Here's a new magazine cover that's hitting the stands...that's Grace's Portia the Yorkie - we made her portrait set a few months back during a stock call from the publisher. I was really excited when we made these, Grace was all over making sure Portia - Portia the Patient - was well-groomed and looking pro. Always a great time with the dogs!

Here's Beth Ostrosky Stern and a puppy looking for a new home in the Hamptons last weekend, at a North Shore Animal League America fundraiser at Savanna's restaurant. What a fun day - the rainy weather gave us a break, and the event's sponsor, Bodhi Handbags, put up a great display.

Here's Beth with Bethenny Frankel and Kelly Kiloren of Housewives fame, just a few of the celebs that turned out for the event. Everyone was great fun, and I must say - Savanna's is a wonderful restaurant with amazing food, atmosphere, and charm. This time, regardless of the 40lbs. of camera in my hands, I did grab a few bites to eat - including the tiramisu.

Finally, here's a rare, behind-the-scenes look at a recent fun shoot we did for Simon & Schuster publishing, where once again I thrill my blog audience with a great shot of my back. That's me sitting on the floor with the camera stuck to my face, as usual.

Special thanks to the crew on this one...Adam, Kate, Jimmy, and the gang from Jack Studios...couldn't have done it without you.

More details on this one in a few months...!

The summer's here in full-force! June remains booked solid, which is fun with all of the diversity. My favorite part about photography is that no two days are the same, as this week's post illustrates!

First up, here's Mylene, one of four models we worked with for a shoot featuring brides. The crew was so fun that we played a bit, too, and as the dress designer was on-set with his amazing creations to help we aimed for some high-fashion looks while we were at it. Lauren's makeup work flattered everyone, and we had a long and great day of making photographs. Thanks to all involved!

At left is Tiffany, who needed some head shots for her portfolio update. I went to her at her place, this was...oh...the last sunny day we've had here in New York...weeks ago (feels like eternity). The sun was important for us, as we used it as an ambient fill light to evenly illuminate her face, and give her a natural glow. Speaking of which, if I don't get these proofs done today she's going to go to her next audition with empty hands, so moving on...

I'm thrilled to see some of my shots of Law & Order: Criminal Intent actor Kathryn Erbe on the cover and within the pages of this month's Fido Friendly magazine. We enjoyed a great day of shooting on-site at North Shore Animal League America for these images, and Kate's enthusiam for the League's efforts came through in every single shot. Lilah, her pooch, is an NSALA adoptee - and as you can see was just as into the shoot as Kate was...pick up an issue if you get a chance!

It's been a nutty few weeks again, and I've finally come up for air (again!) I'm booked solid through June, too - I don't even think there's a single weekend day where something isn't inked in. Exciting stuff, though, so stay posted!

I'll kick off this post with a portrait of actor and director Mary Stuart Masterson, who we photographed using a modified fashion lighting setup one evening a few weeks ago. Mary was wonderful and patient as she posed, as we explained that the final image would be nothing crazy, but rather straightforward and flattering. Hope you agree!

I also spent an evening making formal portraits for the gang at Long Island News Tonight. As seen with anchor Ken Eckhardt here, my approach is aways to take the lighting and subsequent portrait a little up the evolutionary ladder than what I all too often see with competitors. Nothing makes me cringe more than hearing a client - or potential client - refer to their previous "mug shots" or DMV-style publicity shots. If you can take the time to deliver a product with more attention to flattering your subject than that, you'll always be able to eat, I feel.

Lastly, our work in lights in Times Square! Beth Ostrosky and her bulldog Bianca were a few stories tall, thanking the folks who adopted pets from NSALA - and reminding folks to remember their moms - for Mother's Day. For this one, a picture tells a thousand words! That's the second time I've had an image in the Square, but the first time it was electronic and that large. Really fun stuff!

OK, so I've been blogging here about being busy with a lot of event photography, but haven't been putting up images to back up the claim . .so here we go!

I've been shooting a slew of events, which I'm going to say right up front has been a lot of fun. I get to meet a variety of great and interesting people, most local, and can count on absolutely nothing being consistent from one event to the next, which is challenging, rewarding, and satisfying when I go home with a bag full of photographs I never could have anticipated.

I've learned to be well-prepared for this kind of photography work, and I'm happy to rememeber a conversation with a guy I had in Boston last year after we'd been photographed together by an event photographer. "What a dumb job," he said, pointing to the photographer. "Anyone can do that, snap pictures at an event." Well to be sure, anyone can - but my reply to him was more than he was expecting, and is pretty well detailed here as we move on.

For events, there's a lot of prep. You've got two to three cameras with you, because if one fails, you still have to deliver. You have to always be ready for anything. For instance, above, I was sure glad to have more than just a camera bag and a flash for event work - because you never know when you're going need a light stand topped with a strobe, gelled to match firelight, and a tripod to get a shot of a cool guy swirling rope with fireballs on each end. You just never know. But when you have to get that shot? You're ready for it.

