Gridlock in Gotham
Gridlock in Gotham. Looking west on 42nd Street in New York City, cars, people and congestion fill the area.
Dressing for Work
We all have our business suits. For me, it depends on my photography assignment. If I am heading off to a warehouse, I wear jeans. If I am meeting with a corporate client to discuss a project, I might wear a tie or business casual. Then we have the gentleman in the photograph. I didn’t see a circus nearby so questions are raised. Is he a banker or a panhandler with an attitude? Which brings up another thought. Dressing incorrectly for a job can get you in a lot of trouble. If I were a banker and showed up naked or dressed as a woman, I would probably be fired on the spot. But if I showed up dressed as a clown, I would also probably be fired. Why? I’m not naked or wearing a dress. The color scheme is loud but it’s not provocative. It could be stated that it’s conservative. I do have a tie on. So there we have it. You can’t dress as a clown unless you really ARE a clown. Isn’t that discrimination?
The Fire Escape
Years ago I lived in an apartment building with a fire escape.
The photograph was made of one in a New York City building
Radio City Music Hall
A view of Radio City Music Hall, New York City from a nearby skyscraper.
It’s a busy 6th Avenue during the holidays.
The 1970’s
We all have our past. My youth was spent in the 1960’s and 70’s. Most of my friends were musicians. I wasn’t one. I was the filmmaker-photographer with an emphasis on “filmmaker”. In practical terms what that means today, is I have photographs of my friends, but not enough of them. I pulled out these images recently, reconnected with the old gang on facebook and they have greatly enjoyed seeing themselves. What I wish is that I had taken more pictures. A lot more.
The young man above was Keith. He was a talented guitar player but a horrendous cameraman. In 1970 I was working on my film “The Blitz”. It’s about a young man (me) who found a Puerto Rican genie (another close friend) who grants him a wish – to become Hitler. It was a silent comedy movie with music. Filming of the movie was “unorganized” as you can imagine. The movie was made when my friends were available. And on one day, Keith was available. He was enlisted as the cameraman and filmed my co-star and me as we traveled into downtown Paterson, NJ and pretended to attack a department store. (Imagine trying to do that in today’s world.)
When the film was processed Keith’s talents as a movie cameraman were evident (not too good) but the scenes were hilarious anyway. When I made the sequel to The Blitz I employed his talents as an actor instead.
