I grew up around newspapermen, when every household subscribed to a newspaper. Newspapermen included staff photographers.

Like Bill John. Bill was a working man, in grubby casuals with the stereotypical shooting vest made entirely of pockets. He did black and white shots to illustrate a story. He was cynical, smoked cigarettes, drank his pay. He had no pretension to art. He knew about subjectivity - his, the writer's, the editor's - and how it influenced his pictures. But he was a journalist in a forgotten age when journalists made an effort to stick to the facts. So he made sure to record the facts even as he commented on them.

Like Bill, I'm out to capture facts. But I know my choices are dictated by my history, my beliefs, my culture, and my mood of the moment. This is reportage from a point of view. What you see is real. That includes the passion.