A Helicopter, an Aircraft Carrier, and a $10,000 Photograph - Dancers Among Us Reaches New Heights!

Last Wednesday I spent ten hours photographing five Dancers Among Us scenarios. ZDF German Television captured the day for a lifestyle segment to air this summer throughout Europe. It was an exciting and creative day. This is the story of the first unbelievable shoot, with more to exciting stories to follow this week.

I met Marcella Guarino at V.I.P Heliport before our helicopter was due to arrive. That's what I said- our helicopter. To put this in perspective, the cost for private access to a helicopter for a photograph is pocket-change. You know, just $10,000.

I have been trying for months to make this shot happen. It all centered on Marcella- she is no stranger to the helicopter experience, and she made a few calls. Late Tuesday night we got the thumbs up- we are free to shoot on the heliport.

...for fifteen minutes! If we go over, we have to pay. *Gulp*

Marcella warmed up and we practiced the shot as we listened for the hum of the rotors above us.

Behind-the-scenes photos by Travis Francis

The helicopter arrived and we were ushered into the waiting area. It was very dramatic. I had 15 minutes to get the shot, and I had no idea what it would look like when we got out there. We couldn't control the direction the helicopter would be facing, that was up to the wind. And I was told the blades would be turned off- absolutely, no exception, non-negotiable.

"But it would be so amazing. She's flying through the air just under the blades, and it will add this element of drama, and..."

Somehow that argument didn't sway them.

I wanted Marcella to look like a socialite on her way to the Hamptons, and she pulled off the styling perfectly. But the shot was still incomplete in my mind. It was missing an element, and I couldn't put my finger on it (I am not exactly a regular at heliports).

"Your helicopter is ready."

I turned to see a pilot straight out of Central Casting. Now the shot was complete.

"Want to be in the coolest photograph ever?" I asked. A big dork moment, but it worked!

We ran outside and got hit by a wall of sweltering heat. We started shooting and Marcella started sweating.

"Great! Go again. Beautiful. Again." We took thirty shots in five minutes.




We hid in the helicopter for a break from the heat. Marcella was wiped out. We reviewed the photos and saw several we liked!






As we were patting ourselves on the back, relieved that we got the shot so quickly, the pilot said casually, "How about this aircraft carrier floating by? Might look good in the background."

Fleet Week was over, and the sailors were passing by us at that very moment, pulled by a tugboat. We had five minutes left to shoot, and they would be gone in about two. We scurried back into the heat. Marcella shifted into gear, propelled by the drama of the moment.




Everyone was ecstatic. We finished in time, and the circumstances were unbelievable. An aircraft carrier rarely passes that heliport, and we were there to witness and capture it. That alone was enough to make the shot one of my very favorites.

Thank you to the folks at Heliflite for their extreme generosity, to the pilot for his amazing art direction, and to Marcella for absolutely everything else.

To view an awesome video of this shoot by Travis Francis, CLICK HERE!

One would think a scenario with a helicopter would be enough excitement to photograph for one day- just wait until tomorrow's post when the Dancers Among Us shoot continues! Breaking the law to get the next shot was nothing compared to what I asked Jermaine Terry from Alvin Ailey to do...

My Lucky Life

My mother died last Monday. Two days later I went back to work. She wouldn't have been surprised.

As a child I was surrounded by eccentric and creative people. My grandparents were all artists- a photographer, a painter, a pianist and an actor. My uncle is a guitarist, my father a filmmaker, and my mother was a flutist. That's everyone. A small but highly artistic family.

I grew up the only child of divorced and impulsive parents. We moved a lot. Extreme behavior seemed normal to me, and I hated the instability of their Bohemian and irresponsible lifestyles. I envied the stable, suburban upbringing of my friends. I wished my name was John and that my parents were accountants. I went off to college and declared my major- Economics.

That lasted one semester. I never stood a chance. The fear of instability of an artistic life was trumped by the fear of boredom.

