Another day, another vet recounting too many battles and nowhere near enough victories.

I met Richard this morning on my morning walk to my office. He had set up a small oasis and was napping. I was across the street and saw some youths approach him with questionable intent. He woke as I was telling them to leave. He looked at them, sprang to his feet and started a hobbling slow motion run at them. They laughed and walked away. I stayed.

Richard is 87 years old (last Tuesday was his birthday, which he spent in a New Jersey VA hospital). He served in WWII under Patton (way under Patton...but the pride never left his voice as he talked about their victories). We spoke about his life in the military. His new life in the shelter. And the girls at the Hooters in Times Square who bring him chili and soup late at night after their shifts are over. We talked and talked and I took picture after picture while too many people walked by wondering about the interaction. Not sure whether it was the moments of boisterous laughter or the painful moments of silence as he shared the more tragic parts of his life in short story form while I fought the waves of despair. At one point he asked whether I needed to get to work and I told him this was far more important. I was not lying.

I have a special place for Veterans. I never served but I do have a profound appreciation for those that did and do to this day. I remember hearing a fact at last year's Veteran's Day Celebration that a full one quarter of all US Veterans are homeless at one point in their lives. Perhaps that number has changed in the year but I am not an eternal optimist.

I am now in my office but quite distracted. By our conversation. By the sad reality that touches me so deeply. And by the positive thought that Richard agreed to have dinner with me this evening. I expect there will be lots more stories. And with his permission, I intend to not let them go unheard.

Don't spare change. Make change.

Sheep

The lambs weren't silent.

Nor were the sheep.I walked in on what sounded like the most disharmonious, dischordant, cacophonous soundcheck imaginable complete with Sheena, the snow white sheepdog barking furiously as if to organize her anything-but-symphonic flock.Then a large cloud passed overhead throwing the barn into darkness and for a moment, everyone got terribly, ominously silent.

Here kitty, kitty...

Here kitty, kitty

Nice kitty, kitty

My what a deep and resonant purr you have. 
Oh hey, that got loud fast.
And what perfectly sharp teeth you have. Why, they're as long as my fingers.

What a pretty, kitty
Hey 
HEY
stop looking at me that way
and...and...and licking your lips

Yo, when was she fed last?

I know I look delicious and well marbled 

but I'm really quite bland
and tasteless 

(go ahead everyone...have a field day)

Another day in Chinatown

Another day, another attempt at diplomacy rebuked.

Another day, another King Crab reveals a small glimpse of what's under his tough exterior shell

Another day, another walk through a distant, smoke-filled and mysterious land

Another day, another family too far away

Another day, another fishmonger who sells mackerel, tuna and crab all day long but keeps the dried shrimp and oysters all to himself (to go with his stash of ginseng, velvet deer antler, ox and goat penis)

Another day, another woman who knows why the caged bird sings...(and will do everything in her considerable power to let her children, her grandchildren and her soon to come great grandchild know as well)

This is Dorothy. She is an artist. A writer. A retired freedom fighter (although you never really retire from that avocation).

We talked of Maya Angelou (her hero) and life for her as a young child and now; as one with many, many young children in her life. This was one of those moments as a photographer where it was more important for me to listen than to take pictures. That my 12 year old daughter was with me listening as raptly as I was made the connection that much stronger. And left another indelible mark on us both.

She ended our conversation with this
"Now if you listen closely
I'll tell you what I know
Storm clouds are gathering
The wind is gonna blow
The race of man is suffering
And I can hear the moan,
'Cause nobody,
But nobody
Can make it out here alone."

(click)

Just had a small epiphany:

For me,
Every picture is a small prayer.

each one different and heartfelt and important (in it's own distinct way)
Something to be thankful for,
Something to be celebrated
Something to be corrected,
Something to be sorry for,
Something that makes us feel big (in a small way)
Or small (in a big way)
Something that needs to be thought about
over and over and over
That needs to be shared.
That needs to live on
That needs to be heard.

An acknowledgement
A reminder
A plea
A thank you

Something that makes us feel at peace
Awed
Inspired
Incredibly, profoundly moved 
Part of something huge 
And magnificent
And connected.

