The Goddesses of Wisdom

Speaking of favorite portraits (David Kennedy) and long-term relationships such as with that with longtime friend and client (Colin Ambrose aka @ChefAmbie) I wanted to also mention another portrait relationship longstanding: the ladies of Minerva TV, aka @MaryKnox and @ShaunaSeresin.

Goddesses of Wisdom

They were starting up their company and, naturally, needed some solid “About Us” imagery. Having photographed someone before, there is nothing more satisfying than when that person calls you for an update or a new depiction. We’re not talking “headshots”, mind you. Rather Mary and Shauna wanted what I so like to work on: photographs that portray the subject with more than that which meets the lens. Since these ladies were naming their company after Minerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom and the sponsor of arts, trade and strategy, I had a high goal to reach.

It was a wonderful session and it’s exciting to see the great efforts that have resulted from their work in volume.

You can see what they had to say here.

Here’s where you can see their work at the Minerva site

Here’s their individual “About Us” portraits:

It’s also nice that whenever we bump into one another at an event, it’s always a fun moment. Portrait work done well builds strong, professional relationships.

It's About Time . . .

It was in January of 2020 when I photographed what would be the last portrait session before the pandemic would bring us to a grinding halt. My good friend, Anthony Vagnoni, had referred me for a portrait of the amazing award-winning editor, Chris Franklin, which evolved into a session of everyone at his company, Big Sky Editorial. It would prove to be a high note ending that phase of my many mad-hatted career. Everyone there was fun & wonderful to meet, to learn about and to get to know, however briefly. It was a two-day session and throughout, my number two, Duncan Ball, and I were assisted by Big Sky’s ambassador, the warm and wonderful Thais Adams. The Big Sky offices are more like an environment and we were given free rein to plan a different setup wherever we wanted for each portrait. It meant a lot of extra work but in a space with such great interior design we were having a blast. Thai couldn’t have been more helpful and enthusiastic. In a long career of corporate portraits and event work where there’s often little to no help and a lot of “I hate having my picture taken” I can’t tell you how much the Big Sky experience made our days. And so it was that the last portrait of the last day came to have Thai as the subject. I had already suspected, and was quickly proven correct that Thai was someone who could light up an image. It was thrilling to have someone on the other side of the lens who could & would be “the subject.” She instinctively knew how to project to the camera. It was like throwing a baseball to someone who knew how to throw it back. It crossed my mind that there was an amazing amount of potential Tai possessed and while it wasn’t my photographic style I wondered if this wasn’t someone to collaborate with as a model.

Then came the shutdown. I battened down the hatches and withdrew. Paradoxically, I was quite content though though not without pangs of guilt. Social media seemed more of a hot stove than a helpful balm. Then, one day I realized it had been months since I had logged in. It even came to a point where the cameras were barely ever out of their bags. But I wasn’t depressed or unhappy. During this time I had been introduced to an incredible carpenter/builder from Colombia who had been living with his family in East Hampton for 25 years and this “please fix the hole in my deck” project became a 14 month long deal wherein I enthusiastically shifted all my creative energies into redesigning my forlorn surf shack into a Dwell-ready abode ready for its photo op.

Then, quite out of the blue, people would contact me about secretly photographing their wedding proposal, or maybe a family portrait for a special occasion. After at first saying I was retired, I’d give them some ideas and then end up by saying, “Oh why not?” The brief gigs were like a breath of fresh air because there was nothing but good, loving, happy energy; elements that had been in short supply. When several of the couples reached out months later to tell me how much they loved and appreciated their photos, i was very touched. And so I found myself thinking, “hmmmm, maybe…”

Then, late this January, almost exactly two years to the date, I saw a message in my inbox from Big Sky. “Oh wow, how cool,” I thought. But, sadly….very very sadly the reason for the email was of a nature quite different. They were asking if I still had the images from that photo session. They needed photos of Thai. There was to be an announcement that she had passed due to COVID, and the family would like some photos. Of course I had the photos back up on my screen within an hour, editing, retouching and staring at the images in disbelief. As she had told me at the time she couldn’t wait to show the photos to her little daughter I felt heartbreak for that now motherless child.

Now, a couple of months hence, as a long winter begins to release its talons, one of the engagement couples just asked me to photograph their celebration party this summer. And i realize with deep satisfaction that Thai’s daughter will have those images her mother was so happy to have made. I have always said photography for me is about time, literally and figuratively. It’s about making memories. It’s what I am good at. So, yes, it’s about time, and the time is now. Time to get back to work.

Dedicated to the Memory of Thais Adams. May her missions be accomplished.

Above it All . . .

A “Make It Special” Event: the 40th Anniversary Symphony Space Gala at Capital

Concentrating these days on art, video and portraits, I no longer document events as much as in the past. While often fun and visually interesting too many planners overlook the long-term possibilities when it comes to visual documentation and therefore pay too little attention to the necessary details of preparation and execution, let alone the budget. However, when a significant event comes along that encompasses full-on portraits of key attendees it always captures my interest.

Such was the case earlier this year for the 40th Anniversary Gala for New York’s Symphony Space. I was contacted by the organization because, as I was told, my work for them in the past had made those occasions very special and, as such, they wanted my approach again for this year’s event. Well, flattery will get you everywhere. And as my work back then had always encompassed the opportunity not just for event documentation but performance & resulted in some of my favorite studio-like portraits it was even more enticement to say “yes.” Sweetening the mix was the fact that the event would be held at Capitale, one of the truly grand event spaces in the City.

Blind Boy Paxton

There were outstanding, if too short, headline performances by the incomparable blues artist Blind Boy Paxton and the soulful powerhouse that is Liz Vice.

Liz Vice

Above it all, the main floor that is, there is a bit of a catwalk/balcony that not only provides a special vantage point for “the wide shot” but also will lead you to a section of the building where there exists two, very grand rooms (probably once, in its initial incarnation, having been offices for the old bank’s officers). One of these with it’s red-velvet curtains, modern lounge chairs and gold walls was embodiment of dramatic. My assistant and I had a fun time setting up a 10-light array to portray the performers for the evening’s festivities.

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Meanwhile, for film lovers, especially fans of the Coen Brothers, on the heels of yesterday’s dramatic hearings in the Senate, I greatly appreciated this note regarding Stephen King’s reaction, including as it did an astute reference to a favorite film of mine, worth noting.

https://mashable.com/article/stephen-king-brett-kavanaugh-tweets/#pOo_Gi.YBiqT