Old Photographers Never Die, They Just Fade Away

Yes, I'm taking liberties from General Douglas McArthur, who, when fired by President Harry Truman, gave a speech from the rostrum of congress.

Yet, the title does apply here. Sure, many of us know the larger-than-life names from bygone eras such as Weegee, Henri Cartier Bresson, et al. Many a lesser name have toiled at newspapers and magazines without nearly as much recognition, and many of them were excellent photographers.

A long time ago, I picked up a catch-phrase that I still strongly believe in: "Think in panavision, not in tunnel vision". I try to do that everyday. And I'm trying to do that with regards to "The ART of Celebrity Photography", as it's not just about the present, but, as I have said on a few occasions, we must continue to delve into our past to help us understand where we are in this game today.

The photographer I'm interviewing tomorrow falls into the category of many a forgotten names that have been superseded by the current generation. You will have to wait until the podcast goes live to find out who my guest will be, but what I can do now is tell you that he is currently 79 years old, moved away from his native NYC and now lives quietly on the west coast,

and has some interesting distinctions in his bio, to-wit:

Frank Sinatra once took a punch at him. (Ol' Blue Eyes didn't want him around when he was romancing Ava Gardner), Judy Garland threw a towel at him (she was in a rush to be with Ali Khan), in an interview with Otto Preminger which he had to cut short, the film director asked, "Are you bored with me?" He was the first to appear at Anne Bancroft's Greenwich Village apartment to capture the actress's reaction to winning the Academy Award for "The Miracle Worker" in 1962. At the Carlyle Hotel in New York City, President John F. Kennedy borrowed change from him to make a phone call.

Who is this man? He's a veteran photojournalist with more than fifty years of experience using his camera to tell the news, and he can tell a story behind virtually every unforgettable photo he has ever made. And he used the same talents when he would photograph celebrities.

I, for one, am really looking forward to this interview; a slice of photographic history that helps bring things into perspective.

From hia Bio:

He served as a former President of the New York Press Photographers Association. So good was he with his craft that when crime disturbed Gotham's sleep during the late 1960's, the new york cops didn't summon Batman to the scene. They called him. When they did, he would excuse himself from the company of Walter Winchell at Lindy's, or Leonard Lyons at "21" or Earl Wilson at Toots Shor's, and head over to the scene of the crime. There he would use his zen-like calm to "make" his photos.

His images remind us that sometimes the most moving pictures of all don't always move.

Of Blogs, Podcasts and New Media

I admit, sometimes I'm late to the party. I remember years ago, while I was living in Miami Beach, I got to be friends with a few of the lifeguards at the beach, and when they heard about

my business, they started talking greek to me.... the Internet; how to go to a page you'd have to

type these slash marks, emails had to use an @ sign.

I looked at him like he had three heads! Who had time for that??!! Not me! I had work to do! Foolish me... look where we all are today with the net.

Fast forward. Forget the old ads from American Express cards, about don't leave home without it!. Now, with an iPhone, that is tool I don't leave home without. emails, faxes (yes, although a legacy technology, it is still being used), photos, web surfing... you know it all these days, I don't have to enumerate.

So, I've had the idea of The ART of Celebrity Photography since my days in Miami Beach, but never did anything with it. Why not? Who knows. Perhaps lazy, as it takes time away from the business to start it up, but finally, after so many years, I decided to get moving on it.

Five episodes in now and I'm having a great time with it. Reception from the listeners is good, reception from the photographers is good... a rewarding feeling to create something new.

It's a bit difficult to get some of the photographers to sit down and talk about this type of work,

but I'm hoping the current episodes of the podcast will help break down the apprehension of doing an interview. After all, it's no secret that the photographer that lives this life works damn hard, and they are, if anything, under appreciated.

It''s been suggested that newspapers are legacy media. That is hard to get out of my mind, yet, there may indeed be truth that suggestion. So here I am, trying two, not one, but two (count 'em!) new media concepts. Time will tell, but it sure is interesting to finally breathe the podosphere and the blogosphere... like diving into that cold ocean; brisk feeling, to say the least.