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On July 10th we’re going to push the envelope on the DiMaggio/Kalish Learning Center. We’re going to have a small elite group of photographers who are going to get special access to the great Bobby Kyle Blues Band. Each member of the workshop will be responsible to supply one photograph for use in Bobby’s new CD cover (inside and back), and his webpage. Any body who has ever photographed music knows the famous phrase, “back stage passes.” In this case, you will have an unprecedented back stage pass for rehearsal and the concerts with Bobby and the band. They will also make themselves available in the late afternoon for environmental portraits. This is not only going to be fun, exciting, and hopefully result in some dynamic photos, but to the best of my knowledge I don’t think it’s ever been done before. This highly specialized project will be sponsored by Sigma. They will be supplying fast long lenses, and fast wide angles. Last but not least, I have a funny feeling there may be some other surprises that day.
Joe D.

Posted by Joe DiMaggio on

Tech Rep Rudy Winston

You spend 30 years perfecting your style, your visual literacy, the way you communicate with people. All of the things that make you a credible photographer and filmmaker. Then you take on the responsibility of a mentor. It is a very serious undertaking. Your students expect you to know all the answers to all the problems. The reality is you don’t know all the answers to all the problems. So who do the mentors go for help? You go to somebody who is smarter than you are and knows virtually everything about not only his products but the competition’s products. That person for me is Rudy Winston. So let’s be clear right now. You’re not getting his phone number or his e mail so let’s get that out of the way.

I’ve known Rudy for over 15 years. He’s not only a fine photographer, great teacher, great tech rep but great husband and father also. Rudy always has a few minutes to make very complicated matters extremely simple. Simple enough for me to understand. I think if Rudy went into politics he’d be able to solve some problems that other people just can’t seem to deal with he’s that good. So when people want to know who I go to – Rudy’s my Go-To guy.

Having said that Rudy has a beautiful daughter and his daughter’s name is Ciana and out of all the wonderful condolence cards and letters I received for my son Joseph, this one stands out. Rudy you did another great job! By the way, thanks to Chuck and Steve for your condolences also.


Ciana © Rudy Winston & Ciana’s Drawing

Bass Guitar for Dummies

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Photos © Joe DiMaggio

There is no doubt in my mind I’m blessed with extremely bright and creative friends. I’ve know an awful lot of bass players in my day but Everett Boyd is special. There virtually isn’t anything he can’t do with a stand up bass or electric bass.

We did a photo session one day and I took him to one of my favorite outdoor studios called the Tunnel (or at least I call it the tunnel.) I asked him for a few different looks, and voila! We came up with the cover of Bass Guitar for Dummies Book.

Everett is now the key bass player for the Bobby Kyle Band. Everett will be one of our models for my upcoming workshop on How to Photograph Musicians and How to Make CD Covers. Soon to be posted on our DiMaggio-kalishworkshops.com site.


30 Years and Counting

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Back in the Apollo days, it was a great time for photographers. As a matter of fact, the comradery between photographers was equal to the competition between the photographers. It may have been the end of the golden age of photography and the very beginning of the cold, calculating, digitizing of photography. Al was never a close friend but he was, and is, a great recorder of light, action, stories, and now a very accomplished filmmaker. You learn in our business, you have to respect the competition. Respect is paramount in any relationship, or for that matter it may be the only critical part of a relationship. Al e-mailed me a multi-media show he did which is absolutely awesome called The South in the 60’s and I’d like to share it with you. I’m hoping Al and I will have the opportunity to work together in the near future. Check him out; check out his books, he’s an old school heavy weight. Joe D

Al Satterwhite –

Al Satterwhite film –

Ron Thompson, Anthony Donna, Director of Photography Time Magazine- Arnold Drapkin, Ralph Morse, Joe DiMaggio &

GET WITH THE PROGRAM & TAKE A BATH

Posted by Joe DiMaggio on

All Photo©Joe DiMaggio

The old cliché how do you get to Carnegie Hall, is practice, practice, practice. Cliché’s become that way because they’re true. I spent a couple of decades becoming proficient at a certain type of photography and have rules that never, ever change.

At one point in my photography I had one camera designated for Kodachrome 25, another camera designated for Fuji 100, and a third camera for Tri-x, rated at 400 (but I really exposed it at 200.) Why? Because you never want a thin negative. I always wanted to print on number 2 paper. So you spend all of this time learning the zone system, and of course you can’t really use it, unless you’re shooting a 4×5 or 8×10 view camera. Well then along came digital. So, what do I do? I set the ISO to 50 and I shoot all day at 50. It never dawned on me that I should change it. Of course I know I can change it, but I just didn’t. That’s the way I looked at digital for the first few years. Now, on the same CF card, I’m shooting 45 shots the equivalent of Kodachrome 25, 60 shots equivalent to an ISO of 50 (for when I used Fuji Velvia), 18 at Tri-X 400, 28 at ISO 800, 1600, or even higher.

