© Joe DiMaggio
To all the ships at sea, if you ever decide to write a book (an autobiography, a memoir, etc) and you’re involved in the arts; whether you’re a musician, an oil painter, a sculptor, or even a photographer, I’m going to give you the tip of the century. Before you write the book, go into your archives and find ALL of your artwork, photography, and illustrations before you put a pencil to paper. Okay, a new ribbon in the typewriter. Okay, a new tape in the tape recorder. Buy a new laptop? Oh, remember the save button; always remember the save button. Now that I’ve given you this great advice, anyone who knows me knows that I did what? Didn’t pay any attention to it. So now my publisher is screaming because the book is finished, but the illustrations go back to the black and white film days and Kodachrome one and two, and the sheer numbers are astronomical. As a subtext to this, you also find out that the quote “your first 10,000 photographs are your worst” from Henri Cartier-Bresson was accurate times ten. While looking for several book covers I did with my dear friend Bert Sugar, I stumbled across a few frames. The Bertster was a true Damon Runyon character, and as I recently found out, he was one of the original Mad Men. He also wrote what is (in my mind) one of the greatest jingles of all time; N-e-s-t-l-e-s Nestles makes the very best… chocolate.
© Joe DiMaggio
© Joe DiMaggio
Joe DiMaggio 
Hi Joe,
I’ve been going over your past blogs, enjoyed the great photos! and the stories are very informative. Also, I would like to say, it was real pleasure meeting you in July in New York and attending your workshop, that Sunday. I must say you are a terrific instructor and very compassionate. You put all your students at ease and do a great job at explaining various techniques. Your workshops are well worth the investment and very reasonable in price compared to some other pros. I would highly recommend anyone who is getting into photography to attend your workshops to get a good start in the field. Again, thanks Joe, I will be sending a note to Adorama, to let them know, I was very pleased with your workshop and will be attending another one in the near future.
Steve H.