One of my early subjects for the series, John Angiulo, photographed in Montauk in June of 2013

Tidal Anatomy

October 07, 2014

I’m pleased to announce that the book launch and exhibition of my Tidal Anatomy portrait series opens at Site 109 in Manhattan on October 21. The images are the result of two years of photographing surfers from an unlikely perspective with my camera placed high above the surfer and beach.

The inspiration for this project came to me while walking along the shore in Montauk, New York on a raw, windy day in the Spring of 2013. An unusually harsh winter had radically altered the beach, leaving behind arresting scenes of strewn rocks, stratified clay, decaying driftwood, driven sand, and man made debris.

As a portrait photographer who has photographed people all over the world for over thirty years, I immediately recognized that these scenes would make the perfect backdrop for portraits of surfers. I had taken up surfing just a few years ago and learned to love the sport while meeting many fascinating people who shared my passion.

Aided by a strong assistant and heavily sandbagged equipment I wrestled the forces of wind, tides, and shifting sands to create the portraits I envisioned that spring day. These photographs reveal something innate within each of my subjects, who are all sculpted by the ocean and illustrate how both life and land are shaped by the forces of nature.

The setup with surfer James Parascandola and myself in Captree, Long Island

Ten surfers in a group portrait from the Rockavilla group in Rockaway, NY.

A triple portrait in Montauk with the Breuer men

Windy day at Captree State Park on Long Island with Rachel Bobis bravely posing on the edge of a 30 ft. cliff

Massimo Vignelli

May 27, 2014

After reading Michael Bierut’s touching and poignant tribute to Massimo Vignelli on Design Observer today it was hard to imagine writing something meaningful about my brief encounters with such an influential and inspiring designer. Since I’m a photographer I thought I’d try a visual tribute based on my three very memorable days filming and photographing Massimo and Lella.

In May of 2009 I began a series of portrait sessions featuring some of the most prominent graphic designers in the United States. Massimo Vignelli was at the top of my list and I was thrilled when he agreed to let me photograph him and his wife, Lella, as my first subjects.

I spent the better part of a day photographing the two of them in various settings in their design studio on East 67th St. During the session Massimo expressed an interest in my camera. He told me he had always had a fascination with camera design and lamented the fact that he had never had the opportunity to design one himself. In a wonderful demonstration of his divergent interests and talent he made a quick sketch depicting the evolution of 35mm cameras, signed it, and handed it to me. I still have that sketch along with a signed poster of his famous and controversial subway map redesign.

The following year I was inspired to shoot a short documentary about Massimo. He very graciously allowed me to film him despite the fact that this was my first attempt at filmmaking. Over the course of two sweltering summer days in his un air-conditioned studio my assistant and I were ready to faint in the heat but Massimo never broke a sweat in his signature black turtleneck. Below is the resulting seven minute video which Massimo told me was the best film done on him to date.

I’ve also included a few photographs from my original still portrait session.

My favorite frame from the 2009 portrait session with Massimo and Lella.

Massimo’s sketch depicting the evolution of 35mm camera design.

Massimo in his design studio with a enormous Roy Lichtenstein tapestry and  a bust of Goethe, whom Massimo revered. — Massimo in his design studio with a enormous Roy Lichtenstein tapestry and a bust of Goethe, whom Massimo revered.

Massimo working with one of his designers at the incredibly uncluttered desk where he did much of his design.

Massimo and John Madere setting up a shot of his NYC Subway map

John Madere filming Massimo and Lella as Massimo sketches images of  the Vignelli Center for Design Studies interior — John Madere filming Massimo and Lella as Massimo sketches images of the Vignelli Center for Design Studies interior

Christmas Just in Time

December 19, 2013

A couple of weeks ago Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos showed off a prototype helicopter drone on CBS’s 60 Minutes. It was designed to deliver packages to Amazon's customers in under 30 minutes from the time they placed their orders. That news segment had the … — A couple of weeks ago Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos showed off a prototype helicopter drone on CBS’s 60 Minutes. It was designed to deliver packages to Amazon's customers in under 30 minutes from the time they placed their orders. That news segment had the whole country buzzing about the possibility of our skies full of drones delivering Amazon’s parcels. It seemed like a silly publicity stunt to me as I am certain that the technical and safety obstacles would make its realization a long way off. Nevertheless, I was inspired to create this photograph. All I needed to do was borrow a helicopter drone, tie a box to it, and step out onto my terrace which, ironically, overlooks the Statue of Liberty and an area of New Jersey where Amazon plans to build an enormous distribution center, no doubt within drone range of Manhattan. (click the card to enlarge)

