Spring 2008

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For the Professional Photo Productionist

Spring 2008

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Table of Contents Spring 2008

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Table of Contents: Come and see what’s in store!

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Masthead: The good, the bad and the (not) ugly.

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Letter from the Editors: We’ve got to talk.

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Letter to the Editors: You’ve got to talk.

RE-turns:

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Tricks of the Trade: Photo Assistants. We all know we couldn’t do it without them.

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Table of Contents

Etiquette: Japanese Frame of Mind. When Tokyo meets New York.

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Resource Guide to: Bathrooms. Seems silly? Keep on drinking your venti latte and you’ll be thanking us the whole way there!

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Interview: Wendy Friedman from SohoSoleil. What does a businesswoman and an artist both need? Great light.

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Photo Deco-Page: Fashion Week. Girls, girls, girls!

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How to: Jack and Seam a Flat. A very practical tool…unless you’re a landscape photographer.

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Locations: New York Hotels. Sweet dreams are made of these.

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History: John Lennon by Bob Gruen. A legend. A T-shirt. A tragedy.

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As Seen in Resource Magazine: Surma. A little piece of the Ukraine in the middle of the East Village.

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Round Table of Truth: Color Printers. Printers emerge from the darkness to answer our questions.

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Fashion: Producer. They do the hard work, yet the girl in the bikini gets all the attention!

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Industry Tales: We Want Meat! Dead cows + jeans = Euro-trash fashion.

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iPod Snapshot: I’ll Be Safe and Warm if I Was…. (in LA – where else?)

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International: A global interpretation of the photo production industry.

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Liaison: Fly. It’s a DVD! It’s a magazine! It’s a DVD-magazine!

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Where to Take your Client: Shebeen and Tree. Off the beaten track, low-key, cool places: perfect brake from the hustle and bustle of this industry.

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Movie: Qui êtes vous Polly Magoo? By William Klein. A classic…but you might need to go to Europe to find it.

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Book: “And Our Faces, My Heart, Brief as Photos” and “Shortcomings”.

An esoteric essay and a comic book: opposite yet strangely complementary.

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Go-See: Spring Collection.

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Directory: People we’ve used and re-used and used again.

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Comics: Spring Sweet Spring

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Gypsy Horoscope: Spring 2008.

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End Page. Don’t forget to turn off the light.

Non-RE-fundables:

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Drip It, Click It, Live It. Now N00b can get a website and look like a pro!

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Diary of a Location Scout: Helipads. If you think that New York’s sky is filled with flying millionaires, with rooftops galore to land on, think again.

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Hangover Makeover: A Model’s Guide to Life After the Party. Try this at home: you might not end up looking like a model, but at least you won’t look like a zombie next time you are on set.

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NYC Bathhouse: What once was lost is now a studio. The history of an uncommon building.

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Faces Behind the Voices: RGH Lighting. Resource Magazine’s readers, meet the nice people at RGH. RGH people, please meet Resource Magazine’s readers.

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David Cantoni. An artist finds inspiration in the Gray Lady.

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A Portrait is Worth 1,000 Words. The debate is open.

Cover and End Images by Keith Telfeyan.

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Spring 2008 EDITORS IN CHIEF Alexandra Niki, Aurelie Jezequel CREATIVE DIRECTORS Alexandra Niki, Aurelie Jezequel ART DIRECTOR Sharon Gamss8.

DESIGN Daniel Forrero,Sharon Gamss, Dylan Kahler CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Marqui Akins , Dave Arnold, Jennifer Becker , Ilona Berzups, Carolyn Fong, Mariya Gershkovich,Andrey Grinyov, Bob Gruen, Victoria Jacob , Gregor Jamroski, Michael Kristian, Jason Lewis, Andrew Lucas, Ella Manor, Janine Mignot, Justin Muschong Helena Palazzi , Carissa Pelleteri, Lucia Rusinakova, Tiago Silva, Philip Sharp, JJ Sulin, Kumiko Suzuki, Zachary Swenson, Keith Telfeyan, Derin Thorpe, Luca P. Vanoni, Jeremy Zini CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Ana Callahan, Sara Ciaverelli, Missye Clarke, Taylor Dietrich, Brian T. Dwyer, Joe Fassler, Charlie Fish, Jana Hsu, Alec Kerr, Agnes Krup, Jonathan Melamed, Justin Muschong, Muriel Quancard-Johnson, “Chris Scout” Heather Simon, Jeff Siti, Rachel Smith Keri Wirth, Sachi Yoshii CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATORS Horatio Baltz, Dylan Kahler, Josh Mirman INTERNS Jana Hsu, Andrew Lucas, Edine N. James, Dominick Montalto, Rachel Smith

PUBLISHERS REMAG Inc.

DISTRIBUTION Brian Byrne brian@resourcemagonline.com ADVERTISING Alexandra Niki alex@resourcemagonline.com

Masthead

Aurelie Jezequel aurelie@resourcemagonline.com

Resource Magazine is a quarterly publication from REMAG Inc. 139 Norfolk St. #A New York, NY 10002 Fax 212.358.1854 info@resourcemagonline.com Subscriptions are $20 in the US, US$41 in Canada, and US$56 globally. For subscription inquiries, please email info@resourcemagonline.com Special thanks to: Adam Davids.

We welcome letters and comments. Please send any correspondence to info@resourcemagonline.com The entire contents of this magazine are © 2008, REMAG Inc. and may not be reproduced, downloaded, republished, or transferred in any form or by any means, without written permission from the publisher. All rights reserved.

For more info, please visit our website, www.resourcemagonline.com Corrections: Winter 08 issue, “House of Execution” was written by Lora Dunn and photographed by JJ Sulin. “Where to Take Your Clients Out: Cripso/8th St. Wine Cellar” was written by Sachi Yoshii and photographed by Keith Telfeyan. Our apologies for the delayed credit.

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Masthead

10 Letters from the Editors

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here may be limits in business, sports, or life…but in the photo production industry the very word “limit” makes most of us laugh. We pride ourselves in creating the impossible, the out of this world, and the limitless. We go above and beyond to show our loyalty and dedication to our trade. No stylist would ever say, “This rare indigenous flower is not available for your shoot tomorrow.” As a producer wouldn’t say, “Sorry, we really can’t shoot a girl in a bikini in the middle of Times Square during Fleet Week.” And what photographer wouldn’t be so willing to put in those extra twenty hours of retouching to make the model look twenty years younger? So, we guess that it is this relentless pursuit for the impossible that makes our industry quite a different breed from the “that doesn’t come in that color” kind of society we live in.

So, as you bask in your ability to do amazing things, remember to take a moment every now and then to soak up the sweet new sunshine of spring. Take a break from that shoot, sit off to the side by the window, smoke a cigarette, drink a coffee, knock off your shoes, or whatever floats your boat, and pick up the hot new issue of Resource Magazine. It will cleanse your mind.

Cheers to getting what we want- even if it means doing the unthinkable every once in a while.

Alex and Aurélie

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LETTERS TO THE EDITORS:

You’ve Got To Talk Dear Resource Magazine,

Great Magazine!

I believe photography shouldn’t just be about “the perfect shot” put together by stylists, hawk-eyed photographers, and glamorous models, and that’s why I really responded to your interview with Jay Boogie and your article “The Zen of Red Hook”. Jay truly brings to life Oscar Wilde’s anecdote that if you can’t create a work of art, you should strive to be one, and, the graffiti of Red Hook testifies to all those unknown artists whose work normally isn’t appreciated by many passers-by.

I’ve been in the photo industry for years, frequently running around to different studios and labs, and I have to tell you how great, informative and entertaining it is to read the magazine that I now find everywhere! Not only is it packed with “resources” for everyone in the photo industry, but it also has a very humorous side to some of the articles about things that happen to us every day.

Whether at a shoot, running around the city or something funny that you overheard at a lab… it really is a great little break when I have a few minutes or a few hours to enjoy the magazine.

Resource is a fantastic magazine that shows its readers that photography isn’t always artificial, but natural too, and that not all art is manufactured.

Much bliss, Sebastian Blake

Well, as I, and I’m sure a lot of others, anxiously await the arrival of the next issue, I just wanted to say, great work! Kudos to you and all your contributors.

-J.D. Lieberwitz

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TRICKS OF THE TRADE:

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Photo Assistant Story: Brian Dwyer | Self-portrait: Marqui Akins

There is a dapper, calm universe that often pervades a finished photograph— models floating with Christ-like ease or inanimate objects resting peacefully on a sterile-white counter. Behind this fantasy world is a harsher reality, filled with peeled hands and tired eyes belonging to photo assistants. Marqui Akins agreed to give me some of the main commandments from the Photo Assistants’ Bible.

1. Thou Shalt Work for Scratch.

“Try and get as much experience as possible.

Interning is a big thing that many aspiring photographers and people who want to get into the business do,” Marqui says. In a way, interning works to weed out everyone but the diehards.

Internships at a Miami photo rep and a New York City modeling agency didn’t pay the bills, but these experiences built Marqui’s resume. “When I came to New York, I was interning at a photo agency, working nights at Shoot Digital, and assisting whenever I could. Those couple hours of sleep at night just seem to last when it’s something you really want to do!”

2. All Work and No Play Makes Marqui a Successful Boy. The perks of being a photo assistant include free studio time, as long as you can find the time.

“You need to keep in mind that, when you assist, you are taking care of work, and you need to get the job done. If you have time, then you can take on your own stuff. I am not perfect: when I first arrived in New York, there were times when I was trying to do too much. I had to sit down and realize I had a great situation here, and I didn’t want to mess this up.”

3. Keep busy.

“You should always find something to do—make sure

you’re always doing something. A photographer I worked with really loved that I was always working so hard and doing all I could to make his job easier. He really gave me a nice compliment through his agency, and I got other work because of that.”

4. Loyalty is the Mark of a True Friend.

“A lot of assistants are aspiring photographers but you need to make sure that you remember you are working for a photographer. Take care of what he needs, and focus on the job at hand. Before approaching stylists or models for some possible tests, make sure you ask the photographer for his permission. It’s normal courtesy. Always make sure the photographer feels like he is number one.”

5. Silence is Golden.

“If the photographer has a certain lighting setting, you don’t want to say in front of everyone that his light is wrong. Be careful about the things you say. Though you may have the best intentions, you don’t want to undermine what the photographer is doing on set.”

6. Do Not Do Onto Others As Others Do Onto You. “Every shoot is going to have its little quirks. Problems are going to arise, that’s just the nature of the business.

It’s how you deal with them that separates the really professional assistants.”

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ETIQUETTE:

The Japanese Frame of Mind Story: Jon Melamed | Photos: Kumiko Suzuki

J

apan is a small country, a cluster of islands adding up to about 145,833 square miles of land, 70 or 80

percent of which is uninhabitable due to dense forests and volcanic mountains. With about 126 million people crammed into small coastal cities, literally living on top of one another, it is no wonder that the Japanese

to build a stronger professional relationship.

Come bearing gifts. Some painfully American trinket or souvenir can go a long way. Even something small like Statue of Liberty paraphernalia could show that you care.

Avoid conflict. On a Japanese shoot, you can be assured everything has been meticulously preplanned. They are certainly not looking for your creative input.

operate with an understated and somewhat repressed sense of civility. What happens then when a client who was raised within these social and business strictures comes to the States and hires and American production

Hand out your business card with two hands and a bow. It will make you look professional, respectable and aware of their cultural ways. The same applies for accepting their business card. In this case, you must read it carefully and then continue to hold it. When they are no longer in sight, you can bury it deep in your jean pocket, but no sooner.

team?” How does one work to keep a symbiotic set environment amidst such a palpable culture clash?

