something softer


The Great South Bay, L.I.

montauk


First run with the g10 in the underwater housing. This is 80 iso f5.6 at 1/3200. I guess I should have went for the full 1/4000 capability. There’s still ton’s of movement in the water. It was about as rough out there as I’ve ever seen the ocean on Long Island. Lots of fun, but just couldn’t seem to freeze that ocean in time.

Arty Hill

Arty Hill has signed on to play at my opening with Caleb Stine. I saw them play together a few weeks back. They collaborate so well together and the music is going to a perfect match for the photography. Here’s a shot I grabbed of arty a couple months ago while we were doing some promo stuff for his upcoming album.

El Ranch Sho


I’ve been staying busy getting everything together for the Rancho Show in August. It’s always shocking how many little details there are for things like this. Ashley North of the wanderous put together this postcard for me.
Click image for a larger look.

a ride in the truck.


Finally finished the shot of Nut and I in the truck from back here. I ended up using 8 frames to make the final image. Click the image for larger look.

Last Day

I had the pleasure of being with my father on his last day of work. After 37 and half years he called it quits from the Nassau County Police Department, L.I. N.Y. It’s hard for me to image what it must feel like to come to that point in your life. If you do something for 37 and a half years you must love it. Nonetheless I guess you reach a point when you realize it’s time to let it go. From an emotional standpoint It can’t be an easy adjustment. In this day and age and especially in this country, people define themselves by what they do. My father’s no exception, an his extreme respect and honor for the police department only makes this pride for what he does stronger. He obviously has made this decision by thinking about the transition rationally. Realizing that you he can’t do it forever, and the time is right not only financially but also in terms of what he wants to be doing with his time. It’s admirable to see some one acknowledge that and be able to step away from something they love when they are at the top of their game.

These are two images from the morning of his last day of work. I got up early to finish the lighting set up only to find that he was already up. We took about 15 minutes to pop off these shots and then I drove him into work. I stuck around for about 4 hours while he tied up some loose ends and said some goodbye’s. Then we went for a ride around the neighborhoods that he had worked for almost 4 decades. The stories were flowing out of him with every corner we turned. It was great. A short glimpse into probably one of the most exciting and heroic careers anyone could have. We made a couple stops for more goodbye’s (the morgue, surveillance unit, and an old informant that he wanted to let know he was leaving.) This short visit with his “rat” of 20 yrs was one of the more interesting things I’ve ever seen. This woman (obviously high on something) didn’t stop talking from the moment we entered her house till the time we were driving away down her road. ranting and raving about what she knows and who did this and that. It’s a funny relationship. She obviously had an appreciation or respect for my dad even though they were technically on different teams. The fact that we stopped in to see her to on his last days makes me think that he may even have some respect for her. maybe.

The day ended at the bar where the tradition is that guy going out buys the bar for the night. I watched as about 100 thirsty cops drank away any hopes an inheritance down the line.

It was a great day


click images for larger look.

Eyes so Strong and Clean

Here’s the final cover image for Caleb Stine’s “Eyes so Strong and Clean.” It was so interesting to watch the whole album come together from start to finish. I loved hearing the demo’s as they would develop. It’s not far off from the process we went through with the cover image. There is a good deal if brainstorming and creative thinking as well as trial and error when it comes to this stuff. You never really think about that when you hear an album. The hundreds of different takes that they went through and all of the time that is put into the post production, the album art and graphics. Caleb used our friend Scott Dennison to layout the text. His style fit so perfectly the music and what we were doing with the photography.

Hotel Empire


empire hotel rooftop. New York, N.Y.

,balǝ’rēnǝ -n. a female ballet dancer

This week I shot the last piece to the giraffe shot I’ve been working on. In trade for the little boys time, I offered to his mom to take some portraits of him and his little sister. Here’s a shot of her in full ballet action. Her hair is one of a kind.

root canal



pieces of the set.

Caleb joined me as a guest Art Director, the other day to help produce an image I have had in my head for quite a while. We talked through the image a few times over the past couple months, and he helped pull together an amazing set. The set, our friend Gabriel’s garage, just happened to have 2 vintage dentist chairs being stored in it, that belong to another old pal. The shot stemmed form the chairs. I saw them hiding in there one day, and knew I had to use them for something. After talking through the image with Caleb a while back, he offered to come out as an honorary Art Director (something he did for a long while, but since abandoned to focus on the music.) Caleb then strummed up all the smaller tools and instruments from another prop-man friend. This guy’s prop-house is unbelievable. To the untrained eye it looks like piles and piles of miscellaneous miscellaneousness. got it. But Tom has it all organized in his head. He took us from one aisle (narrow opening between towering piles of props) to the next digging out all kinds of medical/dental equipment form god knows when. It was perfect. The shot dressed up so well with all these extra props.

This shot was unique for me for two reasons.
1- It is rare for me to shoot something that mimics so perfectly what I had in my head.
2- I rarely shoot something that comes out of the camera so close to being finished.

I can’t see very much retouching being done to this image. The set was perfect, the lighting is exactly how I want it (6 hours of pre-light) The actors both nailed the expressions/emotions, composition was locked in long before we pulled the trigger. I may use an expression form one actor form one frame and the other from another frame, but there wont be much beyond that. I really enjoy the post process, but It’s kind of relieving.

I’ll post the final image once I sort it all out.

Here’s Caleb and I enjoying the comforts of the dental chairs after the shoot.

click image for larger

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