Duration: Round about five years.

Staff: I work with a great group of stylists, set dressers, wardrobe—and of course a very helpful assistant.

Education: I actually started college on a music scholarship, and ended up with a degree in advertising/art direction. I always took classes in photography but told myself it wasn’t to be taken seriously. I worked as an art director for nine years.

Cultural influences: I’m sure there’s a bunch of stuff gathered up throughout a lifetime that casts its influence on my aesthetic. I love painters like Sargent, Hopper, Wyeth, Vermeer, van Eyck, Caravaggio and Munch. I love all kinds of great music and like to use it to inspire an image. My parents were born into the Great Depression, on very humble family farms, and that era has always fascinated me.

Environment: Usually on location, then in studio, then in front of the computer smashing the studio and location images together. I put on my art director’s hat to ensure something nice comes out at the other end.

Philosophy: Take some time, now and then, to be grateful.