Keith was first introduced to photography at the age of 15 when he received his first camera, a 35mm Chinon SLR, from his parents. After taking black and white photography classes in high school and seeing his images appear in the darkroom tray, he was forever hooked. Keith was soon processing his own film in a small family bathroom and making prints at school. Keith continued to pursue photography as well as literature in college, and he began accepting various professional commercial assignments. Ultimately, Keith was drawn to photojournalism after studying the works of some of the greats: Robert Frank, Robert Capa, and Henri Cartier Bresson.

Keith recently described his draw to photojournalism after experimenting in other photographic disciplines through the years:

“Although I had always relied on photography as a creative outlet, it was not until many years of dissatisfaction with the commercial side of the business that I realized the full power of the medium. A trip to Nepal in 2001 changed my entire view of the world, and simultaneously launched my desire to pursue documentary style photography. Nepal was my first contact with any foreign culture outside the U.S., and my experiences with the people there transformed both my awareness of myself, as well as my view of the world as seen through the viewfinder.”

Keith’s photography style is best described as quiet and unobtrusive. He prefers to document an event as it unfolds naturally, capturing the moment in natural light, without any prompting or interference from the photographer. Keith’s style and his intuitive sense for the overlooked detail forces the viewer to look beyond the immediate and into a unique glimpse of an intimate world as seen through his eyes. Keith has logged thousands of miles traveling the world since 2001 to such places as Haiti, Nepal, Guatemala, Peru, Hungary, Austria, The Czech Republic, and Turkey, in search of intimate portraits of people and place.

Born in 1965 in Torrance California, Keith holds a degree in English Literature from San Francisco State University, and he currently makes his home in the Central Coast wine country of California, roughly halfway between Santa Barbara and San Francisco.