About my Work Photography has been both a passion and a career in my family for more than a century. The family's long relationship with photography began in Germany around the turn of the previous century with my great grandfather Fritz Wentzel, who became both an accomplished photographer and a well known photo-chemist. My grandfather, Will H. Wentzel worked for a time as a newspaper photographer before the Second World War, and his older brother, Volkmar Kurt Wentzel, worked in the field his entire life as both a photographer and photo-lab technician, including many decades as a staff photographer for the National Geographic Society. Along with the familial passion for capturing the world in images, I bring a fascination with the history of places and peoples, especially the physical records they have left us in the landscapes -- their homes, their palaces, their places of worship and reverence. In photographing ruins of both the distant past, and barely forgotten yesterdays, I hope to capture the spirit of these places, and allow the old ghosts of memory to speak to us today. Because this passion often requires research into the histories of the places I photograph, I've also developed what I sometimes call "the narrative habit;" a penchant for telling more of the story than photos alone can express. This "habit" extends to recounting not only the history of places I've visited, but the culture, atmosphere and adventures to be found in them. From the ruined churches of the Irish countryside to the serene gardens of old Japan; from storm wracked seaside cliffs to the delicate curves and colors of a fresh spring blossom, I hope that my photos and my words can capture a moment in time, an instant of reflection and a bit of the soul of a particular place and time. I've been working professionally with photography for almost ten years now. I've twice been awarded a certificate of merit by the New York Institute of Photography, and in 2002 I was awarded first prize in the category of Most Creative in the Waterford Festival photographic competition.