ALWAYS:

Your clients may be experiencing some shyness when ordering at a restaurant that has an unfamiliar menu. Always recommend a good dish if you know of one. This allows them to feel more comfortable and can serve as a great icebreaker.

Very often, photographers are referred to as “Sensei”, which means teacher or master. This title implies only the greatest respect and should be accepted gracefully. Avoid saying, “Huh?”, “What’d you call me?” or “That’s not my name, dude.” Accept your title, but do not enforce it in the situation where they call you by your actual name.

Speaking of names, here is a little title lowdown: • When referring to yourself, say (last name) desu (pronounced “des”) eg: Watashiwa Smith desu. (I am Smith) • When referring to someone else, you say (last name) san. eg: Thank you Kenji san! (Thank you, Kenji) • When referring to someone below you such as an assistant, you could say (last name) kun. eg: Sumimasen Eric kun. (Excuse me, Eric).

Japanese clients usually have a preconceived idea of a “creative person”.

It’s only to your advantage to live up to this image. You should be mysterious and quiet. Basically, the less vocal you are, the better. If something is being explained to you, instead of saying “yes”, just nod your head and say “hmm” or “aso desu ka” (which means, “OK, I see…”).

- Save the bullshitting for the Karaoke bar. On an American set, people are chatting all day, sharing personal stories and engaging in small talk. It shows that you are personable and makes the day go by faster. There is little patience for such banter on a Japanese set. Save it for the post-wrap festivities where candid conversation is acceptable and will actually serve

At least try to meet them half way. If you do make a grave mistake in etiquette, hopefully the Japanese client will find it cute - just an American idiosyncrasy. It will earn you respect if you show a concerted effort to employ their customs.

If eating Japanese food with your client, do not hesitate to utilize your wellpracticed set of Japanese table manners.

• When eating sushi you should dip fish-side down, and then eat whole. Do not let your sushi crumble.

• If eating noodles in soup, such as ramen or udon, some slurping is a sign of satisfaction and approval of the meal.

• NEVER leave your chopsticks sticking into the rice.

• If you choose to share food, never pass food from chopstick to chopstick your clients will shudder in horror.

• Always fight for the check - to the end!

Bring forth the Asian within and make the effort to speak the few Japanese phrases you managed to pick up along the way. Just be sure that you know what you’re talking about otherwise you could offend someone. Some common phrases you can include in your abridged vocabulary are: • Hello, it is a pleasure to meet you. My name is…= Hagimemashite, dozo yoroshiku. Watashiwa (last name) desu. (To let your clients know your first name, you can explain it in English, saying, “But you can call me [first name]”) • Thank you very much. = Arigato gozaimasu (present tense), or Arigato gozaimashita (past tense, if referring to the job that just ended) • Hello = Konnichiwa • Good Night = Oyasumi nasai • Excuse me = Sumimasen • How are you? = Ogenki desu ka • Thank you for your hard work = Otsukare sama • Please…= Dozo • Yes = Hai • No = Iie (should always be followed up with “Sumimasen”) • I understand = Nod your head, then say “Wakari mashita”

Etiquette 17

NEVER: Take your clients to mediocre Japanese restaurants. If it’s not one of the best in town, then their view of you may be about as good as the sashimi you just ate.

Even worse would be to go to a sloppy BBQ joint or somewhere that serves portions the size of your head. Your clients will be able to relate better to small portions, so avoid Junior’s.

Expect them to be straightforward about a topic at hand. The Japanese discuss images in a very abstract manner: if you are talking about a color, they may simply say it should be more “modern”. So don’t get frustrated at this whimsical approach. Just go with the flow and be prepared for this kind of creative direction. You may be decoding more than just language.

Rush the decision-making process. Americans love the time crunch. If people aren’t running around like crazy on set, American clients feel like they aren’t getting their money’s worth. The producer or photographer may even fabricate this intensity in order to make for a productive-looking set. This is a no-go with the Japanese. There is a very small margin of error on a Japanese set. You will often be dealing with multiple clients who will be sure to examine all opinions before any actions take place.

Be late. While this is also true for the American industry, we often forgive so-called creative people for being late, and this tardiness may even work to perpetuate and idealize the artist’s mystique. In Japan, punctuality is king. Even if you are the most sought after person in your field, if you are late, you are nothing.

Go straight for the bow. The idea of shaking hands as a greeting is very kitsch to the Japanese businessman and they may enjoy employing such an American gesture on our home turf. But you may want to impress them with your cultural knowledge and give them a bow. It is best to look for cues. If they start to bow, you follow. If you see the hand extend, go for it, and make it a firm one. Don’t go for both, or else you may end up with stubbed fingers and bruised foreheads.

Act on hubris. Leave your ego at home when dealing with Japanese clients. Though you may be brimming with creative input, your Far East employers will regard you simply as a technician. You are there to do your specific job and your opinion will only serve as a divergence from their meticulously planned shoot.

Be slow with your email responses. Although this is certainly frowned upon in our culture, it can be a deal breaker when working with the Japanese.

Act like a big fat American. In general, you will find the Japanese on set ambience tranquil and unpretentious. Keep your voice down and check that gregarious attitude at the door.

Try to be completely Japanese. Just show your respect for their culture by knowing your etiquette along with a few good phrases. They can smell an imposter from miles away- so don’t even try.

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RESOURCE GUIDE TO:

New York Bathrooms

Rockefeller Center 30 Rockefeller Plaza (W. 48th to 51st Sts., between 5th and 6th Aves.)

New York, NY 10122

Story: Justin Muschong | Illustration: Horatio Baltz | Photos by Andrew Lucas

4 stars The only thing you’ll have to watch out for is the occasional homeless person washing up in the

You’re window-shopping in Manhattan and haven’t given a second thought to the two half-caf macchiatos you’ve just compulsively downed or the greasy kebab that disappeared into your gullet. But what goes in must come out, and when they come back to haunt you in the worst way as you’re strolling up Sixth Avenue, what do you do?

New York may be known for its food culture, but the bathroom situation leaves much to be desired. Though public restrooms abound across the city, you’ll have a spot of trouble finding one that doesn’t resemble the interior of a septic tank. And don’t even think about sneaking into an office building because if you make it past security, be prepared you’ll still have to contend with the locks barring access to every bathroom from the ground up. Corporations protect their toilets as if the company secrets were stashed inside.

sink. Hey, where else are they going to do it?

They’re homeless!

Container Store 629 6th Avenue (between 18th and 19th Sts.) New York, NY 10011 (212) 366-4200 4 stars It’s usually not very busy, but in case it is...well, I think you can figure out where this joke is going.

Usually your choice comes down to risking an infected bladder by holding it in until you get home, or attempting to perform your functions around the scattered detritus of a coffee shop bathroom while other impatient customers buzz angrily just outside the door. Thankfully, stylists have once again stepped in to save your hide. They’re out of the studio and out on the streets everyday of the week, scouring stores for wardrobe and prop, and while they’re at it nature often calls alongside duty. The streets of New York are stylists’ natural habitat, and we managed to briefly rally up a few to reveal the best and worst places for performing that other business.

Chelsea Market 75 9th Avenue (between 15th and 16th Sts.) New York, NY 10011 (212) 243-6005 3 stars These bathrooms are private, but busy, so beware the leavings of your predecessors.

Crate and Barrel

Housing Works Bookstore Café

611 Broadway (at Houston St.)

126 Crosby Street (between Houston and

New York, NY 10012

Prince Sts.)

(212) 780-0004

New York, NY 10012

3 stars

(212) 334-3324

This bathroom is great in a pinch. Our

4 stars

stylists noted the “attractive” counters and

This is a great bookstore that’s usually not

sinks. Find it on the 2nd Floor.

too congested. They may ask you to check your bags, so figure out a different way to smuggle in your reading material.

Resource guide to 19

Bryant Park Public Restrooms 42nd Street (between 5th and 6th Aves.)

New York, NY 10110 5+ stars!

These were declared to be the finest bathrooms in the ABC Carpet & Home

city for their cleanliness and flower arrangements.

888 Broadway (at 19th St.)

Now if they only had a shower...

New York, NY 10003 (212) 673-7900 4 stars Since this is one of those high-falutin’ fancy places, you should browse for a few minutes as if you can actually afford the decorative oriental, antique rugs.

Located on the 2nd Floor.

FAO Schwarz 767 5th Avenue (between 58th and 59th Sts.) New York, NY 10153 (212) 644-9400 5 Stars Remember the breathless excitement you felt as a kid when you went to the toy store? It’s kind of like that, but with bathrooms. Note that the restrooms are located on the lower level.

Banana Republic 17 W 34th Street (between 5th and 6th Aves.)

New York, NY 10001-3001 (212) 244-3060

New York Public Library

5 stars

188 Madison Avenue (between 34th and 35th

You’ll feel like the dictator of your own little

Sts.)

“banana republic” in these private and

New York, NY 10016

(comparatively) relaxing restrooms.

(212) 592-7700 3 stars Security may check your bags at this convenient, but busy location. Why must so many people insist on reading?!

Club Monaco 160 5th Avenue (between 20th and 21st Sts.) New York, NY 10010 (212) 352-0936 3 stars Much like high school, if you want to get into the cool kids’ bathroom, you have to fit in. Pretend to browse for a few moments before using the restrooms on the lower level. If you run in disheveled and frantic, you’ll be shunned yet again.

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INTERVIEW:

WENDY FRIEDMAN

By Joe Fassler | Photos by JJ Sulin

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Wendy Friedman’s office door is one of a kind. If you look closely, you’ll see tiny streams of words sandblasted on the icy, opaque glass. “Those are my one-liners,” she explains, little phrases that come to her at night just before sleep or during morning’s first groggy moments. Some are prophetic or profound, others are nonsensical. One way or another, she always makes sure to write them down. As an artist, her work often explores the realm between the conscious and unconscious. That, she says, is “where the really good ideas happen.”

Her biggest idea came twelve years ago when she founded SohoSoleil, a beautiful location for photo shoots. It’s a tremendous space: there are expansive blonde hardwood floors and unbeatable views of the city. Long stretches of 6x8’ windows made from mottled 19th-century glass let in gentle light from the southwest.

Today, SohoSoleil has developed into a network of specialized photo production sites throughout New York City. Wendy’s original loft, now called CornerLight, still sees the most traffic, but she offers clients a wide range of other options. FireLight, for instance, is a traditional 1902 Sophie’s Choice-style home in Prospect Heights, with wide staircases, old-fashioned mantels, and stained-glass windows. SurgicalSite, a doctor’s office with a fully functional operating room, is a favorite with both fashion and medicine industry clients.

Wendy says that business is good these days. Everyone from Platon to People, from SlimFast to The Strokes has come through her phrase-covered doors.

Resource sat down with Wendy to talk about SohoSoleil, what it’s like to work with living legends like David Bowie and Neil Young, the importance of light, and how to balance business and pleasure.

Interview 23

Before you went into the studio business, you worked in publishing. Has that helped your work with SoHoSoleil?

You’ve worked with some pretty high-profile clients in the past. Got any good anecdotes?

