looking out from the inside

This was shot from inside a window

. . . and this is what the shot looked like:

Backstage at a fashion show

Backstage at a fashion show

Wow! Fashion shows can be exciting and exhausting especially when it's hot and I don't mean hot as in sexy. LOL

Bronx Fashion Week had its 1st ever show and I had the pleasure of being one of its official photographers. Shooting the models on the runway is nice but for me it was the candid shots I was able to get by coming early and visiting their dressing room.

Photography has taught me many things and especially how important it is to capture the "real" person/event. I hope you will enjoy this album I set up.

one never knows who you'll meet

Got an assignment for a Little League game and thought nothing of it. Showed up early and parked, then saw News12, and other individuals who looked fairly important. Shooting the news has honed my "critical" lens = my eyes, to pick these things up.

Then I saw the Bx. Boro President (Reuben Diaz, Jr.) and his entourage plus one sports celebrity = John Franco. He is a former NY Met pitcher and that's him in the photo above. In addition there was a radio announcer from WFAN radio.

You never know. Some of the most innocuous assignments (on face value) prove to be the most interesting. The interest here with this game was that it was the inaugural game for the Boro Cup.

Got some good shots but I should've brought my 70 - 200 f/2.8 for close up action shots.

"fashion" is in the news!

Fashion shoot

There's always lots of energy at a fashion shoot. The models love to have themselves photographed and it makes things easier for the photographers. Only problem is when there are too many photographers and/or the venue is too large for the space provided.

Using the "critical lens' of my camera, I find that I get better shots when I catch models unaware or not setting up a pose. An especially tricky thing is to get a model to pose in a way that reflects what the photographer has in their imagination. Very rarely does this happen but when it does, the photos turn out great!

But in summary, there aren't too many other things as pleasurable as photographing beautiful people.

Jennifer Lopez aka J.Lo in concert

One question: why are concert photographers limited to only the 1st three songs? I had to jump through hoops to not only get into this venue but had to be escorted to just leave the press tent and get crowd shots. She's a little passé but luckily her audience were devout fans who for the most part knew all of her songs, word for word.

I learned that if I did this for a living, having a monster 400mm f/2.8 or f/4 ? is a must. I did okay with my 70 - 200mm and a 2X teleconverter.

she's the definition of beautiful

Here's a link to my Alicia Keys album Alicia Keys

model shoots are fun!

My first entry into the model/fashion photography sector was both fascinating and fun. I was fortunate to participate in a model casting call put on by the Digimed Group here at the Bronx Arts Museum. I was allowed to shoot freely as the model applicants went through their standard and required poses.

Getting them to relax and smile made for some interesting shots. Here are just a few. Hmm . . . maybe there's a future in this photography niche for me? Females (especially) will always aspire to be models and they need photographers to take their pictures, right?

Let's see where this will go?

"a loving couple"

One of my favorite events to shoot is the annual Bronx Ball held under one of those large white celebrity event tents out at Orchard Beach in Pelham Bay Park. One of the celebrity honorees was the musician Swizz Beatz who just happens to be married to the very well known and very beautiful singer Alicia Keys.

She is a mulatto coming from mixed parents just like me so we have something in common but it stops there. We mulattos have nice complexions which I guess comes from the mixing of all those genes? But this isn't about her complexion or mine. It's about catching moments in time.

I think I caught this moment - that look of love and that look of being loved.

What do you think?

This woman truly loves her man and he knows it.

"Fading away . . . "

With time to spare while recuperating from prostate surgery, I have time to think about the metaphysical aspects of photography. Just what do we look for when shooting for ourselves? How do we create compositions that appeal to our internal aesthetic, capture existential moments and invite the viewer into those ineffable places that exist in our imaginations that  transcend photography and enter the realms of art?

I have cancer but hopefully my surgery eradicated it. Cancer awakens people's consciousness to death. Does my photography help me illuminate the self-awareness we call consciousness and give it meaning? I can't say but all of us will die one day. Some are fading away quicker than others.

That's why photos of fog are so intriguing. It allows us to see only so much in the moment then retreats and leaves us within our physical realities.

There's something out there beyond the fog. I just don't know what it is.

taking a break from the "news"

I have prostate cancer and will be having surgery to remove it. So, I'm taking a break from shooting the news to prepare ( getting fit) and making preparations for major surgery. But in the meantime, I'm taking photos in my immediate neighborhood.

I live in the buildings pictured above and took a photo of the full moon from my terrace.

The one good thing about taking this break is not having to find parking in these snow inundated Bronx streets while going to assignments.

Hopefully I'll be back after the surgery, healthier, cancer free and in better shape to "shoot the news" even better than I did before.

beautiful people, beautiful cause

Did a shoot of the TNBA (Throgs Neck Benevolent Assoc.) Dinner and Dance and was very impressed by all the beautiful people and the wonderful cause(s) that they support. They reach out to help those who are in need and are very generous in their support.

Take a look. They look like very happy people. That's what happens when you help others.

You end up helping yourself.

It's a {{{{{ good }}}}}} feeling.

BTW - the Throgs Neck Bridge was looking lovely this cold, wintry night.

she's a "Journey Teller"

At a MLK event I shot, I met Bibi Elizabeth Kent, a professional "Journey Teller". Look closely and see her tears. Her affect is real. She feels what she tells.

I was lucky. I caught that emotion.

summer can't come soon enough

These photos of Kevin Durant (NBA super star who plays for the Oklahoma Thunder) were taken at last summer's TOC (Tournament of Champions) at the Brooklyn Navy Yard (NYC) sponsored by NIKE.

Summer = street basketball and summer tournaments like HITS (Hoops In The Sun) at Orchard Beach in the Bronx