Amen.

Just thought I'd share something incredibly personal 
Never really articulated why I love photography so much. Now I know.

Another day, another squirrel to welcome to the neighborhood

This is Victor. He takes care of Madison Square Park (at the base of the Flatiron Building in Manhattan) the folks like myself who love to hang out there, do a little people watching and just enjoy the day. Victor can tell you the latin names for all the flowers planted there and has named all the squirrels in the park who seem to regard him as one of their own and seem to look forward to his daily rounds. I have walked with him on several occasions where they would eye me warily but come right up to him. Then he would introduce me to them. This has yet to help with their attitudes toward me. (Sigh)

He told me his boss at Public Works refers to him as the black Forrest Gump. To which Victor immediately replied, "well that's fine but you still ain't gettin' a box of chocolates no matter what."

(Click)

Just a thought...

Just a thought...
A sort of spiritual "what if" to stick in the back of your head and wonder next time you're walking by some nameless, less fortunate soul...

Don't spare change. Make change.
And now, back to our regularly scheduled show.

New York Re-examined: Traffic Cones? Oh no, dear friends. Me thinks not.

Once upon a time...a very long, long, long time ago, mythic creatures roamed the streets and tunnels of Manhattan. You could identify them by the colorful, pointed hats they wore, some were striped, oftimes with their initials printed on them. 
These hats were made of rubber with a small opening at the very top because, legend tells, that if you made one of them angry, their heads would grow fiery hot and steam would need a place to escape. 
And the locals knew when trouble or mischief had occured as these creatures left a trail of steam marking their escape route into one of the many tunnels that underscored the growing city. (These were often accompanied by deep and damaging indentations in the street.) 
In their haste to get away unseen, they often lost their hats.

Ladies and gentlemen, start your imaginations...

This here garden ain't big enough for the both of us.

Open on orchestra playing theme from "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly'

This here garden ain't big enough for the both of us.
Flea-bitten vagrants like you aren't welcome here in the 'Cliffs (That's Briarcliff Manor for you slowpoke cowpokes.)

Fella, you look like you got a short supply of guts. But yer carapace is pretty thick. So why don't you just hop on outta here 'fore someone gets hurt.
This is my land; I settled here, raised my family here, and dad gum it, I'm probably gonna die here, and no bushwackin', hornswagglin' croaker is gonna ruin that for me.

(cue the vultures... and the hummingbirds)

Well, then it's a standoff. So let's settle this
(Jeez...Lately it seems that every ticked-off garden punk would hop, fly, crawl or slither into town to stare me down.)

20 paces them I'm gonna start shootin'

1...2...3...4...5...6... (CLICK)

Hey, you said 20...yer a cheat and a liar

Nope. I'm a photographer

Oh yeah, well I'll be back. I'm needed elsewhere now. Wherever outlaw gardeners rule the backyard, wherever innocent ladybugs and damsel flys are afraid to for their very lives, wherever a beetle cannot live in simple dignity, wherever an aphid cries out for justice. And I'm bringing my kinfolk for reinforcements (Note my clever use of foreshadowing.)

Fine. Now hop on Outta here 'fore I sic Stella on yer sorry green ass.

Cue the tumbleweeds (arg...damn weeds!!!)

Another day, another woman for whom cotton candy is a hairstyle rather than a carnival treat

Essential gear for photographers #84 (what the big boys don't tell you)

Much attention among G+'s photographic elite has been devoted to camera brands, preferred lenses for varying situations, travel back packs, memory cards and tripods.

So, in addition to having my 5D Mark II body with Canon's superb 600mm f/4L IS USM telephoto, my Gitzo Tripod and my Kata Grizzly bag filled with breath mints, lens cloths, filters galore and many, many SanDisk Extreme Pro memory cards, I am considering (based on a recent trip and encounter with a male lowland gorilla who clearly didn't like my flirting with his women-folk) doing a whole discussion on adult diapers. 