I had done design work at Hearst and Conde Nast. I had hired photographers and been on photo shoots, so I knew what that was about. It helped me with knowing what a photographer’s needs are, and to understand that when someone rents a space, it’s their space for the day. You have to have it clean and make things nice and neat for them, supply what they need… yet also know how to stay out of the way.

When Platon was here shooting Neil Young for Rolling Stone, everyone was very stressed because Neil just did not want to come to another shoot. He had said he would only stay five minutes. He’d done too many shoots- he’d had it! Right when he came out of his car, someone was using the elevator. So I ran downstairs to greet him because I knew he’d had a brain aneurysm, and I wanted to wait with him and make sure he took the elevator. But he said, “Oh, no, no, let’s take the stairs. Exercise is a gift.” When we got halfway up he said, “OK, the blood pressure medicine is kicking in,” but he loved the old stairwells and didn’t want to quit. When we got upstairs he said, “This isn’t a regular old studio!

This is someone’s home!” I gave him a tour, and he cheered right up and stayed for two hours. Everyone was so relieved. His manager wrote me a nice note after, saying it was one of the best shoots they’d had in twenty years!

What first drew you to what became your original studio space, the CornerLight location in SoHo?

What was Salman Rushdie doing here?

A Canadian newspaper was interviewing him. They photographed him in the diner booth we used to have, and on the fire escape. They also wanted a more colorful background so they rented some of my paintings.

David Bowie was also photographed here.

I found him really kind. They were shooting with a famous photographer, Ellen Von Unwerth. He was really kind of quiet and shy, and very sweet with his daughter. His wife was really warm – what we call in Jewish, hamisha, kinda cuddly. He’s such a legend that everyone kind of stayed away a little bit… Kate Moss was with him on that shoot, and she was just running around with her top off and everything. I think it was before the whole cocaine thing.

When I was looking for a loft to buy, I was told this place had really nice light, southwest light. Arthur Elgort is a floor above me, and I thought, “If the light’s good enough for him, it’s good enough for me!”

Since you’ve opened CornerLight, you’ve represented a lot of other locations. What do you look for in a location?

I look for something that’s different from all the other ones. For something that people are asking for that I don’t already have. I look for high ceilings because people always ask for high ceilings. The main thing is to have [owners] with whom you can work well.

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What do you offer that other places can’t?

Light is a crucial factor.

There are a lot of different photo studios out there, with services and equipment that we don’t have. We offer locations that are different than photo studios and more personalized. The reason we get so many celebrities is because the locations are private. They are in private lofts and paparazzi can’t find them. A client just came in earlier today and said, “I didn’t know this building was so big, it has so many different parts. It’s like a well-kept secret.” Even though we have some famous photographers in the building, they’ve never tried to make the building look nice from the outside because people want it to be private. It’s a friendly atmosphere and on a bright sunny day, the space itself just makes you feel good. If you’re in a place where there are a lot of windows, you don’t feel locked in. I love it when people come in here on a bright, sunny day and they’re awed by the space.

Light is really important to me. Most lofts are long and narrow; they only have windows at one end and get darker as you go back. CornerLight is rectangular, so you don’t get that effect. It just makes me happy to be in here, even on a snowy or rainy day.

Surgical Site, one of the locations you manage, has a fully functional operating room. What is this used for?

A lot of advertisements want that kind of look, but fashion clients too because they can do really funky things in the chair! It is a real Park Avenue plastic surgeon’s office. The doctor who works there really loves the idea of it. He’ll even pose, too!

You advertise that some of your rooms have pianos. How much action do they see?

Dolly Parton played at MeetingSite. That was for a BBC program. Some of the corporate events that go into the evening may have someone playing the piano, and for product launches they’re often used too. We had a shoe company come in recently where they were projecting slides onto the white brick wall, with someone playing ‘40s standards on the piano.

With all you do for SoHoSoleil, do you have time for your own artistic work these days?

It’s the core part of me. Managing locations is fun and interesting, and I’m proud that I was able to develop this business, but it’s not my very first love. At night I revert back to being an artist.

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25.

AD: WORKBOOK

Mark Laita.

As seen in WORKBOOK 30. workbook.com

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Fashion Week caters to the very core of our society: its desire for a spectacle.

While the human race tends to love a good car wreck, it’s the beautiful things that are the easiest and most fun to sit in front of for an hour or two. Beautiful women traipse around in even more beautiful clothes, with beautiful hors d’oeuvres being served by men and women with beautiful haircuts, and on and on. It’s a zoo of attraction, and with no shortage of flashbulbs to capture all those good genes on film. For most of the world, Fashion Week wouldn’t exactly hold the same appeal were people forced to actually just remember it, instead of being able to log on to any number of websites a few hours later to check out what they missed while staring at a model’s elusive leg hair. The army of photographers that slyly lines the stage at each fashion show, while perhaps menacing in appearance, is truly what makes the show such a spectacle. There is never a still moment at Fashion Week, on or off the runways, yet the photographs born from these days of chiffon and mayhem tend to look perfectly composed and utterly stunning. So let’s give a little credit to these warriors of the front-front row, who bare their press passes and Nikons with pride, and lend us a little taste of the beautiful life.

PHOTO-DECO-PAGE:

FASHION WEEK

By Rachel Smith | Photos by Ella Manor

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HOW TO:

Jack & Seam a Flat

By Jeff Siti | Illustrations by Dylan Kahler | Consulting provided by Ready Set

Back in the good old days of the American frontier

living was easy. All you had to do was dig for water, kill for food, and build your own shelter. This was done, written documents tell us, to protect the family from ferocious animals, the elements, and irksome natives who wouldn’t stop asking why all the blankets they were given stunk of small pox. But now that we live in the future and love to import pre-built garbage, pretty much everything’s already done for us, shipped over fresh with a tasty lead coating. If, however, you’ve still got a little outlaw in your veins, this is how to jack and seam a flat like the pros.

Here we go.

Step One: Amass your arsenal of tools. This is a serious undertaking, and you’re going to need all sorts of shit – screwgun, screws, a sharpened #2 pencil without bite marks, lumber, tape measure, sandbag(s), flat(s), and a friend that can keep a secret. Good luck.

Remember that safety is Job Number One and that your eyeballs are, as always, irreplaceable. Make sure you get some of those goofy specs for eye protection. Consider a full-face gasmask if possible, as sawdust may prove to be a dilemma.

In carpentry, preparation is always the key to victory.

Step Two: Do some hard-core math. Get out your trusty measuring tape – which you should carry at all times along with fish oil tablets – and figure out some dimensions. Being aware of your surroundings and their implications is crucial. Make certain to catalogue all notations in a “width x depth x height” format. The fish oil tablets will help reduce cholesterol, but not without diet and exercise. Always stretch before straining the body.

Step Three: Now it’s time to get this bugger on its feet. After standing the flat vertically, affix the jack cleanly against the wooden ribs on the backside of the flat. Hold the position.

Step Four: With a fully juiced battery, use your screwgun to insert quality woodscrews through the plates of the jack into the flat ribs at high speed. Here, screws are like salt in a fancy recipe – if at any time you would feel comfortable with more, do not hesitate to follow your instinct. Continue in this fashion with each plate until the flat is tightly secured to the jack.

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Step Five: Wake up your friend, who probably has a beard. Together, lug the massive sandbag to your workspace and safely place it on the base of the jack. Teamwork is both a fun and character building opportunity that should never be missed.

Consider your flat jacked. Test for sturdiness and make changes wherever necessary. If using electrical equipment, unplug it, coil the cord neatly, and stow in hidden compartments throughout your home, office, or warehouse. Tell no one of their location.

The job’s almost over, but you’re going to have to give everything you’ve got to finish this mother off. One flat is okay, but two is obviously better. You’ve got to seam it, and for that, you have to be willing to put yourself in the danger zone.

Everyone knows that the most dangerous place in the entire galaxy is directly between a polar bear and her cub. If you find yourself in this position, you won’t be for long. You will be torn to bloody shreds in a matter of seconds and stored as winter fat for the bears to survive during the harsh winter months.

And, as everyone also knows, the second most dangerous place in the entire galaxy is between two flats. But unlike polar bears, flats are generally not lethal. Establish dominance and you will live. To do this, you will need more screws.

Step Six: Without making any sudden movements, place two jacked flats perfectly adjacent to one another, making deadly certain that all surfaces are flush.

Step Seven: With the side ribs of the flats flush, at this time it is common custom to insert screws at intervals of one foot, tightly locking the flats together. Security is of the utmost importance so feel free to use any amount of screws within reason.

Congratulations! You have successfully jacked and seamed a flat or two. Unfortunately, they’re useless if you don’t stretch them. Get excited.

Step Eight: Spread your fabric of choice on a low, flat, spacious surface. Floors are a wonderful choice this time of year.

Remove the jacks from the flats then place them on the fabric.

Step Nine: At this point it is certainly crucial that you pull the fabric as tightly as humanly possible under the flats then stretch it from the center of each side. To hold it in place, blast some serious staples into the ribs. Hit all sides and everything that moves. No survivors.

Step Ten: This final step is, as is common with final steps, not that hard at all. Stapling the corners can be a little tricky, however. You need to fold and tuck the excess into what those in the business, meaning prostitutes, call a “hospital corner”.

The meaning of this term has never been divulged. After stapling all corners, raise the wall and reattach it to the jack.

Mission accomplished.

Note: If you wanted to seam the flats in the first place, don’t bother putting on the jacks then taking them off again and then putting them back on. Geez, even I knew that.

Breathe a sigh of relief. This is a day to remember. You may now use your flats for whatever projects you may have in mind, both legal and illegal. With a devastating power tool still buzzing in your hand and sweat on your brow, it is okay to feel a deep sense of patriotism and pride. You are a true American now. Act like it.

Don’t forget to sandbag!

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LOCATION PAGE:

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NEW YORK HOTELS

By Sara Caviarelli | Photos by Keith Telfeyan

When you travel for a shoot, do you go the extra step and put your tightywhities in the drawer? Or are you that guy who lives out of his suitcase?

Regardless, where is this flight-torn duffel bag of yours being parked? Some manage to sleep in the same bed time and again, but most find themselves tucked into unfamiliar sheets. Which bed do you find yourself crawling into when on the move? There is an immeasurable number of hotels in this fair city, with attributes as varied as their clientele. Prices vary too, but in New York it’s safe to say that they can go higher than the Empire State Building.

Resource Magazine would like to take you on a tour of some of our favorites places. Room service not included.

CASABLANCA HOTEL | 147 W 43rd St. - NY, NY 10036 | 212.869.1212 | www.casablancahotel.com

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GERSHWIN HOTEL | 7 E 27th St. - NY, NY 10016 | 212.545.8000 | www.gershwinhotel.com

CHELSEA STAR HOTEL | 302 W 30th St. - NY, NY 10001 | 212.465.8664| www.starhotelnyc.com

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CHELSEA HOTEL | 222 W 23rd St. - NY,NY | 10011 | 212.243.3700 | www.hotelchelsea.com

BRYANT PARK HOTEL | 40 W 40th St. - NY, NY 10018 | www.bryantparkhotel.com

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LIBRARY HOTEL | 299 Madison Ave. - NY, NY 10017 | 212.983.4500 | www.libraryhotel.com

THE POD HOTEL | 230 E. 51st St. - NY, NY 10022 | 212.355.0300 | wwww.thepodhotel.com

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John Lennon

HISTORY:

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History 39

John Lennon, by Bob Gruen New York City August 29, 1974. Story: Charlie Fish | Photo: Bob Gruen

The world has never again seen a superstar the likes of John Lennon. Singer, songwriter steeped in controversy and conceptual art. Author, artist and activist. New Yorker.

