Uptown Couple .... Downtown Dude

This past Monday I had the good fortune to participate in a presentation, along with two fellow photographers, at B&H Photo in New York City. I've been attending classes at their Event Space for about ten years, ever since I began to shoot digitally, and it was very satisfying to be recognized by the presenters and asked to show my images there.

I received a confirmation that my new Fuji X-T1 was shipped out today, and I should receive it on Monday. I'm hoping to get out in the afternoon to give it a test run (before I read the instruction manual ;-)) and head into Manhattan on Tuesday for a trial by fire.

Here's a couple of shots I caught this past week.

Girls Are Beautiful

Just a play on Garry Winogrand's title opus Women Are Beautiful, a classic in the paean of photo books. The blockbuster Winogrand retrospective show that started in San Francisco will be opening at the National Gallery in Washington, DC in March, and later this year at the Metropolitan Museum in New York City.

Photo Thievery

I suppose it's inevitable on the internet. Perverted bloggers and other trolls think they have the right to appropriate anyone's work whenever it suits them. And to top it off, attribute quotes to the supposed 'contributing' photographer.

Here's the dastardly thief's work . I just discovered today. I suppose he thinks that if he gives my site a plug I should be grateful. I'm not.

Now that I'm done grousing about it, here's a couple of images I shot on a very cold day in New York.
I'm betting there's more to come (cold, that is).

Bad Weather in New York

Firstly, I see yet another camera for me on the horizon. The Fuji X-T1, which was announced earlier this week, incorporates the latest technology that Fuji has engineered, and it's really impressive. It certainly will not replace my X-Pro1 (I'll wait for the X-Pro2 for that, if it ever comes).

The weather in New York has been cold and sucky! But this past weekend I had a case of cabin fever, so i spent some time at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. For many years it's been my favorite in New York, but recently haven't had much chance to just stroll through the galleries. I took the opportunity to become re-acquainted with some old favorites, see a few traveling exhibits, and of course enjoy watching (and photographing) others who were soaking up the culture. A snow event made shooting a bit difficult, but there were certainly pictures to be had. Hats, coats, scarves, umbrellas .....

Fur Coat Weather (Fake/Real)

Been chilly in New York the past few days. Fifth Avenue is rife with fur coats - fake and real. Here's some shots.

And just because you can afford the real thing doesn't mean you'll be happy about it

House of Sages

A little more than three years ago, before I restarted my documentary work on the Lower East Side, I took a walk through the neighborhood. I happened to meet this rabbi standing outside the House of Sages on East Broadway. It's one of a number of small synagogues in the neighborhood that occupy one floor in a brownstone building. Many years ago there were many tiny synagogues that coexisted with the larger congregations of the Bialystoker, the Roumanian American, and the Chaim Sofer synagogues. The House of Sages was established as a place of retreat and study for aging/retired rabbis.

A few days ago I was in the neighborhood and happened to be at the House of Sages just before the daily late afternoon service began. This same rabbi was kind enough to allow me to come in a take a few photos before the service began.

Random Thoughts

Yesterday I went into New York City to attend the opening of a show at the Leica Gallery. Photographer Harvey Stein  has been documenting the people of New York for more than forty years. The two series showcased are his photographs of Coney Island that were the subject of his book aptly titled Coney Island, 40 Years, and his series of portraits taken in Harlem that are the subject of his most recent book Harlem Street Portraits. The exhibit will be on display until February 22. It's a testament to Harvey's commitment and dedication to documenting life in New York, and is well worth a visit.

Life comes in bunches, good and/or bad. Right now I'm enjoying a burst of the good. Currently I have a show of a series I shot twenty years ago that was focused on the last performing years of my first musical mentor, Bill Monroe, on display at Unique Photo in Fairfield, NJ.

This Sunday, January 12th, is the opening of a show at the Jewish Community Center of MetroWest called 'Judaism: A Visual Conversation' which is a group show in which I have twenty nine photographs that are part of my ongoing Manhattan Diaspora project. The show will be on display through February 23rd.

I was recently invited, along with two other photographers, to participate in a showcase event at B&H Photo in New York (THE preeminent photography store in New York) which will be presented on February 17th in their Event Space. I haven't yet made the selection of images I'll present, but a good portion of them will be selected from my Manhattan Diaspora series. A large portion of the initial set of images taken twenty years ago on the Lower East Side can be viewed on my website in the galleries by that name.

I shot this image yesterday evening while strolling on Broadway just before I went to the Leica Gallery to see Harvey's show. The Fuji X-Pro1 is a tool with which I feel completely in harmony and it's been a joy to use. It has never let me down, even on dark frigid New York winter nights.