Posts from the ‘photojournalism’ Category
Bad, Icky, Nasty, Creepy Elmo. Parents Beware!
Every so often I’ll get a call from an editor asking me to shoot an assignment that just makes me laugh. Tuesday was one of those days. Fresh off a plane from a two-week shoot in Hawaii, a metro editor at the NY Times rang me asking me to hop into Central Park (always my favorite assignment location) to photograph a “Bad Elmo”. Since I was off the grid from a full day of travel, I hadn’t heard about the recent news of a hate-spewing Elmo who was yelling at people the day prior. I’m talking about the silly people who dress up like characters and pose with tourists for money. Think Times Square or Hollywood Boulevard in LA.
Since I live right on Central Park West, I often get called for last minute assignments in the park, like this one. Apparently the reporter was doing some investigating and found the Bad Elmo in the same spot he was the day prior, posting with tourists and collecting $1 and $5 bills for his talent. Turns out these guys can make a pretty decent living doing this. He said his suit cost $300 off the internet and he can make around $200/day.
As he continued to speak with the reporter the story turned more and more disturbing and I was shocked to hear him be so candid, explaining that he was just let out of a psychiatric ward at the local hospital where he’d been held since the altercation that put him there a day earlier. He went on to give the reporter his background which involved both running and being an actor in a PORNOGRAPHY website based out of Cambodia he created called “Rape Camp”. That’s right parents, the Elmo that is on his knees embracing your children ran and acted in a website called Rape Camp.
So anyway…I just found it amazing how this creepy dude who was candidly talking about his disturbing past to a reporter was continually interrupted by parents so that he could be paid to hold their innocent little children. Hopefully the NY Times article gives you pause next time you see a random person waltzing down the street cloaked in a furry costume.
Parents Beware!
More Photos of Bad Elmo can be found in my archives.
NYC Saint Patrick’s Day Parade 2012
Today I decided to wake up early on the weekend and head to midtown on my bike with my wife and photograph some of the activity around the Saint Patrick’s Day Parade. Normally I try to stay as far away from Fifth Avenue parades as possible, but I felt motivated this morning. Also, this was not for an assignment, rather just for ourselves, so there was no stress with deadlines or editor’s expectations. We decided to concentrate on the activity around the parade because in order to get a good spot, we would have to stay in one place and not move…this way we got to roam and see all the participants of the parade warming up for the before the parade started.
It was fun, but as the start time approached, more and more highly intoxicated revelers began pouring out of bars, which wasn’t so fun. Anyhow, I hope you like my take on the parade!
Bruce Springsteen Rocks The Apollo
I’ve shot a lot of concerts in my days as a news photographer….especially in 2010 when I shot 85 Justin Bieber shows (yeah, seriously) when I was touring with the kid making his book. But rarely do I shoot a single concert that makes all my (older) family members envious. Last night I shot Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band at the Apollo Theater in Harlem for the New York Times as part of a VIP concert for Serius Satellite subscribers who were celebrating their 10 year anniversary.
I was tasked with not just shooting the show itself, but also to try and get a sense of who was attending this VIP show being held in one of the smallest venues Springsteen has played. I arrived around 6:30 to the Apollo and there was already lines of folks waiting to get in, as well as many people just loitering around in hopes of snagging a loose ticket.
I don’t come to Harlem all that often, but I think it might be safe to say that there were more white folks in their 60s than this venue sees in a month…not to stereotype a Springsteen fan…
Some of the more famous VIPs that I saw there included Michael J Fox, Tommy Hilfiger, Brian Williams, Coach Tom Coughlin, Harry Belafonte, Ben Stiller, Elvis Costello, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, and a host of others who I didn’t personally know.
The set list was long and consisted of early hits and tunes from his newest album. It was my first time seeing The Boss in concert and I must say I was impressed an old white guy could rock a stage like he did.
On top of simply being a fun night at work, I got to see an old pal from the Bieber tour, Adam Courtney, who was my busmate for 6 months while I toured with Justin Bieber, and is now touring with Springsteen. Good seeing you bro.
Fun times!
NBC’s Smash – On Location in Times Square
I got a call form the New York Times photo desk late in the afternoon a few months back asking if I could run down to Times Square late that same evening and photograph a new tv show called Smash being filmed on location. I was told the show was NBC’s answer to FOX’s Glee, but was more of an adult-themed drama/musical about the making of a hit Broadway play.
So I jumped on my scooter and headed south from my pad on the Upper West Side of Manhattan to Times Square around 11PM for the shoot. When I arrived, I was immediately confused because the crew was apparently on a break and all I could see were tons of tourists hanging out in Times Square…the usual. Moments later as I saw the camera crews start to move around, it dawned on me that I was actually standing in the midst of hundreds of extras who were only acting like tourists for the production! Clearly they were doing a great job as they even fooled a New Yorker like myself!