Although many of Lennon’s singles released during his solo career never reached the top of the charts in the United States, his songs were always seen as politically charged, important messages sonically wrapped in melodic bows. Whether he was singing about his Green Card struggles, his love for Yoko, or his heroin withdrawal, John Lennon delivered catchy pop-tinged rock ‘n’ roll songs with the same ease and fluidity as he did his artistic blips of self-exploration and individual growth.

Always in the spotlight, the former Beatle would, in today’s world, be reduced to tabloid and blog fodder. After all, his rebellious nature and affinity for hedonism brought some erratic behavior, including an eighteen-month stint of depression, drugs, and drinking, during what he called his “lost weekend” that began in LA and ended with him reuniting with Yoko Ono in New York City.

Having just returned from LA but still separated from Yoko, John Lennon was about to release his Walls and Bridges album, which contained the number one hit, “Whatever Gets You Thru The Night” with Elton John. Lennon contacted photographer and friend, Bob Gruen, to shoot the album cover and some publicity photos. One of the resulting images from that day’s shoot proved to become a ubiquitous icon of its own. Now seen everywhere from postcards to posters, it has become one of the most popular images of John Lennon, as well as one of rock ‘n’ roll’s greatest photographs. At the time, however, it was only one picture in a series. It wasn’t until his death in 1980 that the image became a defining memorial and tribute.

On Becoming the Lennons’ friend: I met John through an interview for a magazine called “After Dark.” It was around March of ’72.

It was actually a story about the Elephant’s Memory band, a backup band with which John and Yoko were working. The writer asked me to take pictures of the band, and of John and Yoko.

They (John and Yoko) saw my pictures, liked them and wanted to use some for their Sometime in New York album. They asked me to come back and to feel free to hang out with them and take more pictures. And I did.

Yoko warned me that they often hired people to protect them and guard their security, and if someone prevented me from seeing them I shouldn’t take it too seriously, and come back in a little while and try again. I always seemed to have pretty much free access because I wasn’t intruding like a journalist. I was coming to them more like a friend. John and Yoko lived around the corner from me on Bank Street in Greenwich Village, and as we got to know each other we started visiting each other back and forth. I would stop by their place; and sometimes they would stop by mine.

On the set: John had a penthouse when he came back from Los Angeles before he was back with Yoko. John

had asked me to take some pictures, which were a series of portraits of his face, for the cover of the Walls and Bridges album. After we did that we thought it’d be a good idea to have some more photos for the publicity of the album.

We were taking pictures on his rooftop. There was John and his secretary there. A couple of assistants, and housekeepers he had. There was no makeup artist there, no stylist. It was just one of the series of pictures we took around the roof. It wasn’t planned. We didn’t sit down with art directors and storyboards and stylists several months in advance to decide what kind of promotion and product this was going to be.

John didn’t want to do that kind of planning. He didn’t want to go to a studio and have makeup done and stylists. The record company actually had asked to set up a photo session with a big name photographer, but John didn’t want to go through that whole operation, and asked if I could come over and do something simpler at his house.

On Black and White: A publicity picture was a black and white photo.

Magazines didn’t print in color back then—not rock ‘n’ roll magazines. I would sometimes shoot color photos and I do have color versions,

but not the exact same image because one is taken with one camera, and one’s with another.

When I took that picture I think I was working with a Nikon F. On the T-shirt: At first he was wearing a black shirt and a black jacket. Then I thought of that t-shirt—I had given him that shirt as a gift a year earlier.

I used to wear shirts like that all the time.

While we were shooting, with New York City skyline all around us, I thought it’d be a good time if he had that shirt on. I asked if he still had it, and he got it, put it on, and we took a series of different pictures.

On his death, New York and the now famous ‘NYC T-SHIRT’ photo: When John died in 1980, Yoko called for a moment of silence on the Sunday following his death, ten minutes of silence around the world.

A lot of people in New York were going to gather at the Dakota, so the mayor wanted to direct things a little more securely than just having everybody mobbing out in the street in front of the building. They wanted to have a memorial in Central Park, and asked the promoter Ron Delsener to set up some of John Lennon’s music.

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Ron asked me if I could bring a picture that they could put in the middle of the band shell so that people would have something to focus on instead of an empty space. I asked him if he wanted to pick the image out, but he said, “No, you knew him. I’m sure you’ll pick out a good one.” I actually had quite a dilemma thinking about what to pick. There are some nice pictures of John with a guitar or John playing live at Madison Square Garden, being a musician. I have some really nice pictures, portraits that are more introspective. There’s one that was on the cover of The New York Times where he’s John as the intellectual.

At the time a lot of people were saying that he was killed because New York was dangerous.

Yoko had an article explaining that the person

who killed John came from half way around the world. John didn’t die because of any danger in New York; the only reason he died here was because he lived here. The person who killed him would’ve gone to wherever in the world he lived. Yoko said, “Please don’t blame New York.” That was part of my thinking behind the idea to use that image. John really enjoyed living in New York, he felt comfortable here, and people pretty much left him alone. Looking through my photos, I picked the one where he looks like he’s proud to be a New Yorker, and that’s the one I went with and took to Central Park. That was kinda the beginning of the popularity of that picture because a lot of the TV cameras picked up on it.

On the last time he photographed John: December 7, 1980. Just two days before he died.

It’s a picture of him out in front of the Record Plant studio on 44th Street, which is ironically where I took pictures of him the first night we met.

Retrospect: When we took the picture we had no idea that it was going to become such a famous wellknown picture. It was one moment along with all the others, it was just part of a photo session, just one-sixtieth of a second. But it does seem to have taken on a life of its own and really inspire a lot of people. I always felt very blessed that I knew John Lennon and that I could be part of his work.

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As Seen title 43 47

AS SEEN IN RESOURCE MAGAZINE:

Surma: The Ukranian Store Story: Joe Fassler | Photos: JJ Sulin

TT

here are eggs everywhere. Display cases loaded with pysanky,

Still, today’s world has infiltrated the shop. Modern Ukrainian pop

hand-drained and decorated eggs from the Ukraine, line the

blares from a dusty stereo. One of the Russian doll sets features a

walls. These aren’t the washed-out, pastel-colored things some

lineage of Santa Clauses, which eventually give way to Frosty the

Americans make for Easter. They are meticulously crafted works

Snowman and an anthropomorphized Christmas Tree Man. And

of art, marked with minute details and colored in stark reds,

Markian himself, despite his attachment to the past, is a third-

blacks, and yellows. There are books on how to dye eggs, as well

generation Ukrainian, really just another American, firmly rooted

as books and postcards with pictures of dyed eggs. And there are

in the modern world.

entire shelves of extra-strength egg dyes — not just every day colors, but aquamarine and tryptillian brown. Some of the dye

“When I was a kid growing up around here, we had people like Jim

packets boast the qualities traditionally associated with each hue:

Morrison and the Mamas and the Papas and Jefferson Airplane

orange for attraction, pink for success, black for remembrance.

[as customers],” he thrills. The Carpathian blouses, he explains, were coveted items in the loose, earthy wardrobes of late 60’s

Remembrance reigns inside Surma, a Ukrainian store on East 7th

rockers, and unavailable anywhere else in the city. “Virtually every

Street in the East Village. The shop has been a resource for

super-rock star there ever was came in here, and I‘d been to their

Ukrainian culture since it opened its doors in 1918, and has since

concerts. To have Jimmy Page in here was awesome!”

become a beacon of quaintness and old-world craftsmanship.

The proprietor, Markian Surmach, strives to remain faithful to the

Karen Allen wore one of the blouses for her lead role in Raiders of

original look and feel of the store, which was founded by his

the Lost Ark, and a framed still of her wearing one on set can be

immigrant grandfather, and operated by his father for fifty years.

seen on one of the crowded walls. “They bought a dozen of the

“Ukrainians buy things here when they want a taste of home,” he

same blouse and they didn’t tell my father why,” Surmach laughs.

says, but the appeal extends beyond the wistful nationalists. “This

“Somebody came back from production and said they bought so

whole place is of a time that was much simpler,” he explains. “We

many because the blouse got torn to shreds in the movie and they

live in an ever-changing world, an ever-changing city. The whole

had to do a bunch of takes. A hand-made blouse! I’d been on trips

skyline’s different now, but people come back here after not

to the region with my dad where the blouses come from, and met

seeing the place for forty years and say, ‘Oh my god, it’s still the

the women who make them. I was a web developer for over ten

same!’ That’s the value. People have a kind of romantic

years and complained of carpal tunnel, but having seen those

sentimentality about it.”

women — I mean, that’s hard work.” He pauses, letting it sink in, the incongruence between the old world and the new. “But that’s

Much of the store seems to hail from a different time. Gray-haired

Hollywood, you know?”

men and women drift in and out, doddering through the aisles and exchanging Slavic salutations. There are hand-made embroidered blouses from the Carpathian mountains, long lines of Russianstyle stacking dolls, imported mushrooms for making borsht, and countless piles of foreign periodicals, both old and less old. You can browse through all manner of honey products made from local New Jersey beeswax. Surmach’s grandfather was an active beekeeper, and the family’s connections in the industry are alive and well. There’s also an entire wall devoted to painted portraits of fur-hatted, mustachioed Ukrainian national figures. “He was a poet, a political dissident, kind of a Bob Dylan of the Ukraine,” Surmach says, pointing out one of them. “I think he spent a lot of time in jail.”

SURMA: The Ukrainian Shop 11 East 7th Street, between 2nd & 3rd Avenues New York, NY 10003 212.477.0729 www.surmastore.com

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ROUND TABLE OF TRUTH:

Color Printers

By Charlie Fish | Photos by Carissa Pelliteri

A word to the wise: film is not a dying medium.

Despite Kodak and Fuji’s massive attempts to render the art form obsolete, these four color-printing professionals are here to tell us otherwise.

Their final prognosis: look out for the resurgence and re-appreciation of film. From editorial to lifestyle, and fashion to fine art, more photographers are opting for tradition over technology. Recent art school grads, skilled in the art of digital retouching, better beware. These color printers aren’t going anywhere any time soon. They’re clocking in countless hours of working in complete darkness, while chemical fumes waft above them.

But they won’t have it any other way.

Gathered in a Brooklyn loft for a unique, inspired photo shoot, they’re shining a light on the darkroom and revealing their profession’s inner workings. Resource sat them down to talk color versus black and white, the importance of skin tone, the real cost of shooting digital, and the omnipresent Photoshop.

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How many hours are you in the darkroom a week?

What’s the interaction with your clients like?

Gunn Roze from Primary Photographic: Forty, fifty hours, but it’s in and out. You’re not literally in there, checking in at nine and leaving at six without seeing the light. With color printing, you have your private darkroom time then you’re out with co-workers or clients. This is why I chose color as opposed to black and white. I could not be in that red room for eight hours: it just doesn’t suit my nature.

Peter Goldman from Aporia: It can be a little complex because you are working with a photographer, who in turn is working for an art director or a photo director, and it’s a balance between trying to please everybody and deferring to your main contact point- the photographer.

Matt Jones from Diapositive: And you’re not as connected to the chemistry.

GR: Chemicals are still in the air. You just rely on a good ventilation system.

