Artist Biography
Based in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, I’m a collector of odd and surreal moments.
I can trace my interest in the unusual back to my days as an electronic dance music DJ and producer, where I specialized in fusing disparate genres of obscure futuristic beats. After suffering ear damage from too many loud nights, I bought my first camera in 2010 and spent most of the following years making photographs of otherworldly coastal scenes. Although my first forays of taking photos of people in the city can be traced back to 2013, it wasn’t until the end of 2018 that I finally dedicated myself to capturing candid moments of everyday life.
Street photography has been my religion ever since. Still no word on what holidays we celebrate. Lots of walking meditation, though.
I’m also a founding member of the Candid City Street Photography Collective.
When I’m not taking pictures, I put my master's degree in education to work as a community college counselor.
Artist Statement
All of my photographs are of purely candid moments that I chanced upon. Nothing is staged, and only standard darkroom practices are used in my post-processing.
When I’m out on the street, my mindset is a combination of looking for the out-of-the-ordinary, but at the same time, trying to be a blank slate. By clearing my mind and being fully attuned to the moment, I’m more open to the photographic potential of what I come across. When I actually find a moment, my approach is purely about aesthetics, being respectful to the people that I’m photographing, and being as unobtrusive as possible.
When I get home, I go through my photos, select my favorites, and reflect on what I’ve collected. It's here that a curious thing happens. Somehow, my personality seeps into these images. Whether it's my sense of humor, ideas I'm contemplating, or issues I'm struggling with, strangely, these things serendipitously appear in my photographs.
It’s a peculiar phenomenon that has led me to conclude that, ultimately, my photography is about the wonders of being fully present and the synchronicities that can result from practicing that frame of mind.
-TVL
Awards and Honors
2023 Falling Out of the Sky, Singles Finalist, Livorno Photo Meeting, Italy
2023 Into the Unknown, Finalist, KAAF Photo Contest
2023 Selected Photographer (Projects + Portfolio Section), Urban Photo Awards
2023 Surreality, Series Finalist, Pisa Street Photo International Festival, Italy
2023 Into the Unknown, Singles Finalist, Pisa Street Photo International Festival, Italy
2022 Interdependence, Finalist, Urban Book Award, Urban Photo Awards (jury president, Susan Meiselas)
Affiliations
2023 Candid City Street Photography Collective (founding member)
Group Exhibitions (w/ personal gallery)
2023 The series, Surreality, Trieste Photo Days, Trieste, Italy
2023 The series, Surreality, Pisa Street Photo International Festival, Italy
2023 Candid City, Foreign Lens Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Print Publications
2023 The series, Surreality, appears in the book, URBAN unveils the city and its secrets - vol. 9
2023 The series, Surreality, appears in All About Photo Magazine Issue #36: Street
2023 Candid City, limited-edition zine published by the Candid City Street Photography Collective
Online Publications
2023 Strings of Hope, Street Photography selection, Leica Fotografie International (LFI) Gallery
2023 Into the Unknown, One Photo Blog Post, LFI Gallery
2023 Lingering Shadows of Disparity, Leica Master Shots, LFI Gallery
2023 Into the Unknown, Leica Master Shots, LFI Gallery