Blog on Blog

Posted by Joe DiMaggio on

I was in a pre-production meeting last week with an old client, a new creative director, and a young lady who was in charge of social media. You know what? They didn’t teach us this stuff in school. It’s downright amazing how fast things are moving. Trying to keep up is a full-time job. Actually, that’s not a bad idea. We need to get 2 or 3 interns- one for blogging, one for tweeting, and one for starting the car in case somebody puts a bomb in it. On that note, to all the ships at sea, we’ve got another blog! Here’s the link.

http://www.blogjoedimaggio.wordpress.com

Adorama Inaugural Street Fair

Posted by Joe DiMaggio on

 

My dear friend Monica Cipnic asked me if I would come and do a few programs for the Adorama Inaugural Street Fair. My answer was, “Of course!” She put me in contact with Brian Green, who is Vice President of Marketing. Two phone calls, one email, and we were ready to go. To say the program was successful is really an understatement. They had over 9,000 attendees and it was a great cross-section of photographers, beginners to well-seasoned pros. And the bottom line is: It was a lot of fun. I managed to squeeze in 3 separate programs, and from the response on Facebook, that was pretty successful. (Notice how I’m throwing around all those high-tech, modern things like “Facebook”? You didn’t think I knew what that was, did you? If it’s good enough for Lady Gaga and President Obama, who am I to say it’s not cool?) Hopefully, this will be just the first of many. Thank the powers that be for the opportunity.

Joe DiMaggio

 

Adorama Inaugural Street Fair

Posted by Joe DiMaggio on

My dear friend Monica Cipnic asked me if I would come and do a few programs for the Adorama Inaugural Street Fair. My answer was, “Of course!” She put me in contact with Brian Green, who is Vice President of Marketing. Two phone calls, one email, and we were ready to go. To say the program was successful is really an understatement. They had over 9,000 attendees and it was a great cross-section of photographers, beginners to well-seasoned pros. And the bottom line is: It was a lot of fun. I managed to squeeze in 3 separate programs, and from the response on Facebook, that was pretty successful. (Notice how I’m throwing around all those high-tech, modern things like “Facebook”? You didn’t think I knew what that was, did you? If it’s good enough for Lady Gaga and President Obama, who am I to say it’s not cool?) Hopefully, this will be just the first of many. Thank the powers that be for the opportunity.

Joe DiMaggio

Joellen VanOuwerkerk: Artist Extraordinaire

Posted by Joe DiMaggio on
                                                   ©Joellen VanOuwerkerk

“My wife, Joellen VanOuwerkerk has been training at Gleason’s Gym for the past 18 years.  She switched to boxing after getting her Black Belt in karate. She spars for two hours every Saturday morning. This keeps her in great physical and mental condition to go home to her real love and job since graduating from The University of Wisconsin with an MFA Degree and a BFA Degree.
She is represented by The Woodward Gallery, located in New York City at 133 Eldridge Street.  Their website is: www.woodwardgallery.net. They are open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 to 6 PM and Sunday from 12 to 5 PM.
Joellen’s most recent Opening was January 29 through March 19, 2011.  The show was magnificent and very successful.
You can see her work on www.artnet.com or www.woodwardgallery.net.
Click Here On This Link To Read Review. 
American Arts Quarterly reviewed Joellen’s January show in their Spring 2011 issue.”
     
     ~ Bruce Silverglade, owner of Gleason’s Gym.

Wheeler at MOMA

Posted by Joe DiMaggio on

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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Wet Willy

Posted by Joe DiMaggio on

John Iacono from Sports Illustrated and I have been friends for as long as I can remember, and my former next door neighbor and fishing partner. There is no doubt in my mind that he’s one of the greatest sports photographers of our time. And yes, he’s a drop-dead sweet guy. I have never heard one bad word about Johnny Eye. Having said that, I think he should keep his tongue out of my ear. I’m not going to tell you where his right hand is. By the way, his right hand was on his high-speed Nikon camera. And I know that because I could hear the mirror box in my left ear.  Let’s be honest- if nothing else, we always have a lot of fun! You can tell by the look on my face. I’m just so giddy!

The Student Becomes the Instructor

Posted by Joe DiMaggio on

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Joe,
     Well, next year it’ll have been 30 years since I loaded film into your Nikons at the 1982 Indy 500.  It was a complete thrill to finally be able to work the other side of the fence after growing up at the track each May tagging along with my Dad.  Of course things have changed a bit since then.  In addition to the digital revolution, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has undergone a major facelift and is a World-class facility.  I started shooting the 500 for Reuters in 1990 and have been back ever since.  Last year, I had the honor of having my college-aged daughter, Ainslie, join the family “business” and become the 4th generation of Millers to pick up a camera at the 500.  Back at the 1982 you captured the memorable image of the Johncock/Mears finish, and who knew that 24 years later in 2006 I’d repeat the feat by capturing the Hornish/Andretti finish that would appear double-trucked in SI as well as the NY Times.
Peace,
Geoff Miller
_________________________________________
Geoff,
     I am so proud of you not only as a photographer but as one hell of a fine human being. There are very few young people that would give up their bed back in the day so we could get to the Indy 500 at 5 A.M. to beat the traffic. And like many of my assistants, you did so much more than just load film into my Nikons. Without your help, that photograph would not have been done. It’s something that I’ve been aware of my whole life. We tend to think we work in isolation. We tend to think how important we are. But the same way that Rick Mears would say “It’s a team effort”, I say the same thing. We worked as a team. Your work is amazing. You deserve everything that you get and some more. And who knows- maybe in the next couple of years, we’ll have an opportunity to work together again. Keep on shooting and remember the first rule of photographing racecars: Never turn your back on one. 
Thanks,
     Joe D.

All photos ©Geoff Miller