© JoAnne Kalish
JoAnne is on assignment in Florida, so I thought I’d put up one of her underwater shots. It was taken with a Nikonos 4, a Nikonos strobe, and I believe the original was done on Velvia 50 in Bonaire. I like the photo so I put it up. To all the ships at sea, go out and make a photograph. Have a great Tuesday.
© Joe DiMaggio
“It’s not dark yet but it’s gettin’ there
I was born here and I’ll die here against my will
I know it looks like I’m movin’ but I’m standin’ still”
-Bob Dylan
While going through hundreds of thousands of images looking for 47 photographs for my new book- that first need to be found, then scanned, cleaned, and yes a little Photoshop maybe, it’ll all be good- what do I come up with? A short film that I directed a few years ago. I’m looking at half of the control room and half of the set. Oh my God. Total crew; 22 people, two gaffing trucks, executive producer, line producer, two editors, craft services, gaffers… that’s enough, you know where I’m going. See the last photo, talk about streamlining your crew. It’s all for fun, it’s all good. It’s Monday; go make a photograph, or a short film. Gone with the??? Joe D.
No, that’s not me with the camera around my neck
JoAnne Kalish; the world’s greatest crew
Approximately three decades ago, I had the pleasure of going to Sylvia’s for the first time with Gordon Parks. Suffice to say, it was a great meal, great conversation, and Sylvia was just so warm and beautiful. Two years later, American Airlines called me to do a photoshoot at Sylvia’s. I walked in; she not only remembered me, but gave me a hug and a kiss. Over the years, I’ve sent hundreds of my friends from all over the world to Sylvia’s. But I was a bad boy; I hadn’t seen Sylvia in over twenty-five years. I walked in with my son Dylan and Dylan’s close friend. They were on their way to Vietnam, so I thought I’d take them out for dinner before going to the airport. I walked in, I didn’t see Sylvia, and my heart stopped. I went to the young lady behind the counter and asked “Is Sylvia here” she said “Yes, she’s sitting in the back.” As I walked over to Sylvia, I smiled and said “Sylvia, you probably don’t…” she stopped me and said “Hi Joe, how are you? Haven’t seen you in a long time.” Hugs and kisses for everybody, including Dylan and his friend Moe, and of course, a great meal. I planned on seeing her in about a month, but I guess that’s not going to happen now. Maybe if I’m lucky, I’ll see her on the other side. Sylvia, have a great trip.
Joe D.
© Joe DiMaggio
To all the ships at sea, working photographers make photographs for many reasons. One of the number one reasons is money, and it’s not a great motivator. Once every four, five, or six years, you have an opportunity to meet not only a great and powerful person, but a genuinely beautiful human being and you’re asked to do an environmental portrait. In this particular case, that person was Vito Russo. In my opinion, he was possibly the most powerful person on the planet, when it came to being an advocate not only for gay rights, but for pushing the envelope to seek a cure for the dreaded HIV/AIDS. I would love to tell you that we were extremely close friends, but that would be a gross exaggeration. I met him two or three times before I photographed him, and as with all great relationships, my love for him was predicated on respect. Last night at about 10:30, with my eyes starting to drip blood as I was editing 80 gigs of video (throwing out the unacceptable footage), I turned the TV on and there was Vito. Somewhere towards the middle of the documentary, up popped one of the 300 photos I had taken of him over the years. As a filmmaker, I was extremely proud that they held that photo and then zoomed in, and for HBO it was shown for an eternity. Then again, they used it at the end of the piece. Twenty-four years ago, the last thing I remember is Vito and I in a warm embrace at the end of the shoot. Photography is more important than money; it’s history, visual literacy that will not allow us to forget. Sometimes, even I forget the power and beauty of a still photograph.
To all the ships at sea; I’d like to share this letter I wrote to my dear friend Bill DeSmedt.
Your book Singularity may not have made the New York Times bestseller list and that’s a shame.
The short story you wrote on Pepper will certainly make the bestseller list in heaven. I know nothing about writing but what I do know, is that when somebody puts their heart and soul into the creative process, it shows. There’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that Pepper was your dog and you had a very special relationship with her. Over the ten year period I knew Pepper, the two of us had a special relationship also, even if it was only for an hour or two. I will always keep fond memories in my heart for our lost best friend.
Anyone who knows me knows that I don’t like the cold weather. While working on a short video piece for CBS, I found myself literally in the cold for two days. In reality, it was an awful lot of fun, and the video turned out quite well. While we’re going through this heat wave, I just thought I’d cool you down with some ice photos. Photos were taken with a 5D Mark 2 and a 7D, 100mm 2.8 macro lens, 24/105 zoom and a 10/22 mm f4, a super light Manfrotto video tripod, a Zacuto finder, a Singh-Ray variable neutral density filter, Manfrotto ballhead, and a Sartek underwater light. If you have a few minutes, take a look at my first Adorama TV episode.
Thanks, Joe D.
To all the ships at sea; during my career at Sports Illustrated, I believe I only shot 5 baseball games; 3 in the world series, and 2 in the playoffs. Oops, I forgot about Sport Magazine; 2 for them on a cover of Carl Yastrzemski. I recently had an opportunity to put together a combination advanced photographic workshop on sport and action photography, and a short film for Adorama TV. I called in some favors from major league baseball, which allowed me to bring my crew in for a triple A game between the Iron Pigs and the SW Yankees. It was a great evening. Next month you will be able to see the video on Adorama TV. The above photograph was taken by Dylan: 300mm 2.8 lens, Canon 7D with battery grip, Getso monopod, stadium mercury vapor lights, exposure 1/1000 of a second at 2.8 with an ISO of 3200. Summer’s here, what a great excuse to go make some photos. So get some batteries, get some flash cards, or a roll of Tri-x, and make some photos. Joe D.
© Joe DiMaggio
To all the ships at sea; still working on the book, looking for photographs of the Olympic trials. This photo was done for Time Magazine, doesn’t really need a caption. Shot with a Canon f1 EOS-1N, 180mm lens, 1/200th of a second, at 2.8 kodachrome 64.
© Joe DiMaggio 2012
To all the ships at sea; we’ve been working on the third and final edit of my book. The problem is, we have five different titles. Maybe in the next 20 years I’ll become decisive, who knows? While looking for an illustration of a London pub, I found an old kodachrome 200, shot on a Nikon f2 with a 15mm 5.6 lens, at 1/30 of a second, wide open, handheld. Hollywood spends an awful lot of money smoking a set to get this type of effect. The smoke may not be good for you, but it’s beautiful on film. Smoke and back lighting; it doesn’t get better than that. Go out and make some great photos. It’s all good. Joe D.
Joe DiMaggio 