I met with the show’s publicist, who pointed out all the important folks like the director, producers, and eventually led me over to the actors appearing in the scene, Megan Hilty and Katherine McPhee. I was happy to see Katherine because previously I’d taken her portrait in the dressing room of “Live! with Regis and Kelly” for the Los Angeles Times years back. This was after she had been a top contestant on American Idol. I was pleased to find out she remembered the shoot before I could even mention it. It’s always good to know that my brief encounters with portrait subjects are remembered positively.
Pretty quickly the filming began and I was roaming the “set” taking pictures of a scene where Katherine and Megan’s character are walking through Times Square and suddenly break out singing with the accompaniment or a random trio of street musicians who coincidently are playing nearby.
The mood of the set was unlike most sets I’ve been on due to the uncontrolled atmosphere of Times Square. It was hard to even tell there was a major production filming because of all the extras. I was walking with and taking pictures of Katherine and Megan as they crossed 7th Ave to begin a scene. Behind me a real tourist says to her daughter, “hey, I think something is being filmed, do you see any celebrities?”
Only in NYC can you walk down a street and never realize you’re right in the middle of a huge production!
One on One with Olympian Aly Raisman
A few years ago I started a relationship with US Weekly Magazine when they were running a special issue on Justin Bieber. For those of you who don’t know, I spent about 6 months shadowing him for a book project and subsequently as his tour photographer. I was surprised to find out that US Weekly high-quality special issues called “bookazines” about ten times per year that sell for $9.99.
So the magazine needed some pictures and I was a good source. Since then I’ve shot a few more times for the publication documenting the lives of celebrities. Most recently they sent me to Massachusetts to spend a few days with Olympic gymnastic hopeful Aly Raisman. Since my time with her in June, she’s gone on to qualify and is currently competing (and doing quite well) at the Olympic Games in London.
This shoot was a mix of documentary and portraiture as the magazine wanted to show various aspects of Aly’s life. For instance; she’s 18 years old, lives at home with her parents, was just asked to the prom by a friend, and spends obscene amounts of her time practicing her sport at Brestyan’s Gymnastics.
The day started when I arrived to her home and was first greeted by her two overly-excited dogs who put me through my paces until my newness wore off. She has a big family, two sisters, one brother, a neighbor friend who is apparently a fixture at their household. Also a Boston Bruin loving father and a sweet mother who homemade a wonderful buffet of great food and snacks.
After having her hair and makeup done, Aly gave me a tour of her family’s massive home and grounds. We took portraits in various locations around the home and outside in their vast yard. In her bedroom, she keeps every medal won, credentials, and ID numbers from her various competitions throughout her life. She showed me her prom dress and even her prom date came over for a portrait with Aly.
Interestingly, while I working there was a videographer named Torey Champagne who had been working on a long term documentary on Aly’s bid for the Olympics called Quest For Gold. He was a really cool guy and documented our photo shoot as well as interviewed me. His documentary is currently on Comcast Sports Net…I still haven’t seen it, but if you have…tell me if I made it in!
The next morning I visited her briefly at the gym where she was training with Coach Brestyan. I was simply blown away at how incredibly athletic Aly was. I’ve watch gymnastics on TV whenever the Olympics are on, but until you see the athleticism in person, you have no idea how intense these gymnasts are. When I arrived she was just finishing her bar routine and moving to the balance beam. First of all, that beam is 4″ wide…unbelievable…and she was doing armless flips and twirls with ease. Pretty soon her practice was wound down with a stretching routine that was simply painful to watch.
It’s always a pleasure documenting amazing people. Aly’s the real deal. Go USA!
Got Bieber Fever? New Justin Bieber Photo Book Now Available!
I was approached about six months ago by the father of an extreme Justin Bieber fan who, along with another girlfriend, had written a book entitled Got Bieber Fever? about the varying degrees of “Bieber Fever”. After discussing the project with her father and working out the arrangements with management, the book was a “go” with 100% of the proceeds going directly to Pencils of Promise, an charitable organization that raises money to build schools in the developing world. Just the first print run alone will build TWO schools! How awesome is that?
With the designing expertise of my beautiful, graphic designer-wife Laia Prats, we put together a super high-quality, coffee table-sized book of my photos and their story.
If you’re interested in more details about how this book came about, you can download the press release or check out the article in the San Francisco Chronicle!
The book is available on Amazon for $17.95 and includes an amazing, oversized, glossy, fold-out poster behind the dust jacket (below), alone worth the price of the book! Get your copy today and support an amazing charity!