With death comes reflection. My mind has been frantically racing against time, storing up memories before they begin to fade. As I think back on my childhood with her, one image dominates my mind- my mother playing scales on her flute.

Every day. For hours. And it would drive her crazy.

Fah, fa, fa, fa, fa, fa...

"Aggghhh!!"

Fah, fa, fa, fa, fa, fa...

"Aggghhh!!"

As a child I found her perfectionism infuriating- every "Aggghhh!!" meant I would have to listen to another scale. Now I find it inspiring. Music was her lifeblood. Whenever she was having a difficult time, which was often, she reached for her flute. As she played, her sanity was briefly restored. Now I find myself in crisis, and I have reached for my camera. Photography has helped restore my sanity as well.

I do not intend for this to be a eulogy, and I am wary of revealing such a personal and painful journey. But my mother's death has helped me realize how lucky I am, and I feel compelled to share it. While many people mourn privately and stay away from work as long as possible, I felt an urgency to return. I am living my passion, and I know how rare that is. Photography doesn't just make me happy, it makes me whole.

Today I am running around NYC, photographing Dancers Among Us. I am being filmed by ZDF German Television- they are doing a segment on me to air throughout Europe. On Friday I will be meeting with publishers about a book and calendar collaboration. These events are a culmination of two years of work, and I wish my mother was here to share it with me. I did not mention these new opportunities to her, nor did I acknowledged her role in shaping my passion. The best I can do is acknowledge her now, and continue forging a path that would have made her proud.

Thank you, Mom.

A Child's Power to Heal

Sunday night I received an email from a friend. His mother passed away that weekend. I wrote him this note:

"I'm very sorry Steve. I haven't lost a parent yet, so I can't really understand what you're going through. But I imagine it must be very difficult. Please let me know if you need anything."

The following morning my phone rang. It was my mother. I was busy and didn't answer. She called back a few more times. Finally I picked up. A police officer was on the line instead.

"I am sorry to inform you that your mother passed away. She was discovered today in her apartment."

The unexpected death of a parent brings a sudden and unrelenting pain. A quote has been haunting me-

If you had one phone call to make, who would you call and what would you say? Why aren't you making that call?

I wish I had remembered that quote last week.

Monday was a long, raw day. I was feeling alone and exhausted. I came home in the evening, and went directly to my studio to hide out. My 5-year-old son sauntered in, right before his bedtime.

"Throw me some pitches Dad."

"I'm a little worn out tonight. I'm pretty sad."

"Why?"

"My mommy died today."

"Why?"

"I don't know yet."

"Come on, just a few pitches."

"Okay."

We headed outside. Before he even picked up his bat, he had a better idea.

"Let's go to the baseball field."

"The baseball field?? It's your bedtime."

"Come on, just for a minute. Puh-leeeeeeease"

"Okay."

We spent an hour playing baseball together as the sunset. Then we went to a local bar, ate pasta and watched the Yankee game. We talked baseball strategy and voted on our favorite commercials. He made me laugh. Finally he curled up in my lap, hours after his bedtime. I stroked his hair and felt truly fortunate. For a few hours, the unrelenting pain had relented.

I began the day as a devastated son, alone in the world, and ended it as a grateful father. I hope one day my son's child will give him the same comfort. There is no greater gift.

Hudson with his grandmother, 2007

No Time. No Budget. No Permission - How I Shot My First Book Cover In 15 Minutes

My literary agent, Barney Karpfinger, called me a few weeks ago with an urgent request. A client of his, Leah Hager Cohen, had written a beautiful book about a family dealing with the loss of a child. The publisher was having a difficult time finding appropriate cover art, a deadline was quickly approaching, and they might have to settle on a cover that nobody was crazy about. In contrast to the heavy tone present in the book's title, The Grief of Others, he wanted a cover that offered some hope yet also retained a sense of mystery. He asked me to create a cover photo with two essential elements- home and light. I suggested the first image that came to me-a house at dusk with light pouring out of the windows, and a happy family scene inside. The mother would be alone representing the family's grieving, in juxtaposition to the joyful scene in the next room. It was a long shot, but we decided to give it a try.