Are there side effects to inhaling those fumes all the time?

Beth Perkins from Beth Schiffer’s Creative Darkroom: I was recently putting in a lot of hours in the lab, and I found it affected me. You kind of feel like you have a hangover a little bit sometimes, or puffy eyes. If you’re not used to it, it’s taxing on your body. You’re standing for a long time and doing a lot of repetitive motion and are exposed to fumes. You just need to take breaks. You can also get into a groove where you’re really enjoying what you’re printing. There’s a meditative quality to printing.

GR: And then of course you please whoever’s paying you! And you’re lucky if you get paid in ninety days. Freelance is different. I set my own terms and I’m not on a payroll, so when the job is complete, the payment is usually due. That’s the great thing about freelance and why I prefer it to working for magazines or a lab.

BP: The advantage of working for a lab is that I’m not putting out any money for the paper or renting the darkroom space. All I’m doing is putting in my time.

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Have you had any difficult clients that didn’t want to pay?

PG: Most people generally come through in the end. A lot of young and up-and-coming photographers have to put in a lot of money themselves, and you try to help them out. Some jobs are complex, time-consuming and labor intensive while others are super easy, but the rate is the same. And I think it’s great that it’s an hourly rate. No matter how much time you put into it, it’s always going to be this set amount.

GR: I have two payment arrangements with clients. One is by the hour so if they keep changing their mind or want to try many things, I’m fine.

The other way is to charge by the print. If the negative is a good negative, and the photographer’s done his job professionally, you can knock that image out within an hour. But if someone wants you to manipulate a log in the darkroom as opposed to digitally, that could drag on for hours and the fee would remain the same.

MJ: Some clients think that you are Adobe Photoshop and are looking for something that’s really not even possible to do in the darkroom.

GR: We’re limited in what we can do in the darkroom. A good digital operator, with programs and knowledge, can get it there a lot quicker, and make it look like it was not manipulated.

What are some of the perks of your jobs?

GR: Working with a great co-printer, feeding from one another. Sometimes when you’re printing and printing, your sense of color and what you can see vary. You can walk away from the print, come back and go, ‘Oh my gosh, what was I thinking?’ Working with a co-printer really helps my process speed up.

MJ: For me it is being involved in the industry, but being sort of removed at the same time. You’re kind of on your own; it’s really sort of a solo environment. You have your co-workers but you don’t have a clash of art directors, makeup artists and stylists.

PG: I enjoy the teamwork and rapport you have with your co-workers.

I also really enjoy working with clients and photographers, and having that one-on-one relationship. You’re involved in the photographer’s vision, and it’s rewarding.

GR: It’s a real collaboration, a creative process. The talents are fused. A printer’s real job is to get a sense of what the photographers want just through their descriptions.

PG: You develop relationships with photographers over time to the point where they completely trust what you do. You know how they like their work to look: every photographer has their own signature, and you know how to print for different people.

GR: Except for the photographers who copy other photographers.

There’s a lot of that in this business. ‘I want it to look just like Annie’s last spread in Vanity Fair.’ Seriously.

BP: I learned a lot from the photographers whom I printed for. It can be enlightening if they want to do something really creative with their printing. Realizing their vision and helping them with their style is a rewarding process. But then there are also photographers who come to you with an image that they just don’t like, and they want you to fix it.

Your image is what it is and if you already don’t like it, I can try making it more interesting, but I can’t change it all together.

MJ: That definitely is the hardest part when a photographer comes to you and you know they’re not happy with their own work. They will not be happy with your printing either. You can’t make it right for them, but they walk out unhappy and we’re left feeling unhappy. It’s not a good experience, but it doesn’t happen that often.

PG: We have photographers who know the limitations and have a very good grasp of what it is that they’re doing. Others are like moving targets, always changing, searching, and trying to change their style to appear different.

GR: The difficult clients are insecure and don’t know what they want.

They take it out on you, wasting time, materials and energy. The printer can be the photographers’ educator because you can suggest different papers, different processes so they get closer to their vision.

Some papers have been discontinued lately, and that’s making my job a little more difficult. Kodak and Fuji think that traditional printing is a dying breed. They want to shift everybody towards digital as quickly as possible because they’ve invested a lot of money in their equipment and products. But recently a lot of photographers are swinging back to shooting film because they’ve tried digital and it’s not meeting their standards. There is a huge difference still. Until the digital part matches the quality of traditional photography, a lot of people are going to resist it.

BP: It’s like oils and acrylics. Neither one is better than the other; it’s just a different form of expression. I also think that clients initially thought that digital would be faster and cheaper, but both are a big myth. Clients are realizing that to shoot professionally you’re shooting raw, and it takes time to process the files. Photographers should charge for their time, otherwise they are going to be working for free a lot in front of a computer. And those programs are expensive and changing so quickly. Some photographers just dove in and immediately bought all this equipment, but they can’t afford to upgrade it constantly, and they are not getting the look or the feel that they had with their old standard cameras. I think there are a lot of great opportunities with digital, and people just need to understand their pros and cons. Digital is perfect for photo libraries when you are shooting a whole bunch of photos that someone needs to obtain very quickly whenever they want. But if you are shooting a beautiful travel spread for a magazine, film might be better if you want lush images and beautiful colors.

MJ: I’ll always love film. I don’t think it’ll die completely, I think it’ll keep living. It’s dying in the consumer market. It’s dying in Middle America

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because the ease of digital is so good for your average mom-and-pop store, but the true professionals will continue to stick to film.

Do you feel like your job will be in jeopardy five or ten years from now?

GR: About ten years ago I was told I had maybe a year or two as a color printer, and I thought I would just ride it until that end presented itself, and it just kept on going. I often turn down work because I just need time off. You can only work seven, eight, or ten hour days for a certain stretch.

PG: I opened a traditional photo boutique lab just a couple of years ago and everybody thought I was just completely insane, but it’s just been getting busier and busier and busier.

MJ: There are also less and less traditional color printers out there in the marketplace. So as that shrinks all the work is coming to us.

GR: There are a lot of graduate students from the International Center of Photography and SVA (School of Visual Arts) interested in printing.

There’s a cooperative darkroom setup, and they are loving film. There is a strong appeal with playing in the darkroom and creating images that way, instead of sitting in front of a computer.

Is there a reason why you guys chose color printing compared to black and white?

GR: My first lab job was at the age of twenty, in a color darkroom. The appreciation from photographers just kept me there.

MJ: I started out shooting and printing in black and white, then moved to color and was blown away. With b&w all you’re dealing with is contrast…but it’s very difficult making a decision about what the right contrast is. You always wonder, ‘Is this too flat?’

BP: It’s kind of what just makes sense to you. I took a photo class in college, and I enjoyed b&w then. People think that color is very commercial and poppy. Nan Goldin is not commercial, but her colors are something else. I fell in love with the thought that I could create that myself, and be able to control that with my own imagery.

PG: I first started to work a lot in fashion, and became obsessed with skin tone. You just learn so much being a printer; you learn about shooting, about film, and the wealth of experience you can pick up in the darkroom from other people’s mistakes or success is really quite amazing.

BP: I remember my parents traveled a lot and always took color chromes, and I was in love with the colors that they would turn into, like these opposing blues and yellows and sort of flat tones. I have always wanted to copy this painterly feel, and it just became another facet or tool for image making, which I think is really exciting.

GR: There is no such thing as right or wrong color. Once I discovered that, it really pulled me in further into that world because it’s a personal possibility or palette that you decide on for certain images. Through mistakes while testing, you often stumble upon something stunning.

You remember that, and bring it out either for your own personal work or apply it for someone who’s trying to come up with some twist on their work. That’s the magic of color.

As you are all free-lancers or working in small boutique labs, what’s your feeling about big labs?

BP: If someone new comes to me, I’m going to go online and see what their work looks like, because I want to get an idea of what their style is so I can match that. When you’re a printer working in one of the bigger labs, and have hundreds of photographers, you mass-produce a certain amount of imagery and you can’t really tailor. Smaller labs are custom, offering something that’s a little bit more personalized, specific and creative, and for us it’s more fun because we can be more creative.

PG: With a big lab, you will need to develop relationships with all the people who manage your work. Depending on how assertive you are as a client, you can get what you want out of a big lab.

If someone wanted to get into this business, what three characteristics would they need to have or what advice would you give them?

PG: Great communication skills. You’ve got to communicate with the photographers, and have an understanding as one. You have to have a really good eye for color, which I think is more of a talent. Some people just get it, some people don’t, and I don’t think you can really be taught.

And you have to be efficient. Being able to multi-task is a huge thing for a color printer, especially when you’re contacting and have some jobs where you have multiple different exposures all on one roll of film, and you have to problem solve all of that in one go.

BP: There’s also a business side to it, negotiating with clients who never have any money. You’re trying to get people to understand the value of what you’re doing.

PG: And the time it takes. Everyone wants it just a day earlier than what is enough time to do the job, hence working very late hours trying to do stuff.

MJ: A forty-eight hours turn around would be enough time if the industry didn’t work in waves. There are periods where there’s nothing, and then a week later, everyone is shooting all at once and it’s all coming in.

GR: You need flexibility and not to take things personally. I had to develop a thicker skin, and learn not to react emotionally because it is their work so just keep on working on it. It’s only paper, it’s only time.

Ego has to go in the drawer.

48 Fashion

FASHION:

Producer in the Shade Story: Sara Caviarelli | Photos: Michael Kristian

With their unnecessary flailing and free hands, producers everywhere now seem to be enjoying the freedom of the infamous earpiece. Fashion statement? Don’t think so. Save your breath for sweet-talking the clients, but whatever you do, please leave the earpiece at home. Unless you’re a cabbie, this is an accessory we can all live without!

Fashion 49

On Liz: Swimsuit: Missoni, Cardigan: Hanii Y, Necklace: Banana Republic Other swim cover-up: RR Rentals On Nicola: Suit: RR Rentals, Shirt: Just Cavalli

54 title

Shirt: H&M, Underwear: Agent Provocateur, Shoes: Gucci

title 55

Stylist: Nelly Adham Make-up: Anetta Klemens Hair: Vanessa Hernandez for Butterfly Studio Salon Models: Liz J. from New York Models and Nicola Rigg from Rick Miller

INDUSTRY TALES:

52 Industry Tales

We Need Meat!

Story: Jon Melamed | Illustrations: Horatio Baltz

It was my first big job. After four years of driving props around in crappy box trucks with lewd graffiti scrawled all over the interior in thick black marker, I was to design my own shoot. Nearly half a decade spent being the only girl amongst gnarly art pas, catching a contact high every morning during their wake and bakes on the way to the studio. I was twenty-eight and, although I maintained a pretty decent manicure, my palms were marred with thick calluses. It was time to become an aesthete.

It wasn’t a big-time client, just some Euro-trash jeans company, but they had some money and my rate was about four times the amount I was usually earning. As it goes, I was called only one day before the shoot. Just like that, I was never to tie another goddamned piece of sash cord, no more lugging sandbags about. The client wanted to shoot in the Meatpacking District, but it was impossible to secure an exterior location on such short notice. So we booked a studio in the photography Mecca of NYC, 601 W.26th Street. As had been my dream, I was finally to create false reality. Bam! The perfect idea came to me as soon as I got off the phone with the producer. Years of observing the professionals gave me a quick instinct: plastic corrugated, screwed to a bunch of flats and aged down with a rust treatment. A couple of old oil drums easily procured at an uptown prop shop, maybe a few splintery pallets (I had seen a bunch piled on the side of an industrial Williamsburg street), a couple of old crates, a little paint over the cyc floor with a cement or pavement color and we’re making pictures, baby!