What I’m saying is we all have to get with the program and change in order to grow. Bathe yourself in the new technology. Move on and upward – it’s exciting. I feel like I’m 16 and I’m re-shooting everything that I’ve ever done and having a ball doing it. Every once and a while, I even get paid for it. It’s all good. Joe D

Standardization and Simplification

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One day I was teaching a class and I came up with a saying, standardization and simplification. To be quite honest, I don’t know if I heard it from someone else, or I actually made it up. What do I mean by standardization and simplification? By this I mean, know your equipment, keep it to an absolute minimum, make your insurance photographs, and once you’ve nailed that then you can experiment. Less is more. Simple, straightforward, composition: it will never fail you. When I visited Japan I was initially very surprised when I visited a Japanese garden. There was nothing there. The anthropologist I was with, took me by the hand and showed me what was there. Very simple, basic, and to the point. Once you see it, you’ll never forget it. It’s all about visual literacy. So, go out and make some great photos.

Blues Player Eddie Kirkland © Joe DiMaggio
Signing off,
Joe D

Brian Struble

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Copyright Brian Struble

There is an old adage that the student becomes the teacher and the teacher becomes the student, or something like that. Brian started out as a student and I believe went to four workshops. One day I had lost my assistant due to a conflict in scheduling and Brian was kind enough to offer his expertise, not only as an assistant, or second shooter but also as an IT expert. He is well accomplished across the board and when he assists, more times than not, the workshops tend to be better. Brian invited me to a bicycle race but unfortunately, I had an assignment on the west coast. He sent me some photos that he shot. I was so blown away that I incorporated some of his photos into a presentation I did for Adorama. My studio manger passed a comment something to the effect of “why would I put his photos in my presentation” and my answer was “his photos are great and why not?” I’m not the end all of all photography.

Photos Copyright Brian Struble

My First Major Advertising Film Shoot

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Approximately 20 years ago I was contracted by Saatchi and Saatchi to do a 20 minute short film on a multi-billion dollar corporation in California.

I had a relatively small budget of $350,000. My first job was to hire a production company. I also hired a co-director. My responsibility was producer and co-director. Everything was in order and three days before the shoot, the director was called out of town on another project. He was replaced by Charles Rudnick. Even though I had no relationship with Charles, but he was the consummate professional. There wasn’t anything he couldn’t do hands on himself. You couldn’t get a better film maker in that particular situation. When the crew was scheduled to go from Los Angeles to San Francisco, the first director wanted to come back and I said “no way Charles is going to complete the film with me” and that’s exactly what we did. Thus a long, prosperous relationship started. Charles and I have a mutual respect for each other and we’ve worked on several projects over the years. Effectively we’ve become interchangeable. Okay, maybe I’m stretching it a little bit. In many ways, he’s drop dead fabulous.

Charles’ wife, Carmen, is the owner/chef of Tommaso’s, one of the finest & well-known Italian restaurants in San Francisco. On any given day, you can walk into Tommaso’s and see John Waters, Nicholas Cage, Francis Ford Coppola, or even my dear friend, Bill Shatner and his lovely wife Liz. I just received a phone call from Charles to tell me that his mother passed away. She was a very special lady. Forgot to mention…Charles’ father was a physicist at UCLA.

Charles sent me the above photo of his parents.

Isadore Rudnick (his dad)





Great Photographer, Great Friend, and Survivor

Posted by Joe DiMaggio on
Photo Copyright Don Nelson

To All the ships at Sea
If you know me, you know I tend to repeat myself. It’s what I do. I’ve told you before I’m the luckiest guy in the world. I’ve got the best friends anyone could ask for. My friendship and respect for Don Nelson goes back a long way. He is truly a hero to me. He is bright, tough and never gives up. Great photographer; and a great friend. We all could learn by his courage.
Joe D.
About Don –

“My 23 years as a Nikon rep represent my times of most accomplishments. Calling on the large camera stores, the White House, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, AP, UPI, USA TODAY and being a staff photographer for the Redskins for six years brought me closer to understanding the needs of photojournalists. Washington, DC, the photojournalists’ headquarters taught and tested me. It was a good time. In 1987 I resigned to buy a business in Nashville. My sons were in high school at the time and after several years my business in Nashville failed. It was time to be back in the photo (equipment) business. I went to work for Pentax and moved from Nashville area down to the Atlanta area of Georgia. I worked for them for fourteen years until my cancer (Hodgkins) was discovered in 2005. After chemo,
radiation, and stem cell transplant I’m quietly getting ready to move back to the Nashville area. Our sons (2), Scott and Jeffrey still live there. It’ll be good to be convenient to them. My favorite photography is scenic in nature. Slow shutter speeds at dawn; in the attached photo the shutter speed was at 123 seconds.”
This is a photo of my friend Don Nelson Copyright Bob Dew

A Lovely Note from AJ

Posted by Joe DiMaggio on


Thank you Joe! Very sweet. Of course you could use a couple of photos. 🙂 I’ve been enjoying playing with a little 50mm lens-easier to run around with. Lots of love and prayers that your boxing show goes- I know you’ve put a lot into it. We will be thinking of you on the 28th. I haven’t been to NYC in ages!! When we do get there we will definitely be in touch. It would be fun to catch up! International workshops sound awesome- you’re Superhero Joe xxx.
Lots of Love,
AJ x.