Annemarie goes to Penn

It’ll be 10 years in October that I made a 10 day trip to Buenos Aires to spend time with my aunt, photographer Annemarie Heinrich. Every afternoon we passed the hours blithely inspecting her photo albums. Meticulously organized in chronological order, identified with names and dates, and often including technical notes, each page produced a story that Annemarie could recall like she’d shot it last week. A prolific shooter, she gave her Rollies and Leicas quite a workout. There were about 20 albums, each one a photography treasure chest of family, friends, travels, experiments, and work images. She was 84 at the time of that visit, and though debilitated from the illness that would end her life in October of 2005, she never tired of looking at photographs and talking about them with me, every page a precious reminder of a life fabulously well lived.

From August 26th to October 15th the Arthur Ross Gallery http://www.upenn.edu/ARG/, University of Pennsylvania will exhibit “Annemarie Heinrich, Grande Dame of Argentine Photography”. Among her subjects were internationally known dancers, choreographers, writers, poets, painters, film stars, all transformed to Annemarie’s B&W idealized vision of humankind. Her style? Think Hurrel, Horst, and Hoyningen-Huene (all my favorites begin with the letter “H”). Do an “images” Google of Annemarie Heinrich for a quick look at a full page of samples (the color one is of Annemarie). For a short crudely translated bio http://www.zonezero.com/magazine/obituaries/annmarie/index.html. The opening is the evening of Thursday September 14, 5:00 to 8:00. See you there.

BTW, that image on the top left was done on one sheet of film.

If you’re looking for a great restaurant while in Philly, check out POD near the Penn campus, http://www.podrestaurant.com/ very cool website.

No Garden Variety

It's called "Scream", a shameless title swipe from Edvard Munch, whose show was at MOMA earlier this year. Except for this painting, or was it just drawings (I think the painting is MIA, right?) of the same title, I wasn't very impressed. Munch had ten good years, then sold out ......ooh, I haven't used that term since college hippie days. Well, we all have to make a living, don't we.

A hundred years ago people with their first car every once in a while needed to get back on a horse. So I, on occasion, like making pictures the old fashioned way, with a camera and film. Shhh, I even have a darkroom.......that's like shoeing my own horse, or sweeping out the barn, or shoveling........well, not really.

With, at times, up to ten slide projectors and often the help my ever resourceful co-conspirator Will Landin, I've done in camera collages for myself and clients for over ten years. Most of my collages are portraits, with the subject strategically placed within the projections. The process usually starts with an idea, followed by the selection or creation of numerous slides to fit the plan. This technique works very well with a subject whose work environment doesn't inform much about what he or she does. It's also great for the subject, surrounded by images of their "stuff", to be involved in the creative process, something not possible if I"m by myself in front of a computer. Nothing against computers, mind you.

Stay tuned for more of my garden.

A Beautiful Kid

The Developmental Disabilities Health Alliance is an organization that provides services for the developmentally disabled. Having spoken on a number of occasions with its director about their clients, many of whom have little other recourse than the help of family members, I wanted to see this first hand through the viewfinder of a camera.

I expected to witness families overwhelmed and lacking the ability to properly cope with the caring of their disabled loved ones. There are some things some folks just can’t cope with without outside help. My first subjects were Rachel and her mom Susanne. They are a far cry from what I had expected.







This is a success story. Susanne could be the poster mom for surviving daunting circumstances. “Rachel is seven years old and
has special needs. At four months old she began having seizures. Upon doing an MRI, it was found that she has a disability called SBH (Subcortical Band Heterotopia).... during pregnancy the cells in her brain stopped migrating to the place they should have and stopped dead in their path forming this thick band and leaving the outer part improperly formed. What this means for Rachel is severe delays and seizures. She is seven but much like a one and half or two year old. Rachel walks and communicates well through various sounds, vocalizations and her overall mood, but she is nonverbal still at this point…….I’ve grown so much in strength and confidence because of Rachel and really am quite proud of my achievements. The programs and people at DDHA have assisted in this growth and continue to help when we are stuck in a bind.”

I photographed a beautiful kid and her amazing mom.

Back to School

Since their school year ends in mid July, it hardly seems like the kids at Newark’s Northstar Charter School ever had a summer vacation. But I’ll bet that many of them can’t wait to get back. This amazing school boasts 100% enrollment at 4 year colleges for all it’s graduates. Let me say that again: 100% enrollment. Outstanding. And outstanding for me to have the privilege of watching them do it.

Cory Booker (recently elected Mayor of Newark) gave a talk in Montclair last Fall. He spoke, among many things, of his plans for changing the structure of Newark’s school system, of establishing a school culture “of teamwork and loyalty”, and his belief that there is “no link between poverty and the ability to learn.” About a week later, I ran into my friend journalist Yuki Ishikawa, who had written an article earlier in the year on charter schools in the U.S for a Japanese publication. Northstar was one of the schools he covered. Yuki invited me on a morning visit and a tour by its co director Paul Bambrick Santoyo. That one visit inspired a photographic project that I expect will go on and blossom in many directions for years to come. And, as it turns out, Booker is on the Board of Trustees.

For me, the photograph I’ve included here kind of says it all. Where is this young man going? Who can say? But I have a feeling he’s quite optimistic about the possibilities ahead of him.

“Feel the desire, see the goal”. Cory Booker said that.

The Northstar Charter School, changing the world 300 students at a time. I said that!

Bill Smith In Memoriam

August 6, 2006 was the kind of day I was glad to be on my Schwinn and not in my Honda, a warm sun cutting horizontally through the trees, little haze, and just the right amount of clouds, what I like to call a Kodak sky. It was a welcome break from the freak tornedos and rain that hit town in the previous weeks.

Pedaling back from a Sunday morning of Tai Chi in Edgemont Park, I felt the buzz of my cell phone and stopped to see who would be calling so early. It was a friend with the news that a mutual friend, the photographer Bill Smith, had died on Friday. The physically fit, ever positive, unstoppable force that I remembered as Bill had apparently been ill for some time. I couldn't imagine him being unable to overcome any obstacle that came his way. He'd overcome so many, until this time.

Bill was a friend and also a teacher. I assisted for Bill in the 80's on many advertising assignments. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement. I helped him with the technical aspects of a commercial shoot, he taught me how to see things in a way I hadn't before. We went on many photography road trips just for the fun of it, learning the value of going out and shooting for myself as often as possible. His advice on the business of photography will stick with me always. I am fortunate and thankful that Bill was a part of my life.