There has always been a direct line for me between art and music. I decided very early on to follow this path. Designing album covers seemed like a logical step. A five year run as a Graphic Design student at both Long Beach State University and Art Center College of Design was the vehicle I chose to get me there. I never saw the exit coming that I was about to take. It was during this time that, for reasons I honestly don't recall, I purchased a very un-complicated 35mm camera. Reading everything I could get my hands on to learn how it worked, photography quickly became my greatest passion. This was 1980 and many things around us were changing, and this path I was on led directly to a band who called themselves The Minutemen. "Punk rock changed our lives.." is a line from one of their songs. And it did. For me, anyway. I abandoned the notion of more "formal" training in Art, and spent my time living and photographing Punk Rock.

     Gradually I slipped into the world of gainful employment as a magazine Art Director. It seemed like the wise thing to do. A practical way to earn a living, to be the person one is expected to be. But the duality of making a living by day and living at maximum volume by night changed abruptly in 1985. Within a precious few months, my father learned that he was dying and in a heartbeat, he was gone. Still reeling from this loss, December of the same year brought an automobile accident which took the life of D.Boon, the singer/guitarist of "The Minutemen". From these very personal tragedies, I learned with striking clarity that there are no guarantees. As randomly as our lives begin, they can end without the slightest warning. So I left my magazine job and concentrated on my true love: Photography.

     By the late 1980s, I met two photographers who are responsible for the Photographer and, in many ways, the human being I am today. Dean Tokuno is my photo sen-sei, and more importantly, my brother in life. Dean taught me all of the fundamentals of the craft, and is responsible for some of my greatest Artistic inspirations. Hideo Oida taught me how to combine pure Artistic vision with discipline to produce beautiful results. I have spent many years learning from both Dean and Hideo, and am proud to say that I continue to be profoundly inspired by their work, their wisdom, and their character.

     Today I am fortunate to enjoy a fulfilling career that allows me to move comfortably within the worlds of Photography - from Music, to Fashion, to Industrial - with great ease. I hope you enjoy my work as much as I enjoy creating it.