And I have it on record from several accomplished street photographers and respected photojournalists that when finished shooting a celebratory event like, say, the annual St. Patrick's Day Parade here in New York City, that once you have secured a prime seat at the pub for the ongoing documentation and celebration, that said adult diapers also come in handy (wouldn't want to lose a prime seat at the bar, would we now?) 

Of course, if you are shooting hummingbirds or butterflies, please ignore this upcoming post. (Hmmm, note to self: think about post on herbal teas and incense)

Another day, another deeply troubling issue needing immediate attention added to the pile of deeply troubling issues needing immediate attention in the newest country in the world.

Another day, another deeply troubling issue needing immediate attention added to the pile of deeply troubling issues needing immediate attention in the newest country in the world.

Several weeks ago, I had the pleasure of meeting a most charming, gracious and humble man from Juba in South Sudan here in New York to "listen, learn, shake many hands and glean the full promises from the empty ones."

The Republic of South Sudan is the newest country in the world and I have become quite enamored with this "little country that could" especially as I read all the myriad issues surrounding this tiny troubled country. 

The emails that Magbula sends me are fascinating as the issues range from dividing oil fields and teaching the new national anthem to all citizens to developing a postal system and establishing a football team for London in 2012. The less fascinating and more horrifying are the continuing border skirmishes, the near total lack of an infrastructure and abject poverty.
I couldn't help but look back to my impromptu portrait session with my new friend...a tribal elder whose life has been spent caring for his people and whose countenance on this day reflects that of an entire nation.

Meerkat Melodrama

Meerkats love melodrama.
When photographing meerkats, make sure you have a TV (Ideally, a giant plasma screen) handy. Turns out they love to watch movies. But not just any movies, mind you. Oh no. Turns out they are hopeless romantics. Betcha didn't know that, didya?
In fact, when you see them all grouped up in the wild looking into the distance, they are in fact looking for signs of Drew Barrymore, Katherine Heigl, Kate Hudson or Jennifer Aniston.
Side note: This grouping of meerkats is usually called a gang, mob or clan if you're a devotee of National Geographic, Discovery or Animal Planet but I prefer "girl's night out" and am waiting for Lifetime to do a series "The real housewives of Botswana"...ahhh, but I digress. 
Back to the shoot... 
Fortunately, being the worldly and sensitive guy I am, I had a large collection of romantic comedies in studio perfect for my afternoon session with this lovely creature whose real name was Suma but who I nicknamed Sally (after the title character in...yup... "When Harry met Sally")

So we watched scenes from:
"He's just not that into you"
"The Wedding Singer"
"Pretty Woman"
"27 Dresses"
"Maid in Manhattan" 
"Pretty in Pink"
"50 First Dates"
Note: " I totally drew the line at "Sex in the City" (sorry SJP. Would rather drink bourbon with Matthew rather than cosmos with you)

At this point, the folks assembled in my studio had gone through 2 boxes of kleenex, 3 pints of Ben and Jerry's ice cream, a box of chocolate covered cherries and 3 bottles of white zinfandel. I on the other hand was trying not to hurl and focusing on Suma/Sally.

At the end of the day, I filled a 16mb card and everyone hugged. Ahh, catharsis.

For those of you taking copious notes on working with animals, know that this shot was taken during Meg Ryan's famous scene in "When Harry met Sally." No, not the scene in the deli; meerkats find loud orgasms startling and makes them seek shelter (much like some of my lesser-male friends...if you're reading this, you know who you are.) 
No, this was taken when Sally was placing her order in the restaurant earlier in the movie. (Turns out meerkats are picky eaters, too.

When shooting a leopard in studio...

When shooting a leopard in studio, I highly recommend having an assistant who looks tastier than you...in this case standing well off to camera left. 
*Bonus points if they look like a boar, wildebeest or wild goat. 
**Extra bonus points if they sound like one of them. 
***However, no points if they smell like one of them. In fact, take off 2 points for that. 

Of course, making sure the leopard is well fed in advance helps. And has at least 2 handlers who are not interns or new to the job. 
*If one or both of them look like baboons or warthogs, even better.