Sometimes, too, you're faced with expanding the "event shooter" role a little further. So, that light stand and strobe - as featured here firing into an umbrella I also always keep with me, lets you get frame-worthy portraits of little girls with their favorite PBS puppet, in this case Lomax, the Hound of Music. That's Peter Linz at Lomax's side, helping the cuddly pup be charming at the NYC FAO Schwartz-hosted Adopt-a-thon for North Shore Animal League.

Peter's in the top 5 of this month's most interesting people met while shooting an event; his career as a puppeteer is way, way impressive. I thought I had a fun job...this guy gets to wear a full-body sloth suit a couple of days a week! Check out his website by clicking HERE.

Then, sometimes when on an event, you've got to be sure you brought the right camera. Nikon's latest and greatest digital SLR bodies are wonderful at low-light shooting, producing near noise-free (think distorting grain) images...and with the right lens, you can get keepers like this one, from a local university's play, in merely their stage lighting. OK, OK...it helps when the director lets you onstage, too.

Events also challenge the photographer to find the best light to flatter subjects. Admittedly, in most cases we're relegated to photograph subjects in dark restaurants or dining halls, which requires a camera flash...and that flash has to be coupled with the camera at all times, because the subjects are moving about the rooms, as is the shooter. It gets heavy after a while...

But now and again, you can spot light that would flatter your subject better if you have an event that's also outdoors. Here, the light was very soft underneath a tall porch area - it seems to come from all directions, which is glorious for portraits. With the sun behind the building (and the subject), we get just a little more light there, highlighting her hair and shoulders, giving the shot a little depth. Oh and too, of course, letting her look as good as her radiant personality.

Now here's a shot that features that on-camera flash. On a bracket, the flash is higher than the lens barrel, which defeats the dreaded red-eye effect. Point that flash unit up instead of straight out, and you bounce the light off the ceiling - letting it softly and evenly flatter your subjects as it comes back down.

Did I mention you have to be rather socially "on" during events, too? If you're not coaxing that smile out of the attendees, no one else will do it for you.

So. To my pal in Boston who thinks the event shooters are just button-pushers who show up to harass party-goers and get a paycheck, easy breezy? Try to keep this kind of stuff up for a while. Say, a few weeks. Or, even for your whole career. And don't forget - your clients are paying you to get not one shot right, but all of them right - and all the while, there's a guy or gal who wants your client to use them instead next time, and likely for less $. Noooooooooo pressure.

It's a lot of fun though, Boston Guy - I do promise that. But get to bed early when you can! Thus endeth the lecture, and my chronicle of the past few weeks. Whew!

Lastly, if I may? A quick shot of Ophelia. Ophelia left us Monday night, succombing to pancreatic cancer. She left us quietly while at home, in the sunroom, her favorite spot. I've never really been a cat guy, but Ophelia really had a way to charm you with her almost humorous indifference, her obnoxious vocal requests, and ever persistent insistence of sitting on your head when you were watching tv on the sofa. . .a sofa she never once scratched (well, ok there was one time). Goodnight, Ophelia - we'll miss you. That window sill we kept clear for you will always be yours, and yours alone.

I had a great time photographing Sascha Paladino and his brother, banjo virtuouso Bela Fleck, during their presentation of their film Throw Down Your Heart. Throw Down Your Heart follows Fleck on his journey to Africa to explore the little known African roots of the banjo and record an album. The film celebrates the beauty and complexity of Africa - an Africa that is very different from what is often seen in the media today. Check it out by clicking HERE. Thanks to both - and their dad- for stepping onto the set...it was great to meet you.

Next up, a quick post of young Michael, who was a pleasure to work with while making his portrait on a local beach. His mom must have been very proud of him, as he was wonderfully spirited and cooperative during our forty minutes together. . .and the images we captured together as a result really let that show. Thanks, you guys!

Otherwise, I'm backed up again as usual. Lots of event coverage to post, as well as some super fun portrait sessions, after I survive the upcoming week...

Here's a shot of Brianne jumping for joy...or...for Spring? I can't tell you - really - how glad I am we're warming up outside. That was one heck of a long winter, folks. But, I'm thrilled to report we're booked up through the end of the month, and well into May, with a variety of shoots that will take advantage of the weather. If you have a need for some child portraits, family portraits, or pet portraits that would look amazing in a spring setting, shoot me a mail or give us a call. . .I truly can't wait to spend every minute I can outside!

Here's a recent shot of a certain creative director for Optimum Lightpath, thinking hard on what sorts of very cool networking solutions he'll help bring to our doorsteps here on Long Island. This was a little bit of a challenging executive portrait, as we had a room for a set that didn't lend itself well in regards to backgrounds.

The solution? Shut out the lights! Or in this case, sync my strobes to flash brightly and set the camera for s fast shutter speed - illuminating my subject, but not much else in the room. Location photography presents a different equation every time, and I think that's one of the things I find so fun and attractive about it. No two days the same, and I get to excercise the 'ol noodle.

And this fuzzy fellow? He's a Portuguese Water Dog, and a darn cute one. In fact, President Obama and his family just welcomed one of his cousins into the White House. This puppy was VERY spunky when I photographed him, but too just as compliant as could be when we got down to business. As a stock image, it's flying off of shelves. If you're in the market for a truly presidential dog photograph, click HERE.

