The Walter Baker Chocolate Mills

When I walk through the Walter Baker Chocolate Mill Complex in Milton/Dorchester Lower Mills, MA, my memories are filled with the smell of chocolate.  I grew up in Milton in the 1940s-1960s and these imposing brick buildings that were built by my great great uncle in the late 19^th century along the Lower Falls of the Neponset River were part of my childhood adventures.

I remember the taste of the broken chocolate pieces that were left in pots outside the Webb and Pierce Mills.  I remember the rushing sound of the river as it tumbled over the dam and transformed into millraces, the water channels that led to the former water wheels.  And I remember the sight of the trolley as it came around the bend to Milton station that was opposite the storehouses.  I now understand that this complex was the beginning of my appreciation for architecture and how it anchors me in my life.  The mills not only help me to remember but offer a sense of place today.

I photographed the complex during the spring of 2019 and 2020.  I chose black and white infrared to capture the beauty of these architect-designed buildings within their river environment.  Infrared allows for deeply contrasted images.  It creates an otherworldly feeling with dark sky and water and white foliage and clouds, offering an alternative interpretation of this historic complex as it stands today converted to condominiums.

Inviting Calm

Giving birth. Graduation. Starting a new job or career. Empty nesting. Moving homes. Losing a loved one. While these events may be anticipated, expected and publicly recognized, they usher in more private and unique journeys of transition. How each of us adapts to life’s changes is an individual journey of meaningful personal growth across emotional landscapes and altered life rhythms.

My work honors these personal journeys of transition. Whether landscape or interior, the images reveal the moods, spaces and rituals explored during times of transition. I cultivate authenticity and vulnerability as elements in my work, which is rarely staged or produced.

This project emerged as an emotional response to the unsettling changes introduced by the coronavirus pandemic. These images suggest a refuge of calm found in the natural world while inviting viewers into more intimate spaces and personal rituals of centering.

 

Line, Form and Texture

In this gallery presentation I focus on high contrast black and white images as opposed to my usual style of using realistic color photography.  When I saw the work of photographer Ray Metzger, I was attracted to his use of extreme contrast of light and dark images which he skillfully used to create a very powerful impact. I decided to experiment.  He inspired me to use high contrast black and white images to emphasize line, form and texture to create a dramatic effect.  In this exhibit, I focus on architectural subjects which most effectively reveal the elements of composition using this technique. What was surprising to me was that by using this approach on color photographs, the color images that started out as bland were transformed into images that were highly provocative.

Within a Bubble

Inspired by the events of the current COVID-19 pandemic, I began to photograph the emptiness of our neighborhood and how this condition has impacted our family’s life. The world we knew, our habits, our social life, all have changed in one day. We have found ourselves reclused into our homes with no contact with the outside world. Outside all was quiet, and while spring was approaching the only colors we could enjoy were within our home.

As everything moved to virtual spaces, we had to adjust ourselves to new routines: no school, working remotely from home and no physical contact with the outside world. We lost our freedom. We felt protected only inside our home, wearing masks or by practicing social distancing, feeling safe only within our bubbles. From here I started to photograph my family and our surroundings through a glass. The images try to represent our life as we imagined them from within a bubble, which is the only thing that may keep us safe.

Will this become our new normal?

Alone Together

In this project I am telling the story of three months in which my wife and I sheltered in-place during the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic. It’s one shared by millions, but our own day-to-day lives together in our condo in Lowell is a story that is unique to us. It’s about the daily emotional and logistical rollercoaster, and the sadness and frustrations of being isolated, albeit together, from family and friends. It’s also about seeing and appreciating the beauty in one’s own environment when other options have been taken away.

My work is about the people, things, and places that surround me and define who I am. I make images of the small corners of my life that attract me. I am drawn to scenes of beauty, emotion, and of the stories that are there to be told.

A Long Desire

On February 28, 2020, I retired from the Postal Service into a world of anxiety and longing. This project is my attempt to cope with the circumstances that define this new reality. I am trying to grapple with my fear of human beings as contagion and my desire to return to some kind of normal that would involve family visits, dining with friends, and great numbers of people gathering in joyous celebration instead of agonized protest. I chose black and white for this work in order to amplify feelings of distance and reflection.