And if you really want to get them to cooperate, don't impersonate Tweety Bird saying "I tawt I taw a puddy tat...I did, I did.." (See previous post) 

Coming soon: How to win a staring contest with a Silverback Gorilla without making a monkey out of yourself. Also, when they offer to arm wrestle, politely decline.

Growing up, I was fascinated by impressionists. Rich Little, Frank Caliendo...even Jimmy Fallon and Kevin Spacey. So it's no surprise that I decided to try my hand ...err, voice at it. 

For this shot, I started with Jack Nicholson asYogi bear: ("Hey Boo-Boo. Uh...oh sh*t, you're not f**kin' Boo-Boo...")

Moved on to Elmer Fudd: ("Be vewy, vewy qwiet, I'm hunting walrus. Heheheheheheh...")

Then did my best Robert DeNiro as Travis Bickle: ("You lookin' at me? You lookin' at me? You lookin' at me? Then who the hell else are you lookin' at... you lookin' at me? Well I'm the only one here. Who the f**k do you think you're lookin' at? Oh yeah? OK..."

But it was only when I did my spot-on impersonation of Drew Barrymore doing a baby seal, that I got this guy's attention.
(Click)

Thank you, St Lawrence Island. Thank you very much (Elvis)
Don't forget to tip your penguins.

What we reach for. What we hope for.

Some people reach for the stars

Some grasp at straws
Others stretch for gold rings.
This couple reaches for each other. 
And after 78 years of marriage (he's 102, she's 96), 
they seem to have latched on to something magnificent.

What will you reach for today?

Another day, another boy sowing seeds that have been in his family for generations.

"So Steve (Estban, for the official record.) are you gonna follow in your father's footsteps?"
(Steve's father is Manny, renowned grower of the most fabulous and varied heirloom tomatoes in all of New York)

"Yes and no. Tomatoes make my family a good living. But I can do more. Tomatoes are for the present. Seeds are the future.
[Photographer's note: Here today, gazpacho tomorrow]
My father taught me that each generation should take from the last generation and make it better."

"And you actually listened?" (Note to self: send Drew to hang out with Manny and Steve next weekend)

"Of course...He expects it form me. So I will be studying agriculture. I hope to go to Yale, Cornell or Texas A&M next year... 
(We then talked about germination, hybridization, applied seed biology and biotechnologies.)
...and then I will make my father proud as he made his father proud."

I said to Steve "do you have any idea how proud your father would be right now if he were here?"

Pause.

Then Steve answered "He doesn't need to be here. He knows...and you will tell him anyway, right?"

Click.

"Steve, with your permission, I'll be telling more than him."

Another day, another life changing smile.

Was preparing for a bear of a day and feeling a bit overwhelmed when I literally ran into this happy fellow with the totally infectious smile. He was walking around lower Manhattan busy looking up at all the buildings and taking in the sights and sounds (that most of us take for granted) with the biggest grin. He apologized and I said "Why? your smile just turned my day around." Turns out Kwame has been here for all of three days after arriving from Ghana. He was so happy to be here and couldn't wait to start work tomorrow for his uncle with whom he is staying with the goal of bringing the rest of his family over. 
He said "They will not believe how wonderful it is here and how happy they will be"
I said "so c'mon, let's show them."

Click.

And remember (because it really does need repeating): The bigger the smile you give, the bigger the smile you get.

I see twin towers everywhere.

I see twin towers everywhere.

For the past ten years, 
I see them everywhere I look,
In the elderly couple standing side by side 
taking comfort in their closeness. 
In the pencils I keep sharpened on my desk 
and quickly straighten should they begin leaning.
In the ladders I see propped against houses.
In the popsicle my daughter eats on a humid August day
In the various edifices that I used to (and want to) marvel at as see them
(but now feel a sense of dread.)

I see twin towers everywhere
And I am reminded
of epic heroism
of tragic, unfounded loss
Of what hatred can do to a city, a nation, a world
Of what those of us who lost friends, family, colleagues are experiencing today 
(Or whenever the number 11 shows itself...on Restaurant checks or calendars or bridges...)
And unfortunately, that is all that comes today and whenever I see a twin tower.

I'm sad.
So very, very sad.