Steve Heller in The Cave

October 16, 2013

On a recent Saturday morning Steve Heller met me on the steps of his 16th Street studio in Manhattan. I was intent on photographing this icon of design amidst what proved to be the most intense personal collection of objects and books that I had eve… — On a recent Saturday morning Steve Heller met me on the steps of his 16th Street studio in Manhattan. I was intent on photographing this icon of design amidst what proved to be the most intense personal collection of objects and books that I had ever seen.

Steve is the latest subject in my graphic designer portrait series. He was the noted art director of the New York Times Book Review for 33 years. He has authored and co-authored over 100 books on design and popular culture. He is a fascinating subject whose charm and accomplishments would be difficult to convey in a single photograph.

My biggest challenge was finding a place to put my camera and tripod. I wedged myself into a tiny space between teetering towers of rare books and objects, terrified that I could knock something over and start an avalanche. (Click on photo to enlarge)

Mannequins designed to sell women’s fashion and beauty products. The nurses’ uniforms caught my eye. (Click on photo to enlarge) — Mannequins designed to sell women’s fashion and beauty products. The nurses’ uniforms caught my eye. (Click on photo to enlarge)

Steve has authored or co-authored all the books on these shelves. This man does not waste time. (Click on photo to enlarge) — Steve has authored or co-authored all the books on these shelves. This man does not waste time. (Click on photo to enlarge)

Before there was Etsy.com there was Esky, the 1940’s Esquire Magazine Man (middle shelf, tiny figure just to the right of center). PLUS: Razor Blade displays, micro mannequins, one of many Uncle Sam’s in Steve's collection. (Click on photo to e… — Before there was Etsy.com there was Esky, the 1940’s Esquire Magazine Man (middle shelf, tiny figure just to the right of center). PLUS: Razor Blade displays, micro mannequins, one of many Uncle Sam’s in Steve's collection. (Click on photo to enlarge).

Overview: Steve is more curator than hoarder. Still, there’s potential here for a reality TV show. (Click on photo to enlarge) — Overview: Steve is more curator than hoarder. Still, there’s potential here for a reality TV show. (Click on photo to enlarge)

Books not authored by Steve. He sometimes refers to his studio as “The Cave,” perhaps because of the  stacks of books growing up from the floor like stalagmites. (Click on photo to enlarge) — Books not authored by Steve. He sometimes refers to his studio as “The Cave,” perhaps because of the stacks of books growing up from the floor like stalagmites. (Click on photo to enlarge)

Possible inspiration for Lena Dunham’s Girls TV series. Long before Grey’s Anatomy, ad agencies knew that medicine was sexy. (Click on photo to enlarge) — Possible inspiration for Lena Dunham’s *Girls* TV series. Long before *Grey’s Anatomy,* ad agencies knew that medicine was sexy. (Click on photo to enlarge)

Tiny businessman with tiny furniture sans electronic devices or social networking. The large black object on his desk was referred to as a "telephone." (Click on photo to enlarge)

Past presidents - another favorite theme. Ronald Reagan bust by Robert Grossman. W’s bust looks a little mean and simian.  (Click on photo to enlarge) — Past presidents - another favorite theme. Ronald Reagan bust by Robert Grossman. W’s bust looks a little mean and simian. (Click on photo to enlarge)

Was there anything that these commercial pencils couldn’t create? (Click on photo to enlarge) — Was there anything that these commercial pencils couldn’t create? (Click on photo to enlarge)

Steve's desk surrounded by reference material and inspiration. The closet at the end of this room is full of Carousel slide trays. (Click on photo to enlarge) — Steve's desk surrounded by reference material and inspiration. The closet at the end of this room is full of Carousel slide trays. (Click on photo to enlarge)

To each according to Steve’s needs – more figures depicting Mao and the Chinese revolution. (Click on photo to enlarge) — To each according to Steve’s needs – more figures depicting Mao and the Chinese revolution. (Click on photo to enlarge)

New portrait of Sagmeister & Walsh

May 01, 2013

Stefan Sagmeister’s 2008 art exhibition at Dietch Projects in SoHo was the original inspiration for my series of graphic designer portraits. I’ve photographed a dozen other prominent designers since then and Stefan is the first one that I’ve photographed twice. The impetus for that was his new partnership with incredibly talented designer Jessica Walsh.