“LET’S NOT STRESS OUT FOLKS, WE AIN’T SAVING THE WORLD HERE.” We were given a build day and I hired all the boys with whom I used to work, and I felt a certain pride. I was glad to have advanced beyond them, but I vowed to never abuse them. I knew what it was like to be bitched about on set and rushed around in a fabricated sense of haste. As an old-time set builder used to say, “Let’s not stress out folks, we ain’t saving the world here.” Granted, I was busting my ass to help market these cheesy jeans all covered in garish embroidery of dragons and adorned with superfluous rivets, but it was to be my set, my vision.

The build day went smoothly. The set was up and painted by two o’clock and, after a celebratory toast with a six pack of tall boys on the loading dock, I sent the boys home in the cube truck and hailed a cab

on 10th Avenue. I got a phone call just as we turned onto the West Side Highway. The phone vibrating in my purse jogged my memory and I realized that I had blown it. I had totally spaced on the three o’clock walk through of the set. I pressed the talk button and with my most contrite voice I said immediately, “I am sooo sorry.”

Forgoing any words of clemency the producer said, “We have a problem here.

The phone was then apparently ripped from the producer’s ear and in his clumsy English the client yelled into the phone, “Meat!

Ve need meat!” A brief, hushed, but nonetheless tense conversation could be heard in the background, and the producer got back on, “So the photographer digs the set, but the client is flipping out… he wants meat.”

“So take him to Luger’s,” I answered, thinking this was some kind of joke.

construction.

Finally, I stumbled upon a working meat market. I bobbed and weaved through the rows of hanging beef sides. They swung gently from their hooks as if they were quivering in the cold, refrigerated warehouse. I followed the jovial sound of foreign words somewhere beyond the obstacle course of hanging carcasses. When I reached the back of the space, I saw a group of Mexicans playing dice on a collapsed, blood spattered

The client continued to rant, probably yelling into the phone over

cardboard box. I tried to explain my predicament to the men, but

the producer’s shoulder, “Zis is ze Meat Maket! Vhere is ze

not one of them understood me. They all just gave me

facking meat!?”

bewildered smiles, flashing gold and silver teeth. I even did a lame attempt at sign language, pretending I had a camera in my

“He wants meat, and I don’t mean from the supermarket. He

hand.

wants whole cows hanging.”

Frustrated, I gave up and turned around without even a “Hasta la “I am on it.”

I yelled to the cabbie, “Bang a left!” Without even pausing from the conversation he was having with his blue tooth earpiece, he skillfully crossed three lanes of heavy traffic and turned at the 14th Street exit. I jumped out at Washington Street and immediately began to scour the area for an operating house of meat. I didn’t even have time to think about how ridiculous this all was and told myself it was just part of the job. I am from the school of resourceful production design. Never say “No” to a client, and I had certainly not yet earned the clout to limit my clients in their requests.

I pushed through a heavy, steel door of the most promising looking building and although the sign outside said “Meat,” inside, I found an art gallery. Black and white photos hung on the walls, and the cement floors were still slippery from the viscera of livestock spilled only a few years ago. I burst into three or four other places that turned out to be either more makeshift galleries or soon-to-be restaurants in various stages of

vista, baby.” I had gone this far and there was no way I was giving up. As I walked back through the dangling halved cows, I texted the boys to meet me with the truck outside. I bear-hugged a side of beef that was closest to the exit. I lifted it with all my might and unhooked the mighty chunk of protein. It was slippery with a fuzzy layer of frost on it. When I finally got the hook out from in between its ribs, it immediately fell to the ground and I proceeded to drag it out of there. I pulled it out to the curb and put my jacket over the organic contraband, with my entire mid-section slick and smelling of death. The boys were there in twenty minutes, and in less than an hour, much to the dismay of my roommates, I was emptying the contents of our refrigerator, somehow managing to cram the cow in there.

The shoot was a success, the client was pleased, the model a little freaked out, and the producer thoroughly impressed. We somehow convinced City Harvest to take the meat away at the end of the shoot and ironically, after wrap, we all went out to Peter Luger’s to celebrate. I just ordered a salad. When the producer asked me why I had not ordered a steak I explained,

IPOD SNAPSHOT: 58 title

I’d be safe and warm if I was in…

Story: Sara Caviarelli | Photos: Zachary Swenson

Everyone has an iPod, but behind the secrecy of every earphone lays a gateway to your soul. Don’t let the huskiness of that set builder over there deceive you. There may be some Aguilera pumping into his head. And that make-up artist may be shakin’ her ass to some sweet sounds of Megadeath. Never judge a crew by the case of their iPod. With Resource Magazine’s Top 25 iPod Hits, you can uncover your coworkers’ dark little secrets. Along the way, you may even pick up some new tunes to add to your iTunes. So beware as you travel through the studios with your volume on high because you may be our next victim. › Rachel’s Ipod- Assistant Editor 1. Let Go- Coldplay 2. Mercy On Me-Christina Aguilera 3. Don’t Panic-Coldplay 4. Save Me From Myself-Christina Aguilera 5. Hurt-Christina Aguilera 6. Who Wants To Live Forever-Queen 7. The Right Man-Christina Aguilera 8. Ain’t No Other Man-Christina Aguilera 9. Love’s Embrace-Christina Aguilera

10. Beautiful-Christina Aguilera

18. Slow Down Baby-Christina Aguilera

11. Without You-Christina Aguilera

19. F.U.S.S.-Christina Aguilera

12. Oh Mother-Christina Aguilera

20. Here To Stay-Christina Aguilera

13. Contigo En La Distancia-Christina

21. I Got Trouble-Christina Aguilera

Aguilera

22. Cruz-Christina Aguilera

14. Understand-Christina Augilera

23. Headlong-Queen

15. On Our Way-Christina Aguilera

24. The Only Living Boy In New York-Simon

16. Nasty Naughty Boy-Christina Aguilera

& Garfunkel

17. Blue Eyes-Cary Brothers

25. Back In The Day-Christina Aguilera

8. Do Your Thing-Basement Jaxx

17. On-Bloc Party

9. Come Together-The Beauties

18. Hit ‘Em Up Style (Oops!)-Blu Cantrell

10. The Gulag Orkestar-Beirut

19. Drinking In L.A.-Bran Van 3000

11. Let’s Get Retarded-Black Eyed Peas

20. Don’t Stop-Brazillian Girls

12. Shut Up- Black Eyed Peas

21. Anthems For A Seventeen Year-Old

13. Stop-Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

Girl-Broken Social Scene

14. Dammit-Blink 182

22. Let Me Go-Cake

15. Like Eating Grass-Bloc Party

23. Those Dancing Days Are Gone-Carla Bruni

16. Banquet-Bloc Party

24. Hang Me up To Dry-Cold War Kids

› Kevin’s Ipod- Studio Manager 1. Are You That Somebody-Aaliyah 2. Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor-Arctic Monkeys 3. Respect-Aretha Franklin 4. Sleepy Maggie-Ashley MacIsaac 5. Souka Nayo (Thievery Corporation Mix)-Baaba Maal 6. Alcohol-Narenaked Ladies 7. Who needs Sleep?-Barenaked Ladies

25. Hey Man (Now You’re Really Living)-Eels

› Karen’s Ipod- Producer 1. Rescued-Jack’s Mannequin 2. Bruised-Jack’s Mannequin 3. Better Days-Goo Goo Dolls 4. Screaming Infidelities-Dashboard Confessions 5. Home-Michael Buble 6. Vindicated-Dashboard Confessions 7. Your Winter-Sister Hazel 8. Fallin’-Alicia Keys 9. Colorblind-Counting Crows

10. We Were Made For Each Other-Jack’s

18. Train Wreck-Sarah McLachlan

Mannequin

19. Little Plastic Castle-Ani DiFranco

11. Miss Delaney-Jack’s Mannequin

20. Brighter Than Sunshine-Aqualung

12. Don’t Know Why-Norah Jones

21. Two Points For Hon-Guster

13. Round Here-Counting Crows

22. Gravity-John Mayer

14. Light up my Room-Barenaked Ladies

23. I swear-All-4-One

15. Let It Be-The Beatles

24. The Freshman-Verve Pipe

16. Either Way-Guster

25. Fall To Pieces-Avril Lavigne

17. Lonely For her-Jack’s Mannequin

› Amanda’s Ipod - Equipment Room Manager 1. Days go By-Dirty Vegas 2. All My Friends-LCD Soundsystem 3. Apply Some Pressure-Maximo Park 4. Collarbone-Fujiya & Miyagi 5. Do Your Thing-Basement Jaxx 6. Don’t Stop-Brazillian Girls 7. The First-Tegan &Sara 8. Frozen-Tegan &Sara 9. Here It Goes Again-OK Go

10. Kiss You Better-Maximo Park

19. No One-Alicia Keys

11. Paper Planes-M.I.A.

20. Just Fine-Mary J. Blige

12. SOS(Rescue Me)-Rihanna

21. Teardrops On My Guitar-Taylor Swift

13. Unwritten-Natasha Bedingfield

22. Shadow Of The Day-Linkin Park

14. The Way We Get By-Spoon

23. Srop And Stare-One Republic

15. Paralyzer-Finger Eleven

24. Stay-Sugarland

16. See You Again-Miley Cyrus

25. He Said, She Said-Ashley Tisdale

17. Love Song-Sara Bareiles 18. Clumsy-Fergie

title 59

53.

AD: FOTKI

60 title 56 International

INTERNATIONAL:

Chicago, Guinea, Milan, Riga, San Francisco, Porto, Conakry Paris, Seattle, Grants

By Rachel Smith

While some may not believe it, there are talented people outside of New York and Los Angeles. And thank god for that—and for Resource Magazine’s international photo contest—or those of us wearing cultural blinders may never be so lucky as to see beyond these concrete jungles of creative antagonism and straight up pollution.

Over the last few months, Resource Magazine has had the pleasure of pouring through the submissions of hundreds of independent photographers from all over the world, whose photographs each reveal some essence of visual culture through a different city’s lens. To capture the pulp of a city within a sixtieth of a second is no easy task, so the aim of our contest was to find images that shine a light on the depth of these foreign places lying below the tourist brochure stock images. What the submissions offered us was not such a literal representation of the photo industry in each foreign place, but rather a manifestation of what the term “photography” has come to mean. The aim of capturing a beautiful or meaningful photo has come to exceed the commonly accepted standards of composition or contrast. In these photographs, we see beauty in its most universal form, the kind that spans a globe.

Submit your photo for the International Productionist Contest!

Go to our website for more info: www.resourcemagonline.com

International title 57 61

Concept: Milan has always been a “Black and White City.” During this century, the photo production industry in this city often tried to capture old world streets and, at the same time, showcase its dynamism. With this picture, shot in the Central Train Station, I tried to apply to reconcile past and present.

Contact: www.public.fotki.com/diVano

Milan, Italy | Artist: Luca P. Vanoni | Title: Black Train Station | Camera: CanonEOS 400D – EF-S 17/85 1: 4-5.6 IS USM

62 title 58 International

Concept: My permanent location is New York, however the photo was taken in San Francisco, California. Almost each step there feels like it needs to be photographed.

