I have beautiful portraits of each of my grandfathers in uniform from WWII and Korea, and these are some of my most valued photographs. Modern service members seldom obtain portraits of comparable quality. Over the past decade, I’ve been figuring out what makes a good military portrait. My approach and tools have changed multiple times over the years, and I suspect these will continue to evolve. What has not changed is a commitment to providing my subjects with a quality heirloom portrait in their military uniforms.

My inspiration for the approach in these images owes much to Yousuf Karsh, although I generally favor simple lighting referencing the Dutch Masters. While the uniforms are a unifying theme in the body of work, I seek to produce portraits of the people wearing the uniform, rather than focus on the uniform itself.

I do not accept payment for my military portraits. The subjects are typically people I know, have worked with, or who have been suggested to me by a mutual acquaintance. As I am no longer a professional photographer, I do these portraits as my schedule and opportunity permits.