I spent one afternoon photographing Jessica with Stefan and my favorite portrait is shown above. Sagmeister & Walsh is famous for its use of aphorisms, so it seemed fitting to incorporate one into the portrait. Their faces were lit very simply by the digital projector used to project the STEP UP TO IT sign. The soft evening light falling on the firm’s fourth floor deck provided the only other light source.

True transparency: A 24/7 live video bird’s eye view of Sagmeister & Walsh at work constitutes their website homepage. Clicking on the words painted on the floor navigates users through their site.

Both members of this new partnership garnered a lot of attention by baring all in some arresting and humorous photos of themselves announcing their professional alliance.

The photos received so much attention that I couldn’t help but feel that my portraits of this duo would be the first ever of them wearing clothing. Not true, of course.

Photo by Christian Parsons

Inside the design studio my assistant and I had to gingerly set up our lighting around a number of their designers who were working on a fascinating project involving thousands of vividly painted pencils, hot glue guns, and styrofoam forms spread out all over their floors and desks.

A very low key street entrance illustrating one of their aphorisms: “3rd world offices, 1st world prices”

Encouragement for photographers and their assistants who are schlepping equipment up four flights of stairs.

Past projects including Stefan's famous Lou Reed poster.

The S&W team happily at work.

The view looking out onto 23rd St., one of the busiest streets in Manhattan.

Goodbye, old 21 megapixel friend...

April 16, 2013

I sold my once favorite camera on Ebay the other day. It was my Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III, a remarkable tool whose technical capabilities were outlined in its techy name comprised of numbers, letters, and even classic Roman numerals.

Camera manufacturers, for some reason, refuse to give their products sexy or ironic names like Shutter Leopard, Exposurenator, or Megapixel Badger. The best they can come up with is usually a combination of numbers and letters that hints at years of refining and reworking technical details to death. In the end, however, the names just sound as random as a game of Pachinko.

I’ve replaced that camera with one far better. It not only has a host of incredible features and improvements over my old 1Ds Mark III but Canon gave it a sexier, simpler name: The Canon 1DX. They correctly surmised that eventually there wouldn’t be enough room on the camera body for all those numbers and letters if they continued with the old naming convention.

I like to think that I’m not so nerdy that I could become attached to something like a camera and I really wasn’t. You can’t refer to something that is capable of taking 10 frames a second as an inanimate object but, still, its just a tool. Besides, I had already moved on to a committed relationship with my shiny new 1DX (14 frames per second!) while my Mark III was gathering dust in the closet.

When that winning bid came through on Ebay for my Mark III I was glad to see it go and stop depreciating. The buyer was a Manhattan based orthopedist so I was able to arrange an in person meeting obviating the need for Fedex, insurance, and all that bubble wrap. As I handed over my old camera, a constant and uncomplaining, reliable companion that had accompanied me on hundreds of shoots all over the world for more than 6 years I was surprised to feel a momentary twinge of regret. That camera had taken a lot of great photographs. It had been between my eye and countless adventures - mostly good, some bad and a few really annoying.

It wasn’t exactly a Sophie’s Choice moment but suddenly I started feeling a little sentimental about a little ergonomic black box. “So what kind of photography do you like to do?”, I asked the doctor, hoping that my camera was moving on to a meaningful or exciting retirement. Maybe he’d be taking incredibly sharp photos of his patients’ injuries for medical research. Perhaps it would help him record his African safari vacation or that trip to the Galapagos that he’d been planning for years. “Oh, I’ll probably just use it to take pictures of my grandkids”, he replied.

My heart sunk just a little. All those hopes for my tireless and dedicated camera that had never once asked for a roll of film, a repair, or even an oil change and this was going to be how it spent its last days? I’m sure his grandchildren are really cute, but... Oh well, I could use that money for something that would help me continue to explore my own love of photography. He might use it to take a few photos of his patients and it would make a great tax deduction. As my buyer pulled away with my camera resting on the leather seat of his Infinity, I knew, at the very least, that he had an appreciation for a supremely well crafted piece of technology.