I've fallen pretty far behind on keeping my current shoots here on the blog, and there are a few four-legged subjects that definitely need to be mentioned...! Here's Tasha, who's breaking into show business and needed some portfolio pictures to be sure her agent has her looking her best. The shot list was specific - sitting, standing, and laying down.

Tasha did great with all three of her poses, and even gave us plenty of tell-tale (no pun intended) smiles to let us know she was enjoying the attention. Go get 'em, Tasha.

Also, our friend Grace recently brought over Portia, who was just a riot in how ambivalent she seemed to the whole photo shoot thing. We made nearly a thousand exposures of Portia for her own portfolio as well as for a magazine stock call, and when she wasn't falling asleep she was doing an amazing job of looking great for the lenses. Next time, Portia, I'll wear my chicken suit and crank some disco to keep things more spirited...? But that said, GREAT job, and thanks to you both!

Lastly, I don't want to forget to mention that NSALA is holding an adoption event at Lord & Taylor in the city on Thursday, April 16, at 6 pm - the address is 5th Ave. at 39th St.

The advertisement for the event features a shot of Beth Stern, one we made on our last visit to the League...

It's been a manic few weeks, and one of the highlights was having a few minutes with screenwriter and director Paul Schrader. Schrader wrote the screenplays for such films as Taxi Driver, The Last Temptation of Christ, Raging Bull, The Mosquito Coast, American Gigilo, and many more. His film direction includes such titles as Auto Focus, Patty Hearst, and Cat People.

We knew we'd shoot in the movie theatre, but had a tight window of opportunity between showings of his film Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters. So, as soon as the crowd let out, the Cinema Arts gang kept the line at bay while we set up a few lights and had the film tech get the projector hot to incorporate it into the image. Nothing like the pressure of just a few minutes to capture such a legendary personality and talent! We ran in with at least two of everything to be sure if one strobe or camera or wire failed, there was a backup. Nothing failed...especially Mr. Schrader, who calmly struck a pose with that awesome red scarf. CLICK.

Here's a few shots of the generous Mrs. Beth Stern, who sat in for a quick photo session to help promote awareness for North Shore Animal League America in Port Washington. Both Beth and her cuddly co-model looked fantastic for the shoot, and too, no surprise, both behaved very well in front of the lenses!

The idea for most advertising/marketing images in this vein is to create something special, but you also often want it a bit generic - the latter facet so that there's a maximum amount of versatility for your client's art department to find malleable when working up the graphics. This shot lets the background be transformed into just about anything they might want, and the colors are neutral on our subjects to allow a lot of versatility. We used a bit if a harder light for this round, as the contrast looks amazing on Beth while letting the puppy's fur show its depth and detail.

With a quick switcharoo of the strobes, we brought in some more dogs in need of homes at the shelter, and went for a brighter, more 'advertising' look to give NSALA some further stock. We backed out a bit, and both Beth and this pup fell right into pose as if they'd been doing it together for years. Now don't get me wrong, lots has to go right for just one image out of twenty to be 'great,' and we certainly had our discards when the pup was more interested in licking my camera's sync cords than sitting still, but we scored more than a dozen amazing shots, in no small part due to Beth's willingness and generosity in getting down and in there with the dogs. Thanks, Beth!

Lastly, here's an editorial shot from a few weeks ago, which worked really well in that we had a lot of even light and a near empty student library. When you have a shot like this that forces you to use a cluttered area with lots of items that might otherwise distract a viewer of the image, it's best, if you can, to use them to you advantage instead. We spent quite a lot of time "dressing" the set, making sure that chairs lines up in a symmetrical way, computer screens were well-placed, and lines were straight. Add a little extra light from some strobes for filling in shadows and adding a catch light to our subject, and voila...!

Also, if you're looking for an amazing eye in interior or exterior design, have a peek over at Scott Portugal's new website...we made many of the photographs for it together last summer...the site looks great, Scott! Click HERE

We recently had a wonderful shoot at North Shore Animal League America to create some public service announcement ads with tennis legend Monica Seles, whose efforts in pet adoption caught the eye of television's news program 20/20. Their tv crew was on-site at NSALA's Port Washington headquarters to film Monica and Beth Ostrosky-Stern as they toured the facility, and I tagged along at the request of management to get some behind the scenes shots. Watch for the taping to air in April!

Too, I spent an evening with the talented Ellen Rassiger of Happy Dog Behavior, shooting some of her finest students as stock for her web site's graphic library. We used mostly primary colors, and went with an assortment of themes to make sure she had everything she could need to keep her site fun and visually gripping. I've worked with Ellen on various projects for years, she's a wonderful teacher and trainer...check out her site by clicking HERE.

Here's Admiral Rosen (retired) posing for an editorial photograph outside of his company's offices on Long Island. With his wife, Florence, and their family, Admiral Rosen envisioned and then created The Florence and Robert A. Rosen Family Wellness Center for Law Enforcement and Military Personnel and Their Families at the North Shore-LIJ Health System - recognized as the first of its kind and a national model. The center treats what Admiral Rosen calls "the invisible wounds of war," the psychological and behavioral conditions that are sometimes hidden, but just as serious as bullet wounds. A critical and distinguishing feature of the Center is its emphasis on caring for the entire family, recognizing that dangerous and stressful assignments can have a serious impact on spouses, partners, parents, and children - and that the reintegration of families after long and sometimes multiple deployments brings unique challenges. We made the image for a magazine published out of Chicago!

