Happy Halloween Everyone!

I had to get a few more in before Halloween hits.

This series has been complete for a while now. Or, atleast as complete as I can make it until my kids are old enough to not want to go trick or treating or want to go with me to NYC.

But, I still love Halloween and want to do something photographic for it. Now the question is, what should I do next?

Blondie in the Village

Can't believe I am running out things to say about this event. Well, not so much running out as having other things going on.

Between clients, the Jamaica Plain Arts Council, which I am a co-president and web dude, and now Jury Duty, it is hard to keep on track on the blog.

So here is just a couple more cool pics from that series.

A Night in the Village Remembering

This image was created on Halloween 2001. We followed this couple for about 7 blocks.

There was plenty of cheering and not a few tears from passers by and fellow costumed characters.

Night in the Village

The RED SOX WON!

Yay, Sox!

Halloween In Greenwich Village

People are amazing. As a photographer who is called upon to create portraits for marketing and the occasional editorial project, I often come across subjects who are reluctant and hesitant.

And, that's okay. That is part of the challenge. To help them understand that their 15 minutes is here and that they can trust me to create an image that they will be proud to be associated with.

In stark contrast, everyone at these events in the Village have almost no reluctance. Only two people, out of the thousands we saw over 5 years, were not into strutting in front of the camera.

It is like their inner child has come to play and wants, or even craves, our attention.

I always wonder how many of these people were CEOs and engineers in their "day" persona.

A Night in the Village Lives...

After the first year, I was hooked. As a social anthropologist (voyeur), it was a fascinating experience.

As a photographer (voyeur), I was stuck with the problem of what to do with all of these images. In those days, print on demand was still in its infancy. The idea of putting together a book was beyond my meager skills.

A Night in the Village, The Story Continues 5

For a suburban kid who moved to Boston, because he wanted to be in a big city (Boston is more like a big town to me), this place was nuts.

Over the top and totally out there.

For a photographer, a person who is basically a voyeur anyway, it was heaven.

Outrageous behavior and outfits, visual puns and Clinton masks were the flavor of the night.

A Night in the Village, The Story Continues 4

So, totally in the moment, Greg and I started a dance. He watched me and where I was aiming and moved to position himself behind and to one side of my intended subject.

I would approach a person, a character, and make suitable noises. 99% of the time, the people would pose or laugh and say "sure". A couple of times, I got a suspicious look or a head shake. But, almost everyone was out with their best work, ready, willing and wanting to be seen.

And, I was happy to oblige.

That year, we shot 10 rolls of black and white film.

Editing was exciting.

A Night in the Village, The Story Continues 3

We skipped a year due to a scheduling issue but were right back at it, better prepared and totally jazzed.

Armed this time with my new Nikon F5 and a wide angle lens, we hit the streets, looking for adventure and new images.

This time we had a better idea of what we were looking for. But, I still had a nagging problem. I had no idea what I was creating this body of work for. In a way, it was a handicap, mentally.

In another way, it was supremely liberating.

As I have said before, I love the challenge of getting into a client's head to see what exactly they are looking for... even when they can't describe it fully themselves. That, to me, is fun and has been lucrative for me, so I guess I have been successful at it.

This time, there was no limits, just create what I felt at the moment.

A Night in the Village, The Story Continues 2

In the days of film, the moment of truth was opening that envelop from the lab and shaking out the contact sheets.

Sometimes, you are reaching for the loupe. Sometimes, you are reaching for the malox.

Of course, as a professional, we endeavor to have more loupe moments than panic moments. That is one reason why we always shot so much film on each shoot. Our mantra of "Just one more roll" was for the sanity of ourselves and our clients, who would rather we didn't say "The film was ruined at the lab."

[A little known trade secret is that some photographers used that excuse even if they, themselves, caused the film to be toasted. Not that I ever used that excuse. But, in 14 years of shooting film, the lab did munch 2 rolls. Really! They did! But, they were very nice about it and, luckily, I had backup rolls. Besides, 14 years, thousands of rolls and only 2 ever got et? Not bad!]

The first sheet came out and, as dramatic as I would like to make this, I can't. The film was a little thin, but otherwise perfect.

I was hooked and would be for the next 6 years.

A Night in the Village, The Story Continues

That first year was one of those personal challenges that was more mental that physical.

However, it also took its toll on our bodies.We walked over all over those 12 blocks, carrying a bag of film, spare batteries, and a charger for the second flash. Occasionally, we had to stop for a breather and a refresher.

By the end of the night, we had exposed 12 rolls of 120 film and imbibed a fair number of beers.

By two am, we were wiped out and ready to recover the vehical.

But, this wasn't the end of our adventures...

A Night in the Village, the Production Part 3

Now, I am standing on a street corner, with a rental camera around my neck.