Tokyo Shoot 2

March 22, 2013

Last year I was photographing for a large retailing client in a few places around the world including Tokyo. I had a day off to explore and take some personal photographs. You can see a few of those photos in my blog post from last May below -scroll, scroll, scroll.. I intended to post more of my Tokyo photos and today, Alyson Kuhn, a good friend and ultra talented writer for Felt & Wire beat me to it with a marvelous blog piece about a unique Found Muji store that I stumbled upon in Tokyo. Her post reminded me of the fact that I had some other Tokyo photos I wanted to share...

The National Art Center — The National Art Center

No matter the shape, windows in Tokyo office buildings are the cleanest in the world.

This reminded me of a giant hi-tech version of a New York storefront security gate.

Mad Max inspired boots for the apocalypse

Poster: Why proper footwear is important to your pancreas

New Delhi Group Portrait

December 12, 2012

This is a recent shoot that I did for a client in India. It's one of many complex group portraits that I've shot all over the U.S. and in places as far flung as Tokyo, Shanghai, London, Auckland, and Caracas.

My client was one on the world’s largest and most successful engineering firms. They design and engineer huge projects like dams and airports all over the world. For this photograph we gathered 25 of their local engineers who were working on a major road building project outside of Delhi. We wanted an impressive setting, indicative of India. I relied on my knowledge from previous shoots in India plus the advice of an Indiaphile friend of mine to find this spot, Lodhi Gardens, which had good exposure to late afternoon light.

My assistant, Kyle Dorosz, and I went to the location to work out as many details as we could. With my camera locked down on a tripod I photographed Kyle in 25 different spots in front of the mosque. Later that evening he used his Photoshop skills to give us a preview of what the shot might look like.

That dress rehearsal gave us a critical advantage for the real shoot as we had almost every detail worked out including placement of the subjects around complex areas of type and graphics that would eventually be overlaid on the photo. As is the case for many of my large group portraits I needed to allow for the gutter on a double page spread - a split composition that looks a little off until it's actually in print. Thanks to a lot of careful planning along with the considerable logistical support from my client plus the good weather, our shoot went off quickly without a hitch.

Irish Hunger Memorial

December 10, 2012

This ramp, a favorite of skateboarders, leads up to the memorial's elevated top level, a beautifully conceived half acre chunk of actual imported Irish countryside. This photo, taken with my iPhone, was set to shoot HDR creating a ghosted image of t… — This ramp, a favorite of skateboarders, leads up to the memorial's elevated top level, a beautifully conceived half acre chunk of actual imported Irish countryside. This photo, taken with my iPhone, was set to shoot HDR creating a ghosted image of the boarder.

Last August Antoine Odom, 24, of Long Island, with the help of some “controlled substances” failed to notice the memorial, jumped a curb and crashed into the corner with his Chevy Impala. Five months later a low key memorial to Antoine in the form o… — Last August Antoine Odom, 24, of Long Island, with the help of some “controlled substances” failed to notice the memorial, jumped a curb and crashed into the corner with his Chevy Impala. Five months later a low key memorial to Antoine in the form of a barricade and a sheet of plywood covers the scar. Someone should tell the governor and mayor to fund this repair.

The governor and mayor get top billing for approving the memorial. The artist, Brian Tolle, landscape architect, Gail Wittwer-Laird, and 1100 Architect who collaborated to create the memorial are listed in smaller type off to the side. — The governor and mayor get top billing for approving the memorial. The artist, Brian Tolle, landscape architect, Gail Wittwer-Laird, and 1100 Architect who collaborated to create the memorial are listed in smaller type off to the side.

Ken Carbone and Leslie Smolan

November 30, 2012

I recently had the pleasure of photographing Ken Carbone and Leslie Smolan to add to my series of noted graphic designers. Their new book “Dialog": What Makes a Great Design Partnership shares the story of this legendary partnership.

A few pages from some of the 28 exquisite journals, which Ken refers to as "Soulbooks" or  "a laboratory for ideas". — A few pages from some of the 28 exquisite journals, which Ken refers to as "Soulbooks" or "a laboratory for ideas".