Bird Talk has kept our image llibrary very busy with check outs, and lots of members of the Long Island Parrot Society have been wonderful help in providing a variety of parrot species to pose for our lenses. If you're in a pet shop this month, you'll find the handsome fellow shown here smiling and displaying for his moment in the sun, on the cover of the March issue.

And to compliment our portfolio of commercial pet stock photography, here's a great layout promotng NSALA's Tour for Life, featuring Law & Order's Kathryn Erbe and friends. We photographed Ms. Erbe with her dog on the right, a NSALA adoptee, as well as with the puppies in her arms...then the marketing group added the remaining dogs, which we photographed in the same lighting setup, to the mix for the promotion. Commercial photography of this kind requires more than a little foresight when you're hoping for seamless integration in post production...and in this case, I'm happy to report it was a lot of fun, too!

I have about ten killer images I'd love to get up here on my blog from weeks-past, but I had to pop a few up from just yesterday after having a n absolutely killer time in CT! I traveled up to photograph some champion Labrador Retrievers, coutesey of a referral from the Long Island Lobuff Labradors with whom we worked last summer for some editorial shots of gorgeous, award-winning Lab pups. We met with some of the pups' parents and siblings, along with their charming and hospitible two-legged owner Linda - who was just so great to work with, as she "got it" as to what we needed to do to get the photographs she was after!

We were set up for indoor location portraits, but with a warm Feb. day we also hit a nearby coastal location to take advantage of the late afternoon light. Light like this is perfect for photography, as it lets you have a tonally-even exposure to really flatter your subject.

A few weekends back I had not one, but two shoots for head shots scheduled...I think we're definitely seeing an upswing in the area for fine folks looking to break into show business in one form or the other!

Trends with head shots vary with the temperature of the industry; once upon a time they were the classic glossy 8x10 prints with "Hollywood" glamour lighting, and lately they've gone from a more modern, studio-styled black and white image to a flattering, softly-lit color shot...which is mostly what we went for as a result. I try to hit comedy clubs in NYC as often as I can manage, and as you enter the clubs the walls are lined with a history of these trends dating back to the 1970s (if the club has been around that long). I always find the photos amazing...but I digress.

Tracy, shown above, needed her shots quickly - in a time-crunch for a dance audition the following week. She was psyched for the shoot, but nervous, too. I think it's safe to say from the results that we hit it off great, she immediately relaxed, and aside from some frigid posing in the cold outdoors we had a blast. Hope the audition went well, Tracy!

Ricky is destined to be a fine actor; the guy is personable, smart, listens well, and really relaxed. We were shivering a little during his shoot, too, but it didn't stop us from clicking through about 400 frames to be sure he had a nice array of images for his own audtions, including the layout of a Comp Card to give the casting agents several angles and expressions to evaluate.

All told it's been a very busy few weeks, and I even managed to cram my 40th birthday in there.

Late last summer Stephen Lang and I met at North Shore Animal League America to photograph Beth Stern and some pups to fulfil a request for a cover for Chicago Tails magazine, and the shoot was great fun for all. We over-shot, so-to-speak, a practice you'll see a lot of photographers do when there's a magazine editor and art director involved, as well as the potential for further use of the set of images...it's just called playing it safe; you're making sure that by offering variations, there will definitely be something that will make everyone happy.

It turns out yet another magzine could use the images, so we're really glad we had so many spares with variations in Beth's clothing and the dogs - this is this month's Fido Friendly! Special thanks to Beth as usual, far and away one of my favorite people to work with as she's cool, calm, and always wants everyone happy - she photographs so well, too - I don't think I have a bad image of her.

I'm thrilled to post a final product from the Sharlatts of Port Washington! Shari and her great family have thrice been repeat customers, the third meet taking place in time for them to put together their holiday cards. I was so happy to receive one in the mail, it's not too often I see my work in any form other than an image on the computer screen these days. The layout looks great, doesn't it?! Well ok, the adorable kids and photos ain't so bad, either.

I recently spent a full morning over at North Shore Animal League America, photographing Kathryn Erbe of TV's Law & Order: Criminal Intent. Ms. Erbe has been gracious enough - along with her mixed-breed cohort Lilah - to be the spokesperson for The American Mutt-i-Grees Club (AMC). AMC registers and provides personalized certificates to mixed-breed dogs. Their website, found HERE , is giving 50 million mixed-breed dogs the voice and the status they deserve, committed to changing the perception of mixed breeds and promotes adoption as the responsible way to obtain a pet.

Well, it's a new year. 2008 let our camera lenses see more than ever before, with a variety of people, pets, products, and National Parks. Even the Yucatan. Now to see if I can out-do myself? Might be tough, but it's unquestionably going to be fun trying!

At left is the cover of the Birds USA annual, featuring a few of my parrot shots from the past year. Annual issues are fun to score a shot for the cover as they're on news stands for 12 months, and it's inspiring to walk past your images for that long a time. Keep your eyes peeled.