And I am not alone: there are many people around, hunting for the best shot using different cameras, and paths intersect.

Contact: www.public.fotki. com/blumariya/ San Francisco, California | Artist: Mariya Gershkovich |Title: Who Gets the Best Shot? | Camera used: Sony DSH-9

Concept: Winter in Latvia is cold. The weather is gray (not a sliver of blue sky). Trees are without leaves. Many photographers go to the seacoast to take pictures. This is where they can shoot despite the weather.

Contact: www.anagr.fotki.com ag@internet.lv

Riga, Latvia | Artist: Andrey Grinyov | Title: On the Seacoast Camera: Canon 20D, lens -Canon 24-105 4L at 24 mm.

International title 59 63 Concept: This photograph is representative of art photographers using alternative processes, and of photographers who have returned to analogue using a wide variety of cameras, ranging from press cameras to the so-called toy cameras such as the Diana, Holga and similar cameras.

Contact: www.jamroskiphoto.info gjamroski@mac.com

Seattle, Washington | Artist: Gregor Jamroski | Title: First Snow | Camera: Mamiya Universal Press Black with Polaroid Back

64 title

Concept: Capturing cultural diversity and customs from around the globe to use as educational tools within our community.

Contact information: www. photo.berzups.com

Conakry, Guinea | Artist: Ilona Berzups | Title: Dancing at the Doundounba | Camera: Nikon D40X

PORTO, PORTUGAL | Artist: Tiago Silva | Title: Under the Light | Camera: Canon 400D (XTi) with Sigma DC 17-70 lenses Concept: Porto, A City of “Pictures” Urban structures and light games fill the camera frame of every photographer who passes by. A reflection of the architecture and concrete industries, always present in the contemporary work of photographers that shows Porto worldwide, making it a lively place for the photo production industry. This photo shows the struggle between those prominent industries. The “Human” and Natural Light, the solid man work, in the perspective of a photographer in a single frame.

Contact: tiagovs@tvtel.pt

title 65

Chicago, Illinois | Artist: Lucia Rusinakova Title of the photo: Reserved | Camera: Nikon D40x

Concept: Places limited (The world of professional photography.)

Contact: www.lucye.no-ip.com

66 title 62 International

Grants, New Mexico | Artist: Dave Arnold | Title: The World is a Studio Camera: Canon 30D w/24-85 mm. Canon, f14, 1/200

Concept: New Mexico hosts thousands of visiting photographers, from professional to amateur. Additionally, the movie industry readily uses our landscape for films. As a photographer, I am constantly offered the opportunity to watch a myriad of photographers documenting scenery. On the day this photo was shot, I went to a usually vacant bluff in the El Malpais National Monument to capture a winter sunset, only to find a vanload of Californian photographers clamoring along the bluff. As one focusing in on the lava fields below the bluff, I captured him in the glow of the moment.

Contact: www.davearnoldphoto.com

title 67

Paris, France | Artist: Janine Mignot | Title: Paris – Artist Fabienne Laterrade’s Studio in Montparnasse | Camera: Nikon D 80

Concept: This picture could have been taken a century ago when Picasso, Chagall, and Man Ray haunted Montparnasse. The photo witnesses how the roofs, walls, and studios play a silent part in making time permanent.

64 Drip, Click, Live

DRIPit CLICKit LIVEit

by Justin Muschong Photos by Justin Muschong Images Provided by Dripbook, clickbooq, and LiveBooks

What you are about to read may shock you, so before you continue this article, it is strongly suggested to withdraw to a safe, quiet location where you can do no harm to yourself or others.

Are you ready? Okay, here it goes: The Internet has changed things.

Yes, things, plural, as in more than one thing. As in your life, your world, and most importantly, your job and how you do business. The Internet (or “Intraweb” if you are a condescending nerd) has made it easier than ever for artistic types (presumably like yourself) to make new connections in their industries and pimp their work to prospective customers. Which brings us to a problem: it’s so easy, the Internet is now awash with amateurs of all shapes and sizes attempting to hawk their substandard crap, and the noise they make can drown out the real professionals trying to get noticed.

In the case of photography, the benefits of displaying your work online are obvious. Potential buyers and employers have easy access to portfolios stocked with sterling examples of your photographic prowess. But throwing up your finest on Flickr isn’t such a hot idea when they get stuck between images of Grandma and Grandpa’s latest trip to the old country and a fraternity’s all

Drip, Click, Live 65

night kegger and Beer-a-Thon. What you need is your own website designed to show off your work and put all the wannabes in place.

But what the hell do you know about building a website?

Probably nothing. N00b. But don’t fret. There are companies out there that can design a site for you, one so badass even a professional haxor will admit to its pwnage. To show you just what they can do, we asked three of the best online portfolio companies to strut their stuff in a test of champions.

The Challenge One gray Saturday last January, an amateur photographer and even worse writer (myself) took an inexpensive digital camera (Kodak EasyShare C613 with 6.2 megapixels) through the streets of Manhattan and snapped close to two hundred pictures. After choosing the best ones, I tried out the services of Dripbook, clickbooq, and liveBooks to find out how well they could really make my half-assed pretension turn into a functional website. The results are laid out across the following pages, with the portfolios themselves available online for closer inspection.

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Dripbook Website address: http://www.dripbook.com/ Portfolio address: http://www.dripbook.com/sideburns/ More than a place to store photographs, Dripbook also functions as a social networking site. When starting an account, artists pick their user names, passwords, and what private information they would like the world to know (name, gender, location, etc.). Then they can choose the genres to which they want to belong. That’s right: Dripbook caters to more than just the photography part of the photo industry. There are thirty-eight genres from which to choose from, ranging from photography (naturally) to jewelry to performing arts.

Upload images of your work and you’re ready to go, instantly connected to the network of Dripbook users, where you can invite people to view your art and send out announcements about your newest creations. “Search” functions allow you to find friends, compatriots, or people with skills you might find handy. If you’re flying into L.A. for a last minute shoot and are in dire need of a makeup artist, you can find what you’re looking for through Dripbook.

It is far too easy and lazy to compare it to MySpace or Facebook, but that’s just what I did. Alex Wright, Creative Director of Dripbook, invites some aspects of that comparison. “We’re more future oriented,” he says. “There are similarities in the philosophical sense, but not the technical one.” The main

difference is that Dripbook is designed for functionality. Users cannot modify their pages to throw up crappy Nickelback songs and chintzy backgrounds of anthropomorphic stars, which cause download times to lag and people with taste to become dangerously irritated. “[On Dripbook] artwork is front and center. Its central premise is to serve as a portfolio community site.” And Dripbook wants to become the hub of your promotional efforts. Through special space-age nerd-linger techniques, Dripbook users can embed portfolios into their other sites (such as MySpace and Facebook), and when the portfolios are updated on Dripbook, they are automatically updated on the other sites as well. A similar tool recently emerged from the Dripbook laboratory that allows users to export a personal web site from Dripbook to their own registered URL, effectively allowing you to create your own site without all that technical know-how you ain’t got. An example can be found online at http: //justinmuschong.com/.

Enough of your borax, Poindexter. What’s it cost? You have two options: for the low, low price of free (with supporting ads carrying your weight, you cheap bastard), you can declare yourself in one genre and get four books that can hold up to fifty images each. For the slightly higher price of $9 to $12 per month (depending on how you pay), you get three genres, fifty books that hold each up to seventy-five images, all the export features your heart desires, and no ads.

clickbooq Website address: http://www.clickbooq.com/ Portfolio address: http://justinmuschong.clickbooq.com/

retro) and they’ll cook something up that will more than likely be much better than anything you can do.

clickbooq gives photographers everything they need to build their own portfolio websites in one handy online toolbox. I suppose that’s why they called it “The Toolbox”. Once a user signs up, they can access the Toolbox and play with settings to design the layout and style of their pages, such as choosing from different modes of navigation, picking out choice background colors and patterns, and uploading a logo of their design. It’s all set up as simple as possible, so even the worst technophobe can figure it out. Bryan Heu, CEO of clickbooq, explains, “There’s nothing to learn or new programming languages to master. The application is designed to work the way you would expect it to: drag-and-drop, click-to-edit, etc.

Everything you already know how to do on your computer.”

Users can also design their own content pages on Photoshop (or Photoshop-esque programs), such as a Bio or Events pages, and upload them along with their photographs. When the content pages are uploaded, users can embed links anywhere they please.

As long as you’re subscribed to clickbooq’s service, you’ll have constant access to the Toolbox, so you can change the design, upload new photos, or just alter the color of the font at any time you wish. “One of the main features of our product is the ability to change your site as often as you like,” Bryan says. “I think this is the way products are going to be evolving for sometime to come.’

But for you tim’rous beasties and neo-Luddites, clickbooq will also hold your hand and help design your site for you.

Give their designers some idea of what you’re looking for (I told them I prefer the look of “ordered chaos” and all things

Enough of your borax, Poindexter. What’s it cost? There are three payment plans to choose from. The first is a pay-asyou-go monthly plan for $69 per month for the service, $10 per month to host your website, and a one-time $199 setup fee. An annual plan is $699 per year (services) and $99 per year (hosting), with no startup fee. The last plan is a one-time fee for $1,699, with $99 per year for hosting (again, no startup fee).

LIVE liveBooks Website address: http://www.livebooks.com/ Portfolio address: http://www.justinmuschong.com.temp. livebooks.com/ “Most photographers don’t really know what they want,” says Tricia Gellman Holmes, liveBook’s Vice President of Marketing.

And if you don’t have the first clue, liveBooks has an in-house design staff that will take your vague ideas and turn them into something worthwhile. Users can give the designers a starting point by filling out an online “Design Preferences” form, which asks for their opinion on everything from the frames of the portfolio to the color of the dividers between menus, with plenty of room for long-winded thoughts and suggestions. Photographers with a keen image of their sites in mind can upload mock-ups, fonts, and logos, then go on to precisely answer each and every one of the form’s questions to the minutest detail. Those who are completely lost should feel free to throw up their hands and only provide the answer, “PLEASE JUST DO IT FOR ME!!!!” (I was somewhere in the middle. I chose my college alma mater’s colors for the background and frames, Courier New for the font, and under Additional Information wrote, “I like things that are simply designed with no extraneous flash. Like items from Muji.”)

When sending in your preferences, you can request a phone consultation with a designer, who will go on to build your site and e-mail you a temporary URL. There you can take a look around, ask for changes, and upload your photographs using the editSuite tool. All of the content entered into the editSuite

is put into an automated HTML, which means your page has a better chance of showing up in search engines (that’s good).

Once you’re happy with the results, liveBooks will send the site to inhabit a URL you’ve registered (something along the lines of “www.mynamehere.com” would be appropriate).

“We’re very focused on high-touch customer support,’ Tricia says, and liveBooks is also focused on helping photographers stay in touch with clients. Add-on features include private access areas for your clients to get their hands on your precious work and shopping carts for visitors to purchase photographs and prints that are located both in your portfolio and in other online databases.

Enough of your borax, Poindexter. What’s it cost? You can choose from three packages, each of them a one-time fee with an annual hosting fee of $90. The Basic package is $800, the Select package is $1,700, and the Unlimited is $3,200. Users can also browse among the add-on features, which include custom promotional videos, slideshow home pages, and animated splash intros.

So who won the challenge? That’s a decision for you to make. If you’re in need of an online portfolio, take a look at the websites and make up your own damn mind which one is the best fit for you. And if you don’t need an online portfolio, take a look anyway and tell me how awesome my photography is. Any messages that say otherwise will be promptly deleted.

