Honor Among Thieves

It's my customary practice to present the subject of a portrait a copy of their photo. This is part of the "contract" we make with one another: I get the rights to publish their image and, in exchange, they get a copy. Most folks simply receive the photo with thanks; a few use the image for their Facebook page or for some other personal use. Occasionally, someone will alter and misuse the image. Here's one example:

We photographed Alee in Istanbul, a fellow photographer who shoots fashion. Here is the portrait:

For some weird reason, Alee decided to crop and heavily Photoshop his portrait, subsequently posting it on his Facebook page. That's how I discovered it. Here's his doctored version:

It's crude, laughably bad. He must have liked his image at some level, but he decided to "make it better." (I love how he altered his eyes and added white highlights to his beard and mustache).

I asked him to take it down and his response was to unfriend me from Facebook. The only thing that rankles was that my name was attached to the image. I guess in altering the portrait Alee never heard about the concept, "honor among thieves." I guess it serves me right for shooting another shooter.

I've Become a Work of Art! (Well, my hands have...)

Somedays I get to make art; rarely do I become art. T. Lawrence Wheatman did me the honor of turning my work session into a pleasingly rendered Instagram shot of my hands fiddling with the view camera's controls. It could be captioned "Old School Becomes New."

Are you Joel Meyerowitz?

Even when you've been shooting for as long as I have it's important to acknowledge your heroes; those who inspire and inform one's work. Joel Meyerowitz is one of my heroes, and here's a short anecdote about how I almost got to meet him, related through some email correspondence that he and I had back in 2011: 

Dear Joel Meyerowitz,

I've been a Meyerowitz "fan" for years, so here's a mildly amusing anecdote:

Last week I was photographing in Provincetown for a continuing project on interracial couples. I shoot using a 4x5, and I got stopped four times during the day by people wanting to know if I was "Joel," or "Mr. Meyerowitz." One guy actually trailed me for a few minutes along Commercial Street in his car before he stuck his head out of the window to ask.

I guess they still remember you!

Regards,

Bob Kalman

Bob,

I was standing next to you for 15 minutes when you were in front of that news stand store. I watched your whole process, the polaroid, the 4x5's, the signing, the notes, etc. Good work! You were focused and really going at it.

Ptown is perfect for that idea, it's a free for all here and always has been!

Best of luck to you.

Joel

Joel,

Now that you mention it, I think I remember you watching me (eye glasses with funky frames, right?).

Years ago, you taught me a significant lesson about shooting portraits (in Redheads). You wrote that you only expose two sheets of film, because if you don't get it in two, you're not going to get it by shooting more. It was an extraordinarily valuable insight for me, and it altered my whole concept around the mechanics of making a portrait. 

I wish I'd known that was you standing there; I could have thanked you for your help in person, rather than through this email.

Thanks, Joel.

Yours,

Bob

Bob,

Yes, it was those two but I didn't have funky glasses. Rimless simple ones, not sure if I was even wearing them, but you were too busy I suspect to notice and I was respectfully quiet except when I muttered 250th at 8 to get your attention, my little jokey contribution to sidewalk superintending.

The work looks very strong. Bravo!

Joel

Now, here's a picture of the maestro:

 And here's a picture of me:

Quite easy to confuse us, wouldn't you say? (And to think my hero was standing right behind me!)

The $254.60 Lesson

It was quite a week! On Tuesday, I had an opening at the Soho Photo Gallery and on Thursday I attended a second galley opening, this time in the Chelsea District, where I had a single piece on display. Two NYC openings in a single week: pretty heady stuff!

Pride before the fall...

Additionally, while at the Chelsea show, I managed to make some really nice contacts: First, I met the juror, Ellen Denuto, a very talented photographic storyteller, who was generous and thoughtful in her appraisal of my pictures. And I also managed to meet a great shooter, Bob Demchuck , whose work I have admired for quite some time.

By the time the evening ended and I headed back to get my car and drive home I was feeling pretty damn good. Didn't anticipate the rude surprise that awaited me: No car!

When we had arrived at five for the six o'clock opening I had fully expected to park in a garage. There waiting for me, however, was an open parking spot along tenth avenue. There were other cars parked. There wasn't a single sign posted. While that area has no parking from 8:00 to 6:00, I figured what the hell: There's only an hour left, there's no sign, there's a bunch of other cars. Besides this was my week, two openings!

Not quite. I called 9-1-1. "My car's been stolen or towed," I told the operator. "You have to call 3-1-1," she told me. I called 3-1-1. "What's your license plate number?" the new operator asked. Shit, I thought, how the hell should I know. She connected me with the local police precinct. "My car's been stolen or towed," I said to the desk officer. "It's been towed," he said knowingly and without hesitation. "Go up to the tow pound on 38th."

So I hailed a cab and made it over to the pound. I won't bore you with all the details of what it's like to retrieve your car under these circumstances. Suffice it to say that the experience had sort of a Soviet-style efficiency attached to it, complete with a lot of gruff, humorless civil servants who complete the transaction and then drive you to your car.

For the privilege of having my car removed from the streets of New York it cost me $185. For the convenience of paying with a credit card the city thoughtfully added a courtesy fee of $4.60. Oh yes, when I was reunited with my vehicle there was a summons under the windshield wiper which informed me that the tow had taken place at 5:07pm, just moments after I had illegally parked, and that I owed the city another $65 for the sin of parking illegally. While I should have known better, after all I'm a native New Yorker, and I know I earned the parking ticket, did they really need to tow me?? (Now I know why the cop who told me it had been towed was so sure. It's standard procedure. Not to mention a rip-off!) This was a $254.60 lesson.

Yep, it was quite a week.

Over The Moon

Typically, I like to project a fairly calm, well-composed affect as I present myself to the world. But last night, at the Soho Photo Gallery (15 White Street, NYC) opening which included a showing of my work, I was really pumped! Not only did the gallery do an exceptional job of presenting my pieces, but lots of friends made a special effort to make it downtown on a night that was rainy and cold.

Equally as gratifying, two of the portrait subjects were able to attend the opening. Below is a snap of me (doing my best to sustain my usual "calm" look) and Sarah Watson (who was brimming with high enthusiasm). Although you wouldn't guess from my expression, I was absolutely over the moon.

I'll be at the gallery on Saturday, April 11th, from 1 to 6,  if anyone would like to stop on over, take a look at the work and shmooze a bit. (The trip is well worth it; the other work in the gallery by six other photographers is really exceptional.)

The show runs through May 2nd. Hope you can make it

Not Photoshopped

There are times when the photo gods smile down on us and literally hand us a gift. That was the case when I was photographing in the Nicaraguan village of Larreynaga in the 1990's. Rosalina patiently waited for me to stop fussing with my tripod mounted 4x5 as I composed and shot the picture of her and her grandson. Before I could change the holder, her grandson broke free of her and scurried away. Rosalina stood stock still, never flinching or looking after him. So I snapped the second picture and captured a wonderful, charming diptych.

This was absolutely not photoshopped. Some days it just pays to be ready and attentive. Even while shooting with a cumbersome 4x5.