I have always had a passion for photography. My father gave me my first camera when I was 9. It was a Brownie Six-20 box camera. From then on, I avidly went about taking pictures of my family, friends and classmates.

Photography has been an underlying thread in my life and has played a major role in my experiences. My interest in people, psychology, philosophy and cultures that led to my choice of a career in social work, is completely consistent with my fascination for portraiture and the human condition in my photographs.

Although I consider myself to be an accomplished photographer, that is not the issue in this case. This is not an "art vs. pornography" situation, although some have presented it as such. The fact that the children are my granddaughters is also not an issue. The issue is the fact that nudity in and of itself is not pornography. The images were of two little girls having fun and enjoying the freedom of having no clothes on.

However, there are some particular ironies of this case:

1. I have been a school social worker for 35 years where my primary role was that of child and parent advocate. I have always stood for what I sincerely believed to be the best interests of the child.
    
2. In my career as a social worker, I often had need to make referrals to Child Protective Services (in New Jersey it is called the Division of Youth and Family Services). You have no idea how difficult it was to get any action from them. Their usual response was : "Is the child in imminent danger for his life?" Yet, on the very night of my arrest, they wasted no time in arriving at my son and daughter-in-law's home, with the police, awakening my eight year old granddaughter from her sleep and barraging her with disgusting questions that were totally outside the realm of her experience! They were also threatened that if they didn't cooperate the children could be taken away! All this over a photograph where nothing is going on!
    
3. Although these photographs were never intended for public viewing, the police and prosecutors were themselves the agents of distribution, even going so far as to offer to show them to a local newspaperman!