Ken: "I date each page with a rubber stamp. However, I work in them only when I'm inspired. This way it's never forced and always fun."

In total, Ken's journals, compiled over about twenty years, fill roughly 6000 pages of notes and sketches.

New portrait of Phil Berg

September 12, 2012

Meet Phil Berg, whom I photographed as part of my documentary, MONTAUK. The film has been selected to premiere in the New York Surf Film Festival on September 20th. I shot it over two summers and interviewed twenty unique individuals; Phil is one of Montauk's most ebullient residents. Multi-talented, he is a tree surgeon, a baseball coach, a bouncer and a writer—and he goes nowhere without his trusty companion, Umma.

This portrait was set up in the middle of a quiet road on the outskirts of town. We had a huge strobe lighting him, taking up an entire lane. Every few minutes, someone would slowly drive by this spectacle and stop to say hello to Phil. It seems that there wasn’t anyone in town who didn’t know him. The fifth or sixth friend to stop by was driving a monster truck with enormous tires. The driver began chatting with Phil for a few minutes until he was interrupted by his girlfriend, whose head popped up from somewhere below the steering wheel. She cheerfully introduced herself before disappearing again and we continued shooting till the sun went down.

Montauk is a place I love and I hope you can come to see Phil and and the other fascinating citizens of Montauk when my film premieres in The New York Surf Film Festival, next Thursday September 20th at 7:30 pm.

HOW magazine award for my blog

July 02, 2012

I just received the great news that HOW magazine has included my blog as one of their "Top 10" websites for designers. You can see the article by clicking here.

Jessica Hische

June 27, 2012

A few weeks ago I traveled to San Francisco to photograph another subject for my series on noted graphic designers. Jessica Hische is an incredibly talented and versatile letterer, illustrator, and designer who, at the age of 28 has created an enviable and prominent place for herself in the graphic design world.

My assistant and I arrived at her studio in the Mission district one afternoon and I was immediately overwhelmed with the number of fascinating objects and artwork in her, nevertheless, uncluttered space. There were countless examples of her beautiful hand lettering work, lots of interesting furniture, LP’s and a turntable, and a fine collection of the world’s best bourbons.

This plethora of arresting props presented an unusual photographic challenge - too many great objects from which to choose. To make matters worse, she was really fun to talk to about almost everything. Jessica’s considerable language skills are known to many through her hilarious and informative blog pieces. Those talents also came across in her easygoing and lighthearted conversations. I had to force myself to concentrate on photographing her.

The end result was well worth it. I like to think that this photograph, my favorite from the shoot, conveys Jessica’s considerable artistic talents, quirky sense of humor, supreme confidence, and good taste in drinking. It also nicely shows off her Type tattoo. Altogether, she could probably give “The Most Interesting Man in the World” a run for his money. At the very least, I know she has inside jokes with total strangers.

Flag Day

May 09, 2012

Time-Lapse video of Flag Day production

This past winter one of my clients commissioned me to photograph a commemorative flag salvaged from the ruins of The World Trade Center. Following September 11, this enormous flag was restored using pieces of other historically significant flags from around the country. For the tenth anniversary of 9/11, the client asked me to find a unique way to photograph it along with some of their employees. I made a 45 second time lapse video of the ten hour production, which involved 3 assistants, one art director, one client, one hair and make-up artist, and 50 flag bearers. Try to watch it with the sound on.

Tokyo Shoot

May 01, 2012

One of my clients recently sent me to Tokyo, London, and Mexico City on assignment. Between those shoots I had a just little time off to explore all three cities with my camera.

Having photographed in Japan on several occasions over the years I have to say that it's one of my favorite cities in the world. Its the most futuristic, civilized place there is, and its populated by extremely considerate, tidy, and polite people.

Tokyo is very quiet for such a teeming metropolis. People don’t honk their horns, yell, or talk loudly on their cell phones. Sirens from police, firetrucks and ambulances seem to be almost non-existent. An ambulance driver transporting a dying patient calmly encourage other cars to move out of the way using a relatively quiet and, of course, hi-fidelity speaker atop the ambulance. You don’t have to scream when you know how to manufacture some of the best speakers in the world.

You’ve probably seen those videos of Japanese commuters being shoved into rush hour subway cars by professional sardine packers. My assistant and I avoided the subway at that time of day and, instead found many serene and beautiful environments. See below..