Pet photography makes up a good portion of my business, defintiely a niche. How did it start for me? That story goes back to my first paying freelance job, ever. I was in Chicago, and a stock company gave me a job for a greeting card company. They needed a dog...in a specific pose. So I open the letter, very excited (my first freelance photo job!) and see the details of the assignment, complete with a crude sketch. Imagine the look on my face...

I had to scour the local parks, awkwardly approaching people with their dogs, asking them if I could follow them a while to get the shot. I had the stock company's letter and the sketch with me as proof that I wasn't just some lunatic, but still, I was turned down a few times, go figure.

Anyway, I was recently in the NYC offices of Avanti, signing another 5-year license for the shot you see here (it's actually a composite, the dog replicated in Photoshop). Seems this is one of their best-selling Father's Day cards, and they want to do another print run! Hilarious, and excellent. The inside of the card reads, "Thanks dad - for teaching me to aim higher." Special thanks to Bridget at Avanti for the hospitality, grand tour, and laughs.

That said, my connections in the pet industry have grown as a result, of course. To the point that my likeness is being used as a squeaky dog toy. I'm a zombie, and my skin glows in the dark. I'll make grunting sounds to excite my four-legged "owner" into chewing me to pieces.

At left is the concept art, and the first 3-D prototype is due in anytime. I'll give you an update then, but in the meantime, smile and laugh with me. You just can't make this stuff up...and I must say, I definitely didn't see any of it coming on my 7th grade career aptitude tests.

Happy new year!

I didn't realize so many photos from Beth Ostrosky and Howard Stern's wedding made it online! It seems US Weekly and People popped a few into their printed pages as well as their Web galleries.

What a wonderful night for the couple, I'm so happy for them - they are so obviously in love, and it was an honor to be a part of their evening.

I'll let the photos of Beth in her Marchesa dress tell the rest in pictures...

Keeping busy and having a blast while at it! Here's a very happy sample of a private session's results with some black labs in East Northport, where at least 10 dogs ended up in front of the camera. Ever-flexible here, we set up a backdrop and some strobes in the middle of the backyard and just went for it, dog after dog. The resulting images were brilliant fun, even when our subjects got a little wet from our trying to run and play the life out of them so that they'd hold still long enough for a portrait.

Next up is an editorial image made for a university publication, and one that required a little flexiblity again. Our plans were dashed by an overcast sky and quickly setting sun, in addition to the NYC restrictions for setting up permanent lighting stands and tripods on the streets. So, we used a single, small Nikon Speedlight, warmed up a bit with a gel and held by the art director, to light our subject. We were a lot easier to dodge by pedestrians, and with the mobile options created by keeping the gear light were able to make a nice composition for a two-page spread.

I recently had an opportunity to work with Brianne again, and as usual we cranked out some really fun images for her portfolio. We met up at Caumsett State Park in Lloyd's Neck, where the scenery always provides a lot of opportunity for a diverse set of images.

There are usually about two weekends each year I find you can really capitalize on the autumn foliage, so before we even started we knew we'd have to get one shot of her in the leaves. . . she brought a great compliment of clothing for a shot like this, so her face keeps us riveted with the contrast of the other colors - I love this shot.

With the white sweater off, we then went with a nice red top and selected an area nearby that wouldn't compete with her - the browns in the tall grasses were an obvious choice!

Special thanks to assistant Bryan on this one, who had to hold a large, heavy strobe just out of frame while we clicked off some keepers.

This shot was made with just the ambient light, though we also bounced some light back up into Brianne's eyes from below with a large, silver reflector. By concentrating just the available light there, that smile keeps our focus where we want it while the leaves and a dark-red brick wall behind her stay out of focus and don't compete with the final shot, but rather compliment it.

I also asked Brianne to bring an outfit that would have absolutely no place in an isolated field, and she went with this great evening dress. The idea here was to let the light we had outside, which was overcast and growing ever dark, drop off a bit as we filled in with a large strobe for Brianne. By keeping the soft, diffused strobe close to her, we were able to really let it wrap around her in this shot.

Again, my hat's off to Nikon's D700 - I love the colors it produces!

Thanks Brianne!

Here's a shot of Matt Sullivan, who helped NYIT to win the National Lacrosse Championship this year. I loved the opportunity to use some small, portable Nikon Speedlights to create some cross-lighting with this shot, under-exposing the ambient light a little so that our focus remains on Matt. It's a cool, edgy look, I think - and when reviewing the shots with Matt, we agreed that they were "bad ass" enough to run with for the magazine editor...just excellent. The composition works well in this shot, too - the eye is given just enough to start with Matt's face, then wander through the shot to see the scoreboard and leading line of the goal net. It flows a bit. Good fun!

Working our way into the gymnasium at the NYIT Old Wesbury campus, we then met up with Lauren Caggiano of NYIT basketball. Lauren was a great sport, of course, and waited patiently as we positioned a ladder so that we could shoot down on her and get the NYIT logo in the shot.

I again chose the portable Nikon Speedlights for this shot, but softened the look by using a diffusing soft box with the main light. Then, we gelled a few others to get the gold and blue school colors in the image, too.