Profile: Megyn Kelly of FOX News
I had an opportunity to photograph Megyn Kelly, the anchor of “America Live” on Fox News for a New York Times Style Section profile piece. I’ve always enjoyed shooting on the sets of television shows, whether they be sitcom, news, or dramas. It’s interesting for me to document how television is made.
I met Megyn on set a few moments prior to her live newscast. I wanted to get a good mix of documentary and portraiture, so I only spent a few moments on set taking her portrait, rather I wanted to document her while preparing for her show and delivering the news On Air. Normally when I shoot on a set, I can only roam and take photos freely during commercial breaks or through the glass of a control room because of the camera noise. This time, I was able to shoot continuously though the broadcast on set because I was using my new Leica M9, which is super quiet…just love that camera!
Her show is three hours long and afterward we rendezvoused in her office where I took more relaxed portraits. It was a small, but nicely decorated traditional office incorporating many photos of her family, her large shoe collection, and a comfy lounge chair set dozens of floors in the New York City sky.
Poor Megyn was suffering a mega cold the day of our shoot having to suck on lozenges and bear through awful coughing spells during commercial breaks. She has a tough job, especially when you’re under the weather!
I had a really nice time over at Fox News. I found their PR team, stage manager, cameramen, and Megyn herself were more than accommodating and super friendly. I also made my dad and grandfather proud having steeped foot in their favorite news channel’s headquarters!
Bai Xi Chinese Circus in Times Square
Last week I received an assignment to photograph a preview of a new Chinese Circus “Bai Xi” that is now playing at the New Victory Theater right in Times Square. Since it hadn’t yet open, the performance was basically just for me! Well, of course it was a practice run for all the circus actors, some of whom were adolescent girls age 12 and up…. The theater itself is quite small so no matter where you sit, you feel right up in the action. There’s only about 2 dozen acts ranging from contortionists, to Cirque-like flying, to clown acts, and ending with the rare “Wheel of Death”.
Enjoy the photos and read more about the circus in the New York Times.
Apple Store Grand Central Terminal Preview
Yesterday I had an assignment to photograph a press preview of the brand-spanking new Apple Store which is opening tomorrow in New York’s Grand Central Terminal. I was amazed when I found that the store wasn’t tucked away in a traditional retail location inside the terminal, rather the store is perched overlooking the main hub and busy concourse . As in most Apple stores, there are sections devoted to handheld devices like the iPhone, iPod and iPad, as well as accessories, desktop computers and the company’s signature Genius Bar. But there will also be express pickup stations where people can pick up Apple products that they’ve purchased in advance. Apparently it’s the biggest store in their international chain and will employ 315 workers. I’ll let the photos do the talking. Too bad Steve Jobs wasn’t there to see it!
The New York City Triathlon
As a freelancer, I’m always waiting for the phone to ring because a ringing phone usually means work’s calling. It’s always nice to hear the familiar voice of a photo editor on the other end asking my availability. The only thing that spoils it is when they pre-empt the assignment pitch with “So you’re an early riser, right?” delivered in a tone closely associated with a mischievous grin . I answered with “Oh boy…what’s the assignment and how early?…”
As it turned out, the next morning was the NYC Triathlon and the New York Times wanted one nice photo of the event for the paper. Given triathlons consist of swimming, biking, and running; we figured swimming would be the most visual portion to photograph…especially since it took place in the Hudson River!
So I found out I needed to be to my assignment by 5:50AM as that’s when the swimming portion for the pros was scheduled to begin. Unfortunately when I woke up at 5AM, the weather was rainy, hot, and humidity was at 99% according to the forecast. Yuck. With an oversized umbrella and rain-jacket, I made my way to Riverside Park along the Hudson on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, down to the dock where all the triathletes would soon be exiting the water, and waited. The race had been delayed about 30 minutes. Hurry up and wait. In the rain.
After passing the time under my umbrella, I could finally see the flapping arms and faces of swimmers popping up, down, in, and out of the water. Moments later the pros and elite athletes first approached and stormed out of the choppy, brown Hudson River gasping for air and pulling themselves out or the water, some with the help of lifeguards. Up the ramp and down the dock barefoot they clambered down the bike path where they jumped on their bikes and headed north along the West Side Highway continuing about 24 miles before ending in Central Park with a near 6 mile run. Woah.
It was my first time shooting or even witnessing a triathlon and I was truly amazed at the determination and strength of its competitors. It’s even inspired me to work towards a goal of someday competing in a race like that myself…though we’ll see if that ever happens….
Big congrats to my triathlete/photographer pal Jason DeCrow for completing the course!
