Today I had my photograph taken by the New York photography icon, Louis Mendes. This has been on my New York bucket list for a long while now.
I had to go in to B&H to return some gear, and when I saw Louis Mendes again on the corner of the street, I decided this is it - today! So I asked him to take a photo of me, and then had a friend take several photos with me with him.
If you've visited B&H, or the Photo Plus Expo, you've seen this guy. He has this monster hybrid vintage setup that he uses to shoot polaroids of anyone who wants Read more inside...
How I dodged a bullet, and got a second chance at everything
At the onset, I have to tell you exactly what this blog article is about, since it is long and self-indulgent. In short, I had an acute myocardial infarction on the first day of my trip to Italy, July 21st. I spent 8 days in the hospital in Como, Italy - 3 days in ICU, and then 5 days in the general ward of the cardio wing. We flew back home on July 31st. The cardiologist said I will bounce back from this, relatively unscathed. I dodged a bullet!
Hopefully the story is told with some humor and with enough narrative Read more inside...
Photographing portraits with a personal connection
Of all the portraits I've taken over the years, this photo is one of those that I am most proud of - my friend Petra Herrmann. This photograph shows her strength as well as vulnerability.
I'd mention her sense of humor, and her warmth and kindness .. but she'd just tell me to fuck off. So there's that. But it's true. She's a remarkable person and friend ... and I am glad she's going to be around much, much longer.
Petra is a well-known boudoir photographer in Kansas City. Somewhere late in 2014, she was diagnosed with breast Read more inside...
During my visit to South Africa, two of my friends, Jerry & Linde, arranged a surprise for me - an early-morning ride in a hot-air balloon in the Magaliesberg area. This was a first time for me - and I have to wonder now why I had never done this before - it is exhilarating! (This must be old news for those who have done this before.)
With this entire 2-week visit to South Africa, I decided to forego all the heavier, bulkier camera gear, and only take my Fuji X100s (affiliate). It's a specific decision where I forego the versatility of getting Read more inside...
Make your personal photography more than just snapshots
This just might be my most favorite photo of my daughter, Janine. It's from 2003 when she was 9 years old. I was trying out my new Nikon D100, reveling in being able to instantly see any photos I took. We were outside in the garden area of the apartment complex we lived in at the time. With a long focal length, I concentrated on capturing her expression, and some element of who she was at the time - that interesting blend of confidence and shyness ... and a fortunate dose of just indulging her dad with the new Read more inside...
Oct 31st was A Big Day for me. Today, after nearly 12 years here in America, I finally became a citizen of the USA.
To encapsulate how I felt at that moment, I asked my wife, Sara, to take a celebratory photograph of me near the top of the red steps in Times Square this evening. I really do feel on top of the world. Read more inside...
Inspiration from movies - a visual feast for photographers
It would be a rare photographer - in a fact a rare person - who isn't fascinated by other forms of art, whether music, dance, various visual arts, architecture and everything we surround ourselves with. I just can't imagine a photographer not finding inspiration specifically in other visual art forms, whether cartoons & graphic novels, all the way to the classic painters ... and of course, movies.
Last night we watched Micmacs, another of the surreal hyper-kinetic movies by director Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Every frame of Read more inside...
Photographing on location: Photo permits in Hoboken, NJ
Photographing a model in Hoboken can be complicated. A few weeks ago in October, a friend and I arranged to photograph Kerri, the model shown here. My friend had just bought a Nikon D3s and some serious glass, so I thought that instead of me just telling her about the camera's functions and settings, it would be more interesting to hire a model to photograph. Then we get to play with the new toys, and get some photos. More fun than just being lectured by me.
So the two of us picked Kerri up along the way to Hoboken, to shoot Read more inside...
Digging deep into the archives, here are some of my favorite images from way back. These were all shot on transparency film - Fuji Provia RDP being my choice of film at the time. And as usual with personal photography, there are memories and stories attached to these images.
To get this photograph above of the DC3 flying over Johannesburg, I had to wind down the window of the WW2 vintage Junkers I was flying in. Because there was no window glass in the way, I could get a crisp photo of this DC3 following us. The golden glow to Read more inside...