At left is a fun shot made between takes on a recent shoot at the DeSeversky center in Old Westbury, an absolutely astonishing home that's been converted to a catering hall/restaurant/office center/convention center, and part of the NYIT campus. They filmed parts of Dudley Moore's Arthur, here, it's gorgeous.

Ytla was manning the welcome area when I needed a sit-in to test the lights, and with a few fine-tunes we nabbed this fun shot. The main light tapers off from being feathered away from her a little, so the brightest part of the image remains her face - where the attention should be. To separate her from the background, though, I added another light (behind her) to spotlight the wall.

And once again, here's adorable chihuahua Eli, who's flying high over Times Square for the next few weeks helping promote the Dog Day Masquerade. If ten years ago you'd have told me I'd be photographing dogs for a Times Square promotion, I'd have gone back to what I was doing with a dismissive wave...what a riot.

Eli (and Karen!), you guys are tops - what a fun shoot!

I was very excited to bring Nikon's new D700 digital SLR camera onto a commercial set last week, when I made images to populate the website of Doctors Kahn, Ferrari, and Aldieri in Farmingdale. This was a follow-up shoot to images we made together last winter, when they asked a score of their clients to come and pose for their promotional materials - what a great idea!

Anway, I must say that I'm thrilled with the current Nikon digital line. The D700 shares the imagine processor with the Nikon flagship D3 body, and the resulting photographs show a simply remarkable tonality and color rendition. The skin tones in the shot at left are un-touched, and by the numbers, seem spot-on. Brilliant!

As it was nearing sunset, and the light was just fading, I couldn't help but notice when I pulled up at their offices. I immediately asked Dr. Ferrari if she'd like a few extras for her family, and pulled her outside to take advantage of the evening. Holding a reflector below her, we bounced a little light back up and into her face and eyes while letting the remaining sun highlight her hair on the right. She looks great, doesn't she? Again, love the new camera!

Wow - set a record this month! This is the first time since opening our doors that I have failed to update this blog within two weeks. The irony is that from a marketing perspective, I should update it as often as possible so that clients know I'm active...but WHEN do you update if you're TOO active!? I'll ask a sage on a mountaintop sometime, I guess.

Meanwhile, here's a shot of a New York Institute of Technology instructor, one of several dozen I photographed earlier in the month. The idea was to give them headshots for the Web and for print matter that took more than a few quality steps "up" from what a meat-grinder at the DMV might deliver for a Driver's License, and I'm happy to say we pulled it off. It's a collaborative effort, portraits like these - the subject has to be just as into making a great photo as I am. Love it when a plan comes together!

I also had the pleasure of making 10th Anniversary portraits of this happy couple, who even had the same clothes they wore on the day of their Florida wedding back in '98. They were so much fun, and though some disinterest may have been feigned by a certain male subject during the shoot (ahem!), I know they're delighted with the few dozen keepers we're making them choose from for a wall print. I've been hired often, lately, for Anniversary and engagement work. It's Autumn, guess love's in the air!

And once again, here's one of our many shots of Eli the chihuahua, a local NYC pawed celebrity. He'll be helping to advertise for the Times Square Dog Day Masquerade, and as usual I'm thrilled for his and his owner Karen's time in the spotlight. Also, can't wait to see those posters around the city, always puts a smile on my face.

I've been over with the fine folks at North Shore Animal League America again to build up an image library for their calendars and their new Muttigree website. So much fun, and so heart-wrenching to meet so many great dogs - and the people that help find them homes. From the Muttigree site:

The American Mutt-i-grees Club is all about change and choice: Changing how mixed-breed dogs are regarded, by celebrating the unique characteristics of each one of them, and helping people make the right choice - the choice to adopt mixed-breed puppies and adult dogs at shelters across America. Three out of every four shelter dogs are mixed-breed, and for many Mutt-i-grees, their lives end before they begin: No hope, no help, no voice. The American Mutt-i-grees Club was established to help join together mixed-breed dog owners - a group over 25 million strong - to incite change, and help these extraordinary dogs receive the hope, help, voice and loving homes they all deserve.

We have had enormous fun turning our furry pals into models, setting up studio strobes everywhere from waterfront to conference rooms in an attempt to get some of the most endearing photographs we could make. We brought in props, treats, whistles, bells...and a few of my Double-Top-Secret noisemakers to make sure we had bright eyes and big smiles on the dogs.

It's a lot of work, but bet that it's worth it for all involved. When you have a minute, check out the new Muttigree website by clicking HERE.

I also made a trip into New Jersey for the fantastic wedding of Tiffany and Ryan, both marvelous artists in their own right as well as one heck of a fun couple. They were each so fun to be around, and so happy it was infectious. It's great from a photographer's point of view, being able to be "on the outside" while attending, and noting that all in attendance had such a great time - not a frown to be found.

The best part for me was that they loved the cameras so much - not in that they were deliberatelly hamming it up for the lenses, but that if I kept a camera trained on them? They'd do something fun and spontaneous every twenty seconds...so, thought I'd share a few of those images here. Congrats, you two!!!

