UV: What were you thinking when you made this cover piece?
NB: I was walking around my neighborhood with my camera when I saw this plant. I was struck by how the flower still maintained it's beauty even while dying. As I was setting up the shot, the woman whose yard I was in, came out. She couldn't understand why I was taking a picture of a dead flower when there were plenty of other pretty and alive ones. She asked if she could look through my lens. When I let her she said, "Oh, that's really beautiful."

UV: What is your definition of bad art?
NB: For me, bad art is art that isn't sincere; art that is motivated by something other than a true attempt to relate or express. I think there are plenty of great pieces that might be considered lacking in technical skill but have a strong message or emotional content. By the same token, I've seen pieces that are technically flawless, but feel empty.

UV: Do you conceptualize a piece beforehand or give rein to spontaneity?
NB: Spontaneity always plays a role in my work. Even when I've preconceptualized an idea, I don't know exactly how it's going to turn out. When I start working with a subject, I might see a different angle that excites me, or the light will start working in ways I didn't anticipate or I might discover something about the subject beyond what originally attracted me. I think my best images tend to come a few frames into working with a subject.

UV: Describe your relationship to your medium.
NB: Photography has always held an element of magic for me - being able to capture a moment and pull it out of time, the magic of watching an image appear in the darkroom and the mystery created by blending reality and fabrication. But, probably my first attraction to photography was that it seemed like an accessible way to express myself. Even if I couldn't paint or draw, I could create an image. Now I'm starting to go back and learn some principles of drawing and painting to improve my photography.

UV: Assuming your life is a work of art, how would you title it? What size would it be and in what medium?
NB: Well, I'd like for my life to be a pop song. I'd call it "Have Another Bowl of Ice Cream," because everybody can use a good pop song and another bowl of ice cream.