Greg is waiting, with various degrees of patience, for my direction.

And, out of the gloom and flash of taxi lights, Golden Boy comes walking toward me.

"Dude, great costume! Can I snap your picture?"

And, so it began..

Stay tuned!

A Night in the Village, the Production Part 2

So, I panicked.

Just so you understand my problem, up until this point, I had been strictly an assignment photographer. In other words, you give me an assignment and we will set up the production. Location scouting, casting, makeup, stylists, assistants, equipment rentals and research all go into the mix.

Lots of prep, pre planning, thinking, consulting, so that we can create the perfect image for our clients.

That evening, I was staring at a completely spontaneous shoot. I didn't know anyone. And, no one knew me. And, we didn't have a location. Or, rather, we had 12 blocks of locations.

Plus, mixed light sources, moving subjects, moving vehicles, cops, a few roving gangs, partyers, players and, of course, a bunch of people dressed in every way you can imagine.

Chaos!

To be continued...

A Night in the Village, the Production Part 1

The first Halloween, I went down to my buddy Greg's place, in NJ. We met up there and packed up a rental autofocus medium format camera. This was a few years before I made the digital switch.

I threw a flash on top and Greg ran around with a second flash radio slaved to my camera for an accent light. It was my standard lighting setup of the time, only made mobil.

We hopped in his rag top Jeep and made the 5 mile run to the Big Apple in just under 45 minutes. We parked, got out and walked to a street corner and Greg turned around and looked at me.

"Well? Now, what do we do?"

To be continued...

A Night in the Village, the Beginning, cont

A case of Labatts, some great movies, long conversations and laments about creation.


Sitting on the porch steps, watching the local skunk make his rounds, the photographer's friend, who lived in New Jersey, said, "Have you ever seen the Halloween Parade through Greenwich Village?"

"Why, no,"" said the photographer innocently. "What is that?"


In a nut shell, the parade carries on a 30 plus year tradition of celebrating the unique culture of Greenwich Village, in New York City. Which means that it is artistic and grassroots based. And, a half a million people show up to see it and party.


It is also where people go to get their freak on and they are accepted for the individuals they are. Drag queens get to strut their stuff next to kids dressed as Sponge Bob. And, it all works together.

It is the perfect place for a voyeuristic photographer, who has a hard time approaching people on the street to take a picture.

Heck, these people want to be photographed!

A Night in the Village, the Beginning

Once upon a time, a photographer was told that he should always have a personal project going. This would help him to stay fresh and creative.

He heard the advice but didn't know what to do. There are so many ideas in the volumes of sketch books. Any one of which could make for an interesting (at least to him) series of images. But, most required a lot of preproduction and cash to put together. It also meant a lot of work. That, along with satisfying the current client roster, meant that the personal project languished in the pre- pre- pre- production stage: "Wouldn't it be neat if..."

One fateful night, over a few liquid libations, his friend, who lived in New Jersey, said, "Have you ever seen the Halloween Parade through Greenwich Village?"

to be continued tomorrow!

a b October, Happy Birthday to Me!

Fall has always been my favorite time of year. I don't know. Maybe its the weather, maybe it is still the childish glee that I feel as my birthday approaches (which has mitigated a bit as I have gotten older. Now it is more of a bitter sweet glee).

That first day of school. The first splash of color in the leaves. The first time you see the twinkle of crystals in the morning frost.

And, after a hot summer like this one, the first breath of relief where I really get motivated to do things without feeling like passing out from heat exhaustion!.

This image represents another part of my favorite season. Halloween approaches! It is from a series of images that I will talk about more as October proceeds.

JP Open Studios is over... for now!

Welcome to Fall!

JP Open Studios, a two day art event in Jamaica Plain, a suburb of Boston, is over and today we are cleaning up, putting away framed pieces that didn't sell and generally complaining about tired backs and sore feet.

The event went very well. I personally saw over 4000 people from all over the Greater Boston area pass by and through my little tent on Eliot Street. It was a lot of fun and we got to meet a lot of really nice people.

A few clients stopped by to see the new personal works and I met few people interested in talking about upcoming marketing projects.

Another great feeling comes from being on the board of the organization that put on the event. There was an amazing amount of work that goes into putting on a city-wide event with 200+ artists, numerous locations and individual studios, volunteers, and various entertainments. Plus, signage, map booklets, websites and fundraising events.

Luckily, we have an amazing group of people working with us. And, now that this year's event is over, we just need to do a little house keeping and tally up the successes and document the areas that need some shoring up.

If you are interested in getting involved in the arts community, and would like to volunteer some time, donate some skills or materials, we would welcome you with open arms.

Check out the JPOpenStudios.com web site for more information.

The image above was created at Reed State Park, near Wiscassett, Maine.