I've been ducking the admission that I've been doing quite a few weddings and engagement photography sessions on Long Island, lately! Each and every one has been an absolute blast, and there were no hiccups or lack of smiles from each and every particpant - such a great time, all of them. Here's a collage of Peter and Karen, our happy Huntington couple. They met after being neighbors, and the rest, as they say, is now blissful history. I like that the moving-in process for them only meant walking across the street...!

I don't advertise as a wedding photographer simply as it means that my present 60-hour weeks would undoubtedly turn into 80 hour weeks if I worked constant Saturdays and Sundays, too - when of course folks are most likely to marry durng day and evening-long ceremonies. But, when a friend or previous client asks or refers me, the answer is most always "yes, of course!" when I don't think it will make their images suffer that just the week before I was running on nothing but caffeine and adrenaline for 7 days straight.

Engagement sessions and portrait sessions are another matter entirely - those I love to do all of the time. I'm really looking forward to a few sessions we have booked when the leaves start to change colors this autumn (watch this space!).

Here's a shot of Kim, who posed for the cameras for a few hours in Centerport in a make-shift large studio. Kim's photo shoot was to build up her acting headshots and modeling promotional cards. We used a standard beauty/fashion lighting scheme for shots like the one shown here, and too we hit the local waterfront for some shots that showed off her athleticism - giving her agents some variety to choose from.

Kim was great, and I'm still chuckling at the fiasco over the gas can and the 1972 Cadillac. Kim knows what I mean...eeesh. Anyway, Kim was a natural, and a great sport about all of the wardrobe changes and dashing around. Great to meet you and good luck, Kim!

A few months back I posted about a great shoot we had, hosted at North Shore Animal League America for Chicagoland Tails magazine. Beth-O, the generous League spokesperson, was chosen to be the first person featured on the cover in the magazine's 20-year history. The reason? Her tireless efforts in the name of finding homes for shelter animals.

We had a fun shoot, racing the sun from location to location to offer the magazine the greatest variety of images. Beth was her usual amazing self, or should I self-less...she followed our dog's lead and hit the grass for this series, while Stephen Lang kept our subjects in shaded, even light and repositioned the strobe so I too could hit the ground and get this keeper.

Working with Tails and NSALA is an honor, it's amazing to know the images resulting from the efforts help to make a difference in placing shelter animals. Congrats to Beth on being the first person to grace the cover, and all the best to our furry model and magazine friends in the Windy City.

I've been blogging here for years now, and never asked anything of you, gentle readers - but PLEASE help Beth raise her goal for NSALA when running the NYC Marathon by clicking HERE.

And whoops - there's our Eli AGAIN, this time in Women's World magazine. I'll never forget when Eli's adoptive mom Karen brought Eli out to the set in those sneakers, it was great - I mean c'mon, some things you just can't "un-see." The photo has been a big hit, with it appearing in several books, advertisements, and magazines.

Eli's too been going strong with his own career, and is now even on a Milkbone box. Remember the little people, Mr. Supermodel.

Busy end of the summer! We're booked through August and most of September already, but with a little help from my coffee-peddling friends at Starbucks, whom I'm pretty sure I'm putting through college with my constant business, I think everyone who's been before the lenses lately will be delighted.

Above ls a fine young man we photographed last week on Long Island, producing some great portraits for his family. This guy's smart, funny, and just loves that dog (and the pup loves him back, from what I could tell!). The light was perfect around 6:30 p.m., so we took advantage of it by placing them in some shade with their backs to the bright sky. Add a little light with a reflector for a "pop" (all credit to his mom Sheila for that!) and bingo! Fun keepsakes!

A few weeks back, we spent many hours at the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind in Smithtown, Long Island, for photography of some of the guide dogs in-training and puppy litters. Our theme in this shot was that the little 'uns want to grow up to be like the big guide dogs, and we were having a heck of a time getting them to cooperate with the posing. One of the GDF's brilliant trainers suggested we just back off and let them be dogs, and within about 10 seconds, we had the shot we wanted. Adorable.

Continuing our themed shoot with this image, our puppy poses in an adult harness for guide dogs. This one wasn't as hard to get, though our puppy did want to be just that and romp around a bit.

We were also shooting for a cooperative with Raytex Industries, the parent company of Glory Days pet beds. Specific beds purchased from Glory Days will help to raise funds for America's Vet Dogs, an absolutely wonderful program run by the same fine folks over at GDF. Take some time and check out the above links for all involved, their causes are wonderful.

We met up with Brianne again a few weeks back to provide her with some shots for her portfolio and comp cards that she'll distribute to land more modeling gigs. Brianne's great to work with, and she's been featured on my blog more than once already as a trooper when it comes to shoots that offer...complications...! Last time, it was pouring rain throughout, and this time, come sunset, not only was Brianne forced to look into the bright setting sun, but we were swarmed by sand flies and all bitten into a million pieces. She never flinched (maybe once, but to her credit, she laughed about how crazy it was). Ah, the glamour of it.

We also met up with dancer and actor Laura, who needed some headshots for her own promo materials for her agencies. Laura was great to work with my crazy scheduling, and I assured her a late-afternoon meet at her home would be perfect for what we were after is we could find some shade and control the light well.