Steve-O animated book cover

January 20, 2012 in Blog

Hyperion books recently commissioned me to photograph Stephen Glover (AKA Steve-O of “Jackass” fame) for the cover portrait of his new memoir. Conscientious photographer that I am, I decided to do my homework by buying two tickets to see Jackass 3D. That weekend I was visiting my 86 year old father, who, sadly, is suffering from early stages of Alzheimer’s. I wanted to get him out of the house for a memorable experience and decided that Jackass 3D might do the trick. In his earlier years, this is not the kind of movie to which I would have considered taking him. Now he seemed to find the antics of Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O and friends to be interesting enough, viewed through the first 3D glasses he’d ever worn. Fortunately, I think he’s forgotten the experience and inadvertently forgiven me.

I photographed Steve-O on a studio cyclorama with nothing more than a loaded staple gun and a piece of paper for props. The graphics on the paper were added later in post to give us some flexibility. A dedicated performer, Steve-O actually shot about a dozen large staples into his chest for our shoot. Over the course of our two hour shoot we tried a lot of pretty crazy poses. He’s fit, extremely flexible and a great physical comedian. As a result we got far more hilarious photos than we could possibly use and editing it down to one cover image was not easy.

Fortunately, we found a way to use a few more of those photos in the animated version of Steve-O’s book cover intended for use on the iPad. . My very talented video editor, Aaron Wolfe, created some unique action combined with music to bring my still photos to life.

Click here to see and hear a 13 second version of a groundbreaking experiment in electronic publishing. You’ll can also see a very short clip of Steve-O talking about this shoot while he removes those staples.

Here are the images used for our animation:

A Holiday to Remember

December 21, 2011 in Blog

When you think about Christmas in New York City a lot of beautiful holiday imagery comes to mind - the giant dead tree at Rockefeller Center, ice skating on the Don's Trump Rink in Central Park, tourists choking the sidewalks in huge lines outside of Juicy Couture on Fifth Avenue. This year, I wanted to share with you a very special sort of New York way to celebrate the holidays. The guys who park my car throughout 2011 are perfectly nice and they are that much nicer each day closer to Christmas. As a photographer I really appreciate this sentimental card that was left on the passenger seat of my car last week. These portraits of my friends, Diego, Luis, and Omar really capture their dedication and personalities. The Disney Corporation's contribution to this charming exercise in institutionalized gift giving makes it that much more special. Its as if my garage attendants were just three more lovable animated Disney characters holding out their white gloved hands.

In the spirit of Christmas, I can't really blame these guys for wanting a good New York Christmas sized tip. Even though my monthly garage fee is higher than rent for a studio apartment in Austin, the attendants are probably underpaid. Never mind that they occasionally leave white paint marks from the garage's support columns on my car. During the holidays I can usually get them to clean that off for me - all with a smile and that special gleam in their eyes.

Happy Holidays!

Steve-O book cover for iPad

November 09, 2011 in Video

July 22, 2011

It’s amazing that it looks intimate with the photographer on the east side of town and the subject on the west. — Michael Bierut

One day last winter I went out to photograph the streets of Manhattan, freshly covered with a thick blanket of snow. Instead, I accidentally spotted the perfect setting for my upcoming portrait of Michael Bierut as I walked past Pentagram’s Fifth Avenue building glowing warmly in the blue light of dusk.

Pentagram has been a very familiar place for me since the 1980’s. I’ve shot for a number of their designers in the United States and overseas and had the honor of collaborating on some of my favorite projects with Peter Harrison, Woody Pirtle, Michael Gericke, David Hillman, and Michael Bierut.

Having Michael stand in Pentagram’s window above his firm’s renowned name seemed like the perfect setting for his portrait. He agreed to the concept perhaps because he liked the fact that he only had to step away from his desk for a few minutes.

July 20, 2011

The best viewpoint required that I shoot from a twelve foot ladder on Fifth Avenue at rush hour, across the street from Pentagram. I unsuccessfully attempted to get a permission from the city of New York and then just decided to wing it, hoping that any passing police would assume that I must have a permit. To decrease my chances of getting run over by a bus, I persuaded a NYC garbage truck driver to park on Fifth Avenue in just the right spot to protect me and my ladder from traffic.