More Nikon Contest Whatnots

Nikon made a gallery of its emerging talent winners from the Photo Contest International 2008-09... See it here.

Eddie Adams Workshop

Just got back from EAW XXII. Delayed brainwaves keep coming in from the intense experience. As if I could only absorb a certain amount at one time, and the ideas were waiting in line just beyond my ear. Big ups to my team leader John Moore, editor Lauren Steel and producer Josh Ritchie who did a great job making an inspiring weekend for the group. My assignment was to photograph a deer farm. Somewhat odd to see hundreds of wild creatures close up and feeding from troughs. Also check out Celia's awesome multimedia piece here.

Film Scans

long island

ft. lauderdale

brooklyn laundromat

cirque de soleil

sunset park

coney island

renaissance fair, syracuse

Strangeness at the G20 protests

In continuing the tradition of last year's Fear and Loathing at the conventions project I teamed up with some friends to cover the G20 in Pittsburgh. We've started a collective blog called Pangea - take a look http://pangeaphoto.com.

Here's how I saw it...

Fico y Rosita

My grandparents who live in Israel visited in Florida for my brother's high school graduation.

Nikon Photo Contest

This photo got me a Nikon Emerging Talent award in this year's international photo contest.
Contest judge Ami Vitale said this:

"I chose this image because it has warmth and intimacy. This scene, bathing in the Ganges, is one that is photographed very often and I was impressed with the photographer’s ability to capture something unique. He made an effort to get close to his subject and captured a beautiful moment in time."

http://imaging.nikon.com/products/imaging/activity/npci/npci2008-2009/emerging.htm

My neighborhood

...is Sunset Park, Brooklyn. The highest natural point in the city. Chinese, Latino, Jewish, all in one imperfect triangle. In much of the city the late afternoon glow is blocked by buildings, but in the "Set" the light reaches everyone.

Boro Park

Borough Park in Brooklyn is one of the most concentrated communities of Hassidic Jews in the world, and its right down the street from my apartment. So far the project consists mainly of people fleeing for their lives when they see me and my camera approaching, but I've made some good contacts so there should be nice images coming in the future.

Haulover Beach

Every time I go home to Florida, I try and spend a bit of time at the beach looking for quirkiness. Haulover Beach is a clothing-optional place in Miami I'd never visited. Such a shame. Lots of naked tourists expressing themselves freely. This is what America is all about! (or is it Europe?)

Eddie Adams

At around the same time I heard the sad news about my uncle passing away, I received good news about getting into the Eddie Adams Workshop. Strange how perspective twists its way around life. Although I would have liked to be present a few years ago, I think this is coming at a good time. As a student I'm sure I would have taken away a lot, but there may be advantages to going now as a young professional.

On a seperate note, I've made a stronger edit of The Third Ward - the story about a government hospital's burn ward in Varanasi. Check it out on my site if you have a moment.

Seeking Solace at The Ohel

Less than two weeks ago my mom called me with sad news while I was stuck on a late bus ride back from a gig in Washington DC. My uncle Beno- my dad's elder brother and, to me, a real life Indiana Jones- was killed in a motorcycle accident in Colombia. Devastating. No words....
I had been planning on visiting The Ohel, the Queens, NY resting place of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the late leader of the Lubavitch-Chabad movement. I pushed through the sadness and went, and instead of focusing on the external the photographic process became a way of connecting with something greater than myself, a way to surrender and join thousands in mourning. One man explained the reason we say Kaddish, a Jewish prayer of mourning. The words don't mention death, sadness or loss. They only mention God's omnipotence and wisdom over and over in different words. The idea of saying kaddish, as well as coming to pay respects at the Rebbe's gravesite, is that we as humans can't fathom the reasons for life or death, the Truth. But we can "shake hands" with holiness, and accept that those who have moved on now are with God and know truth, and peace.







and here I am, taking advantage of the opportunity to put on tefillin, and say kaddish for my recently deceased uncle.