This first image is a straight headshot...we matched her clothes to go with the light background, allowing her skin to pull us in with its tonal difference - and her eyes, offering the most contrast, to allow a focal point to the viewer when looking at her head shot.

We had great backlighting from the West, so bouncing some light up into her face gave us a glamour look on this selection of images. By setting the camera's exposure for her skin , the backyard went dark and lets her face ane eyes again be the focus of the image. That there 's such a wonderous glow to her hair is what separates the genre of the photography here, and gives her such a wide range of usage on the 300-plus photos we made together over the course of an hour. Great work, Laura!

And of course the pet-end of the business here is still in full-swing. We had yet another parrot from one of our stock shoots hit a magazine cover! I'm pretty sure this is Charlie the African Grey, I remember the shoot - and remember Charlie being the perfect, cooperative (and talkative!) model. Thanks, Charlie!

Just a few more images here from my recent trip to the Seattle area in Washington - what a relaxing and scenery-filled trip! I made the image at left when driving from the Olympic National Forest area towards Seattle, on the coastal road that winds through some wonderful seascapes and woodland. I practically squealed the tires when braking so abruptly as I almost passed this sight around sunset, my mind's eye envisioning the photo with just the quick glimpse through a thicket of pines afforded by a break in the branches.

This shot was made compositing four exposures from my Nikon D300, which was firmly mounted on a tripod with a 12mm-24mm lens for a wide field of view. I had to blend the four exposures to be sure to shot the entirety of the tonal range in the scene, it's an option available when you don't have a camera bag filled with neutral-density filters.

My favorite part about this shot is the way it will always remind me of the smell of wet forest, wildflowers, and seawater. Also, the perfect quiet - it was utterly silent and peaceful.

This is a shot of the peak of Mount Rainier, made at about 7:00 in the morning from the eastern side of the mountain in an area appropriately named "Sunrise." I rose from my tent at camp at 4:00 a.m. to make the drive to get into a spot where I could hike to have this view, and it was well worth it. I stood on the edge of a valley of wildflowers at dawn, and marveled at the enormous mountain - a mountain so enormous that it quite literally has its own weather system, as illustrated by the Lenticular cloud - a cloud that forms when tall mountains get in the way of strong winds.

This image is of "old growth," a term used to refer to forests that have never been disturbed by human development (mainly timber harvesting). The complexity of an old-growth forest is the most striking difference between it and the second- and third-generation forests that cover most of the United States.

Old-growth forests are thick with life in a way that newer forests can't be - they just haven't had the time to develop. Little old-growth forest remains in the United States today, and much of what's left is concentrated in the Pacific Northwest and on the Olympic Peninsula in particular. I loved it.

It's hard to transmit scale in this photo - but imagine it taking two or three people to stretch their arms around a tree trunk....that's what it would take with the trees in this photo.

Just a quick note to say that I'm back from a camping photo trip to the lovely state of Washington, where I spent a week climbing and hiking through the Cascade mountains - especially Mt. Rainier.

It was amazing, and absolutely beautiful this time of year. I was a little surprised by the cool nights in the woods, but made it through just fine - especially when waking up at 4:00 a.m. to be sure to catch the sunrise on the eastern side of the mountain.

With a day and a half left, I strolled through Seattle - its delicious and welcoming coffee shops, its markets, and even took a tour of its remarkable "underground," where the city founders buried nearly a floor and a half of its buildings to keep the roads dry.

More later as I get settled in!

The past few weeks have seen a ton of people and pets before our lenses, and we've had an absolute blast meeting so many new faces. It's a really great facet of the photography business, meeting so many people - and every day brings someone new.

Here's a shot of some Diamond Doves, that we made for a magazine publisher in California. Lanette, the birds' owner, was so cool about bringing them over for the shoot. She worked with them for a full week, every day, to get them acclimated to a perch that would work for the editorial needs. Lanette basically rocks the dove world for her efforts.

Diamond Doves are native to Australia, and generally must live in pairs or flocks, as their need for companionship is high. Single diamond doves can bond to humans if acquired when relatively young, but this requires a commitment of time and attention from the owner because they require months or years to tame and will then require significant companionship time with their owner, much like a parrot. Once tamed, the dove is a sweet and gentle pet, who greets its owner with happy coos and will perch on the finger or shoulder. Anyway, thanks so much, Lanette!

Also, above left, here's a shot of fav model Brianne, who was gracious enough to pose for a variety of stock needs surrounding cool summer drinks - just in time with the weather out there. Brianne's great to work with, and she's popping up all over the place in ads and Internet banners - good going, Brianne!

If you're looking for stock photography, Acclaim has been a great choice for us - you can view some of our shots for sale on their site by clicking HERE.

It's been pretty crazy lately, but as usual lots of fun. I've been covering more events as of late than I thought Long Island could have, but then again it is that time of year when outside and smiling is where we all should be! With all of our Labrador Retriever puppy images delivered to the magazine, later this week and next we'll turn our attentions to parrots for some more stock shooting - the variety is an absolute blast!

Speaking of stock shooting, at left is an image of the lo