Dylan and Havens

© Joe DiMaggio

© Joe DiMaggio

To all the ships at sea, there are certain consistencies or better we call them truths in life. For me, one of these truths is to always to seek the advice of the elder of the village. I presume that this has been the way of the world from time immemorial, and here you see Dylan Michael communicating with our dear friend Richie Havens, discussing whether to use a pick or not. I think the conversation progressed to lyrics and Woodstock; I was personally not privileged to the conversation. I made the photo and moved on. There is one thing that never ceases to amaze me; how important photography is in all of our lives. I totally forgot about this photo, but while doing some research on Pete Seeger, I stumbled across Dylan with Richie. Canon F1, Fujichrome, about 1/90, bounce flash, 50mm lens. Pick an aperture; I don’t remember.  Sing in peace, Richie. You’re probably sitting on a solid gold stool. Great times of our lives, suspended in photography.

Wheeler at MOMA

I know everyone who attended the photo retreat on Memorial Day weekend- Every person, to a man and a woman all said the same thing. They absolutely loved Dennis Wheeler. The idea of sharing my 30 plus years relationship with Dennis with the students worked out better than I expected. To say Dennis is a master of the arts would be an understatement. He’s a Renaissance man on steroids. Every time I feel a visual block getting ready to bite me on the butt I call Dennis and invite myself to his farm, where he proceeds to motivate me to get off my duff and start producing work. I sat listening to every word that Dennis spoke and watching the faces of the participants and guests at the party. It was a beautiful thing. Here are a couple of comments.


“Thank you for inviting me to the Retreat/Party.  It was an enjoyable experience, in which I learned a great deal about photography, creativity and myself.  Meeting Dennis Wheeler gave me new insight into questions that remained unanswered until his down to earth, realism in his lecture.  

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“The Retreat was a great success on all levels.  Hope to see you on June 12, 2011 in Lower Manhattan. All the best.” 
     ~Ralph Mocciola

“A special thank you to Dennis Wheeler for demonstrating that creativity does not stop at 60 – whatever – years old!”
     ~Linda Pedersen

“It is hard to put into words what this past visit with you has meant.  I find the below a step in the process of putting into words what occurred at your home and Learning Center.  That said, I look forward to further workshops that explore what the below author suggests, and what Dennis Wheeler demonstrated.”
     ~David Kenny

“I had a wonderful time, learned a lot, got to exchange ideas with a great group of photographers, had an opportunity to listen and learn from an accomplished artist (Dennis Wheeler)…”
     ~Ann Raine


Thank you for a most wonderful day, I think it was better than any of us could have imagined.  It was a great experience to sit around and talk about the arts and meet and spend time with Dennis, and to be topped off with some great music with Bobby and the boys.  But the best was the hospitality you, Joe and Dylan exhibited by opening your home to us and ensuring that we all had a marvelous day.  Thanks again, and look forward to seeing everyone again, real soon.”
     ~Jeffery Thomas

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To Blog or Not to Blog?

To blog or not to blog, that is the question. The reality is, I’ve had two major assignments in the last month. My first priority is to my clients. I love all of you guys, but business before pleasure. This is really great business. I had an opportunity to work with a dear friend, Dennis Wheeler, Dennis was not only the creative director but art director on a major shoot for John Moss of Galvanic Printing. Dennis was commissioned by John to generate a wall mural to compliment his new Hidelburg press. Dennis will do all the design work and the actually assembling of the collage in both the foyer and in the press area. My job was to photograph the stills and Dylan Michael will generate the HD video. There are very few times when you have all of the stars aligned in the right direction. Any time I can work with Dennis, John, & Dylan it’s a great thing! The creative juices flow the way the ink flows on the paper. The combination of this assignment and my first four consecutive days off in Montauk Point, I feel great! So if anybody would like to borrow a lens, now would be a good time to get in touch with me. NOT! I was totally fascinated by the empty ink cans and we will incorporate those graphic designs into the final layouts. So thanks Dennis, John, & Dylan. It’s all good. I’ll have a lot more to say about this in the next few weeks.