Imagine for a moment that you could watch Picasso paint…calculate the Theory of Relativity with Einstein…dunk on Michael Jordan…or have a beer with Hemingway while he penned a novel…Well, if you’re in Boston this Sunday, you’re in LUCK. You can watch a true LEGEND in action when Tempest Storm takes the stage as her Las Vegas Review storms into Boston. This true Burlesque Legend who toured the world and dated Elvis brings her talents to Beantown alongside two Legends in the making, Kitten DeVille and my dear friend Angie Pontani.

They’re all appearing on stage at 7pm this Sunday, Nov 14 2010 at:  North Shore Music Theatre, 62 Dunham Road, Beverly, MA

Burlesque Legend Tempest Storm photographed in Helendale. California

Miss Exotic World 2008 Angie Pontani photographed in New York

Miss Exotic World 2002 Kitten DeVille photographed in Las Vegas

Just learned the very sad news that my high school journalism advisor Tom Rolnicki died December 20th.  After inspiring and challenging me and many of my classmates  to strive to be the best, Tom went on to become the executive director of the National Scholastic Press Association and co-authored “Scolastic Journalism“. I was honored that he brought me in a couple times to speak at their annual conventions. Tom was truly an inspiration in many careers and will be missed.

My favorite photographer Irving Penn died today. Penn’s life personified the grace of his photographs. At 92, he never retired from shooting great images that he was famous for. Last month I caught Penn’s Exhibit of “The Small Trades” at the Getty center. This stunning exhibit will be at the Getty Center through January 10, 2010. Don’t miss it!

There’s a fabulous exhibit of Irving Penn’s portraits of workers with the tools of their trade in the The Small Trades exhibit at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles though January 10, 2010.

Initially created in 1950 and 1951 in London, New York, and Paris, The Small Trades show consists of 252 portraits of radespeople in their work clothes and carrying the tools of their respective trades.  The Small Trades was Penn’s most extensive body of work, involving 215 subjects from three cities, and he returned to it over many decades, producing ever more exacting prints, the show spotlights the evolution of Penn’s printing techniques by pairing his earlier silver and later platinum prints.

The experience of the show was made even better when I ran into one of my favorite photographers, legendary jazz photographer Herman Leonard, checking out the show.

If you can’t make it to LA, don’t miss the book,  ‘Irving Penn: Small Trades‘

My friend Mark in California is on Jury duty, which reminds me of my favorite Miami jury duty story.

One of my Miami Beach neighbors was called for jury duty and during the jury selection interviews, he mentions he’s a writer.

One of the attorneys asks him, “So you’re a writer, huh? Have you ever written anything we might have read.”

So he answers, “My name is Thomas Harris and I wrote ‘Silence of the Lambs’…”

Needless to say, he was excused from jury duty…

I’m in New York attending the Tribeca Film Festival premiere of Barry Levinson’s film PoliWood with my friends from The Creative Coalition. The film both examines lobbying efforts by Hollywood celebrities as well as how the television media has changed since it’s origins as “profit” has overtaken “public service”.

Since I was working on the book Art and Soul as Levinson was editing his film, I was invited to a rough cut screening. Watching the transformation from rough cut to release is a fascinating process if you’ve never seen it. After the rough cut screening I was aked by Levinson and producers Robin Bronk and Robert Baruc, for suggestions about what they should change. I must say that I thought the idea of giving “notes” to the Oscar-winning director of Rainman may seem absurd. But what this taught me was that though Levinson might not have need a critique of camera angles, he clearly wanted to know how he could better communicate his message.

“Better Communication of Your Message” Can’t we all learn from that? If an Oscar-winning director like Barry Levinson wants to know how to communicate better, shouldn’t we all?

"PoliWood" world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival.

"PoliWood" director Barry Levinson with Frank Luntz, Matthew Modine, Tim Daly, Josh Lucas, Wendy Malick and Ellen Burstyn at the Tribeca Film Festival world premiere.

"PoliWood" producers Robert Baruc, Robin Bronk, director Barry Levinson and producer Tim Daly at the "PoliWood" after-party.

Tim Daly and Brian Smith at the "PoliWood" after-party.

EQUIPMENT:
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W300

FIRST: Most importantly…Shoot what you love to shoot. Work that’s from the heart will always be your strongest work. NEVER FORGET TO HAVE FUN!

SECOND: The next most important thing you can learn is how to relate to people. Even if you are a still life, architectural or landscape photographer who never shoots people you still must relate to people like clients, architects, designers and of course accounts payable. So go out and find 50 strangers, introduce yourself to them and shoot a portrait that says something about who they are – not just what they do.

THIRD: If you are trying to move on to better clients, treat every assignment you get as though you are shooting for your dream client. If you are at a small weekly newspaper and your dream is to shoot for a large metro, approach every assignment as though it was your first week at that dream job. The same is true if you are at a large metro newspaper and dream of shooting for Rolling Stone. Start shooting every job that way. Too many photographers just slide by with the idea that they can raise their quality when they get the ‘right’ clients and then wonder why they never get where they want to be. The truth is that as you advance up the ladder, the assignments don’t necessarily get any better but expectations certainly get higher. Raise your game … now!

FOURTH: INVEST! Stock, bonds, mutual funds, real estate … Even if you are one of those lucky bastards with a staff job and a retirement plan, let a portion of your earnings start working for you. Most photographers starting out don’t feel they can afford to put money away. The truth is you can’t afford NOT to!

For more suggestions like this, take a look at advice that I collected from my fellow members of Editorial Photographers in piece called “Starting Out.”