, love, love.  Peace & Love was a very popular theme in the 1970’s for we all wanted to change the world, break the barriers from the past, and build a new world with love not war.

I was always a dreamer and still am to this day.  What saved me throughout the hurdles of my young life was that I loved to watch movies.  I saw my life as a movie, I was the actor, the director, the producer - some kind of resiliency which helped me overcome many difficult situations in my life.  My interest in the movies was focused on the light, especially with black & white movies, and the way in which each scene was framed.  Little did I know then that it would be a determinant factor in what would lead me to photography.

With a passionate heart, I placed love at the top of my priorities – to love and be loved – was my ultimate dream and somehow life took a different turn when I fell in love for the first time. As Julia Cameron wrote in ‘’Walking in this World’’: ‘’Making art is making love with life.  We open ourselves to art as to love’’.  I opened my heart at a young age, starting a new chapter of my life but not quite ready for what the future had in store for me.  Life is not traced in a straight line for we often make choices that lead to an unknown path.