Merry Christmas

Ellen Von Unwerth at the opening of her NYC show

It was great to finally meet Ellen Von Unwerth. I have followed her work for many years and found her rapid ascent to stardom quite fascinating. She started as a model, and one day she decided to bring her camera to a photo shoot and began taking pictures of everyone on the crew. An AD saw the pictures, and now the rest is history.

Pictured with her on the right is Erin Fetherston. Also attending the opening was Anna Sui.

For a complete rundown of the opening and guests attending please visit http://idiosyncraticfashionistas.blogspot.com

Pictures courtesy of the iPhone

Getty and Wire Image

About three and a half months ago I veered a bit form my path as a photographer. I have added an notable company ,Getty/Wire Image to my resume. While keeping up with the fashion and portraiture end of the business, I found shooting for this worldwide Giant quite rewarding. Among the many new challenges I face, is the style of shooting. I have now a clearer idea of what photojournalists as well as combat photogs might have to go through to get that Picture. While I am not equating my job to a combat photographer , I do feel a kinship with all photojournalists . I think that there are some parallels that can be drawn among the many, as I am beginning to discover, fields in photojournalism. Being quick on your feet, a sharp mind, dexterity and the ability to manage different lighting situations in a "New York Minute" is essential to completing the assignment. But what I found most interesting, is that by and large there exists, amidst a stiff competetive spirit, a professional courtesy among the members of this community. I am amazed at how courteous some photogs are to each other in the midst of a shooting frenzy while photographing a "very salable" movie star or a personality. Imagine for a minute that you and several shooters are standing side by side trying to get the attention of your subject who often is disconcerted by the lights and the atmosphere , and still come away with a good picture. Challenging , yes, but not impossible.

This is just a small fraction of things that take place in the life of a photojournalist , and there are many more if you look carefully at the images in this post . Too many to mention for now, but maybe something to think about for the future.

Above are just some of the personalities I have photographed . They are, as if you didn't already know, form the top.

Mickey Rourke, Veronica Webb, Chuck Zito, Isabella Rossellini, and John Caudia, the Phantom of the Opera.