I grew up in Brooklyn, New York. My father was never a photographer, but when I was a kid growing up, he carried a camera wherever he went. Maybe that's what inspired me to be a photographer. When I got older, my parents sent me to print school, expecting a practical trade, but I found myself drawn to photography instead, learning the craft hands‑on. I spent hours in the darkroom, carefully developing black‑and‑white film and watching images come to life.