I had to implement this concept immediately. It is unheard of for an author or agent to submit their own cover art. The publisher did not know Barney had contacted me, so we had to ensure to get them an exciting image before they finalized the cover later in the week. Cover art typically involves weeks of pre-production, days of shooting, and weeks of post-production. I had 48 hours. And I've never done it before.

First, I needed to find the home. My wife suggested a stunning yellow Victorian, and I approached the owner- "Are you home tomorrow? Want a nice photo of your house?". Then I needed to find the right mix of family members- kids had to be the right age, parents under 40 and attractive. I combined two sets of friends to obtain the perfect mix. We all met and waited for sunset. I had not done any location scouting nor did I bring any lighting, and proceeded with trust that it would work out. We turned on all the house lights, and as the skies darkened I shouted out directions from across the street. I took 100 photos in 15 minutes, and then it became night.

I sent a few images to the publisher and hoped for the best.

(Click images to enlarge for detail)


A week later I received an email attachment with this mock-up.

They loved it! However, they also thought the mom in the window was a bit creepy and Psycho-esque. Did I have any other options? ...Nope. (I had not mentioned I only was able to shoot for 15 minutes!). Could I reshoot the mom again, so they could combine the photos in Photoshop? Oh, and could I do it tonight?

The mother I had recruited is an artist and friend, and the home owner is very proud of her home. I asked the mother to walk up the stairs towards her family, and sent this photo over the next day:

Yesterday I received this final cover from my agent, with effusive notes of gratitude. Everyone was happy.

My first book cover! Next stop- romance novels. Those must be fun to shoot.

Dinner with Bill Irwin

Monday night I shared a burger with Bill Irwin. We watched the Mets lose again, and we talked for hours about topics which mostly began with one of us saying "Between you and me…". I am therefore sworn to silence. However, one topic is definitely available for public consumption- Bill is writing a book about practical thoughts on the craft of acting, which will include his anecdotes from the trade. He briefly touched on a few of these thoughts and anecdotes, and it is very clear this will be a fascinating book.

For those of you who are not familiar with Bill's work (is there anyone who is not?), he is a Tony Award winning actor, dancer, performance artist, producer, director, writer, choreographer, and the greatest vaudeville clown of his generation. He has starred on Broadway, in films and on television for decades. Other than that, he hasn't really done much.

I photographed Bill last year when he graciously agreed to pose for my Dancers Among Us series. We shot in a mall, and he improvised vaudeville dance while listening to headphones in a music store. After, he felt like clowning around (cheesy pun intended), so he threw on his clown suit and we went for a walk.

During our dinner, I told Bill a story about my son. He had just won the game ball in his T-ball league (proud dad moment- click here to check out my son's awesome swing!). As I looked at the ball later that night, I got teary. I felt the sentiment I know will be attached to that ball in the years to come. I fear the loss of his innocence and the loss of this magical time of his life. This began a discussion about the content in Bill's book. He considers a sense of loss as an essential element in understanding a character. In an overall sense, he feels the actor's job is telling the story of loss.

We continued our discussion through email, and this struck me:

"What is any character's sense of loss? Loss is -- paradoxically -- often a more useful story to an audience than joy or satisfaction (though they're important, too, and maybe harder to play). Useful, but it can also trip us up as actors -- the wrong kind of preoccupation with the idea of loss. How to keep from letting it do that...."

I used to be an actor, so I can appreciate the complexity of this approach. I worked with gifted actors and directors at Circle in the Square, where I studied acting intensively for two years and was never exposed to an approach like his. For any actor (or publisher, for that matter) reading this blog, know that Bill's book will be invaluable.

If you only know Bill as a clown, you've just scratched the surface of his talents. Start by renting Rachel Getting Married, and you'll see an actor dealing with a character's sense of loss. His performance blew my mind.

Rye High School Students Explore Photography

Recently I was invited to speak at Rye High School in Westchester, NY. I visited students from AP Photography, and we discussed the nuts and bolts of a photographer's life. The head of the department, Tony Campbell, had seen Dancers Among Us and used it to inspire their creativity. He gave them this assignment- Bring a friend to model in a location where either what they are doing or wearing juxtaposes the environment. Sound familiar?

I really enjoyed meeting them. They seemed interested and passionate, and several plan to pursue professional careers as photographers. My main point of emphasis was, to quote Nike, just do it! Every day each of them will have a choice- to grab their camera and go make photographs, or not to. It's really that simple. The ones who say yes every day will probably have exciting careers, and the ones who say no should find something else to do.

Below are the results of their assignment. They all headed into NYC on a cold Saturday and walked around with their cameras (which is basically my job description every day). And they took some cool photos. Just imagine how much they'd learn if they did that every weekend!

I made this offer to them, and I'd like to extend it to any young, passionate kids interested in photography. Come to my studio, watch the process, join me on a shoot, pick my brain. I'm convinced I have the greatest job on earth. Spend some time with me and you'll be convinced too.

Image by Cat Raynor

Image by Eleni Speal

Image by Katie Geogehegan

Image by Kelly Bonaventura

Image by Kelly Bonaventura

Image by Kelly O'Neill

Photo by Will Florio

Uncovered: Photographing the Way You're Supposed to Look

When I was working on Uncovered, the BBC flew in from the UK to do a feature on me. They asked me to set up a few shoots, and I preferred women who hadn't participated in the project already because their reactions to being shirtless in public would be more dramatic. However, there was one exception. I knew I had to recruit Kim, who is quite possibly the most inspiring person I have ever photographed. I wanted Europe to hear what she had to say.

I called Kim. She had tragically just lost her fiance in a drowning accident. She was devastated, but chose to join me anyway - she was trying to move on with her life. I told the BBC producer, Betsy, about the accident, and when she met Kim, she offered her support. "I'm part of an online support group - I lost my sister in a drowning accident." Kim said, "Betsy? Betsy from England?" Betsy's mouth dropped open. "Oh my God, Kim from Brooklyn." They had been communicating every day for weeks.

Take a look at the BBC feature by clicking on the image below-





Below are two passages from Uncovered. She has much more to say, but I have to hold something back so you'll buy the book.

“I’m very comfortable with my body and I know that everybody is not supposed to look the same. My grandfather always said to me, ‘We’re not all the same. And you’re not meant to look like Gretchen who lives down the road; you’re meant to look like Kimberly. That’s who you are.’ He was telling me this because I developed breasts at a very young age — I was a size 34D at age 11. The kids used to tease me and I would cry because I felt like a freak. But he said, ‘Don’t feel that way. You look the way you’re supposed to look.’ So growing up, I knew this. And I know that no matter how much weight I lose, I will never look like Tyra Banks, so why not be the best Kim I can be?"

When I was invited on to the Tyra Banks Show to discuss Uncovered, I brought Kim with me. She told Tyra about this quote, and Tyra got a big kick out of it. To take a look, click on the image below.

“I asked my 11-year-old son, ‘How would you feel if Mommy took her shirt off in public and people saw?’ And he said, ‘Well, Mom, I’m 11 so I’d be embarrassed . . . but they were my food at one point, and that’s fine.’ So I showed him my picture. And he looked for a long time, and finally he said, ‘You know, that’s right! You are beautiful. You should stand up.’ My son doesn’t care about the size of a woman’s breasts. He says he’s much more concerned about her being happy with who she is. He says, ‘If she doesn’t like herself, what good is that going to do me?’”