PWNAGE:

“Pwn” is a slang term that implies domination or humiliation of a rival, used primarily in the Internet gaming culture to taunt an opponent that has just been soundly defeated. Past tense is sometimes spelled pwnt (pronounced with a t sound) or pwned (with the standard d sound).

Examples include “pwnage” or “you just got pwned”.

N00b:

“Newbie” can be used as a term to identify newcomers to a game, place, or organization. The variant spellings of “newbie” are also used, especially in online games, as a catchall insult regardless of the recipient’s actual skill or experience.

Alternate spellings include “newb”, “n00b”, “noob”, “nooblet”, “nub”, and the recently popular “nublet.”

These alternate spellings of the term, other than “newb,” inherit the definition of “newbie” but are generally used in a derogatory manner to indicate uselessness because of the ignorance associated with being a newcomer. **Thank you to Wikepedia and Urbandictioanry.com for shedding light on these baffling terms.

retouching

1. Someone who uses his computer skills to alter an online game.

2. The art of hacking.

3. A script kiddy who is a selfproclaimed hacker, because he defines himself as a “hax0r” and speaks in “l33t”.

Note: One who is haxor rarely goes by “haxor” or any other derivative.

It is a title given by others.

L133T GLOSSARY

HAXOR:

studio galadriel sharon@galadrielstudio.com 646.678.2836

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No one could help me, not the Mayor ’s Office, not the oth and spoke to anyon er heliports along e and everyone eve the Hudson and Ea n closely associated went by the name st Rivers. Nada. I with flight and helic of J.Rod, who claim called opters. I actually sp ed he nothing about helip worked on the Apoll oke to a man who ads, I couldn’t help o Moon Landings.

After ascertaining asking him: “So, uh, J.Rod is it? that he knew Um, did we really make it to the mo “Oh yeah, no doub on or what? t about it.” He spok e very fast and seem otherwise we would ed more than happ a’ never made it thr y to talk about the ough the Belts…”

“Help? What do you topic. “But we had mean, help?” I aske help, d. “I never heard ab “Yuh. The Van Allen out any Belts.”

Radiation Belts. Th ey’ re high altitudes in the doughnut-shaped zones of highly en magnetic field of the ergetic charged pa Earth. Our boys wo “Dude. What have rticles trapped at ulda’ been fried lik you been smoking e KFC without the ?

Hig h altitudes? Nano sh “Not exactly.” nano shields.” ields? We had nano back then?”

“What the heck are you talking about?”

I asked, feeling a se “Let me ask you thi ns e of something I co s,” J.Rod continued uld not put into wo , cheerfully. “Do you they just gave up?” rds. really think that the y flew all the way “No!” I exclaimed to the moon and the patriotically. n “Did you know tha t the Millennium Ho tel is mo Oddity?” he asked. deled on the propo rtions of the black Obelisk from 2001 , A Space When I hung up the phone I knew I ha d made one call too distractions and no many. It happens, solutions. but this job seemed loaded with

”Cut his head right clean of f...Him and his wife”.

Whuunk! Finally, aft er two days of searc hing, when ou every New

t of desperation I York-loving bone in was ready to call the my body, beg him Authority called me to ride first class to photographer and, out of the blue. He against some other large told me to try the metropolis, Vincent town. Seems a frien mo st obvious place in the from the Port d of his had a good world: the Financia lead he thought he I should ask for an ’d pass on. He gave l District downd told me that I ne me the name and eded to go in perso gratitude and regret address of the perso n be ca use they don’t tak . This job was starti n e calls. I thanked ng to appear comp “cinephile” would him with a mixture letely hopeless an be. Besides, what of d I wasn’t sure ho kind of helipad do w much help my fri esn’t take calls? endly So, there I was. Ov er-committed to a job I would never doesn’t have. By the be paid for unless time my ghoulish I could find one of friend Dan Burisch that this would ha the few things Ne and I finally reach ve all the specs I ne w York City ed the top of the sta eded: a flat, open, positioned all aroun ircase, I was prayin ma ss ive d and below it in a sp ac e g wi th ple nty fairly anonymous of other buildings “We have to be ca array. Yeah right, I of varying height reful up here,” Da thought. n said in a dry soft “Yeah. It’s real wind voice, as the pad sta y up here,” I noted rted to come into as a chill spasmed and I began to wo view. up my spine. My fac rry. It then occurre e became gripped d to me that it migh brother was aware with an irrational t have something of the need for cauti smile, to do with the fact on. When someon irrational to be a litt that my pale secu e who already appe le concerned. I too rity ars dead says to be k a deep breath an “Just be quick and careful, it didn’t se d became calm. keep an eye out. Th em is is a busy time of “Will they close it day,” he stated, ba down for a photo sh cking down the ste oot?” I asked, focus was looking for. ps we had just climb ing on the fact tha ed up. t this might be my “Don’t you worry ab only shot at findin out that. We can ma g what I ke arrangements,” I heard his voice sa y, though I was no lon As I stepped up on ger aware of his pre to the large grey pla sence. tfo rm , a massive gust of subsided. The wind wind almost push ceased entirely. A ed me back down sublime feeling of And lo, a helipad! the steps, and the bliss fell upon me It appeared just as n in the stillness.

I had imagined, as of energy flew up if in a dream, befor through my feet lik e my we ary e juju. Grasping my scout eyes. Sudden corner, snapping camera, I nearly sk ly, a burst away and taking co ipped and danced mpass readings. I around from corn recall ever being so thi nk I may have actually er to happy in my entire twirled! Once. In fac life. There was eve other lines forming t, oddly, I couldn’t n a nice, darkly pa a cross, pin-pointin int ed cir cle outlined by thi g where to land. Ev after the intermina ck white lines with erything seemed cle ble. There is a God! ar and perfect. I ha I thought, truly am Matrix, Yahweh… on d found the imposs azed, and though ible this day He was ca some days He is ca lled Helipad. lled Allah, Buddha , the

72 Hang-over Makeover

Hangover Makeover

A Model’s Guide to Life After The Party.

By Ana Callahan | Photos by Helena Palazzi

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Open those big, beautiful, crusty eyes. Say a hardy, happy ‘hello!’ to the glorious morning awaiting you. Leave that man, or woman, in bed and make a run for the day. Oh yes, much to your delight you have a major shoot today, and can hardly wait to hop in a cab, and arrive at a place where people will tug, touch and put you under hot glaring lights.

Before all that, you somehow make it to the bathroom all happy inside, but last night’s party, that special nightcap drink, and all those ‘exciting moments’ are ready to haunt you––all over your face. Your perennially moist lips look like yesterday’s dried up cigarettes, your eyes are about the size of penny slots for the pinball machine, tinged with dark circles the size of India, and your teeth are a shade of the very best black nicotine inhaled with a side of espresso. Oh, and let’s not forget about your skin, now as dry as the best gin you downed, or hair that looks so disastrous it’s bordering on “ironic.” The mirror doesn’t lie, honey! You look like a cracked up version of Audrey Hepburn in Funny Face, and no one’s going to want that.

Admit it. You have a hangover, and not the glamorous “Gia” kind that photographers found so utterly charming way back when. This is just one of those days when you wish the heroin chic fad had lasted just a bit longer. Well, today there’s not any amount of Photoshop or ‘90s nostalgia that’s going to wash that alcohol or man out of your hair.

This debacle is going to cause more work for everybody at the shoot, and not save face for you one bit. So, lovely ladies and gents of modeling lore, what do we do when we’ve had that extra Jack and Coke or those last puffs of a cigarette? Here are some quick tips, fast tricks, and saving graces. The object of the game is to read them before you weep, sleep, and take another drink.

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Puffy Eyes/Under eye circles: Sometimes a long night can make the next day feel even longer. Here are some quick fixes to hide that not-so-sexy sleepiness in your eyes.

Quick Fix 1: Apply cold water or ice to bring down that swollen look.

Quick Fix 2: Do you find your current ‘Punched in the face’ style not so appealing? Then just give in and use a cream! Any de-puffing eye cream or eye masque should do the trick.

Quick Fix 3: You normally might not want to consider this option, but listen, suck it up and accept this fact: being beautiful is not a walk in the park! Sometimes you just have to do things like putting hemorrhoid cream on your eyes. Trust us! It’ll help! Hopefully…

Red Eyes:

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Yeah, yeah, we know. Those were only cigarettes. Nevertheless, whether your sleepless night or illicit recreations caused you to look like a creature from Mars, we have one word for you...

Quick Fix 1: Visine. Stick to the basics!

C’mon, they haven’t been on the market this long for no reason. If all those teenagers trying to look straight with their parents can pull it off, it should be a breeze for you. Give the camera that blue steel kind of look and they’ll never know.

Quick Fix 2: There’s one thing about that Visine trick, it’s kind of like Redbull. You get the rush of sweet relief then the downer could dry you out even more afterwards.

Technically, it loses its juice. To keep this up, go natural. Drink WATER as fiercely as you were drinking vodka the night before and you should be good.

Quick Fix 3: Is the water on the inside not cutting it for you? Well go direct. Lie down in between shots and put a cool washcloth over your eyes. This will help bring moisture and a cooling sensation to your poorly deprived lids.

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Dry Skin /Dry lips: Well, it’s winter, the air is dry, heaters suck out any moisture, you don’t drink enough water, etc, etc. We understand. But seriously, those last few rounds of tequila did not help. Didn’t your mama ever tell you?

Alcohol is no good for a lady’s skin. No matter how many glasses of water you drink in the middle of the night, you’re going to be feeling it the next day.

Quick Fix 1: Kiehl’s Face Cream. Aaaah...that’s all you need to say. Bring the life back to your face and thank Resource Magazine for not letting your flaky skin get printed on that billboard in Times Square!

Quick Fix 2: We call this one the “Evian in a spray bottle” trick. It turned out to be such a great trick that Evian decided to bottle it themselves. Go to one of those nice pharmacies and get yourself a big ol’ spray bottle of Evian. Mist five times for every ounce of alcoholic beverage you consumed the night before.

Quick Fix 3: If you are functional enough before you go to bed, then remember this: get some lotion and slather it on yourself. For lips, make sure you have some Kiehl’s or Malin & Goetz lip balm and slather that on yourself, too. In fact, a protective layer of any moisturizing solution won’t hurt. So don’t be shy– –slather away.

Bad Hair:

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We’re not just talking about sleeping on it weird or a little cowlick here and there. We’re talking severe, like you’ve got some serious issues. We’re talking, “That girl has some nasty hair!” Even if it’s just an off day for you, if you’re not hiding under your covers, you should probably help yourself to some friendly advice.

Quick Fix 1: Running to a casting with no hair stylist in sight to save you? Well, stop fighting that dead animal on your head and just put your hair in a bun. It will tighten your roots and by the time you get to your casting, you will have more volume than you could have even dreamed of.

You’ll be able to pull one of those sexy librarian moves while ripping that scrunchy off your long, dreamy locks.

Quick Fix 2: Do you have a little extra time on your hands before running out the door? Then, use a leave-in conditioner on your long, wet locks, blow dry, add some Magic Moves and, Voilà! Remember, you only need less than a dime and apply back to front. Elementary my dear...

Quick Fix 3: If you have really fine hair, the best thing you can do after a long night is put it into one, two, or three buns while you rest. This gives the hair texture. If you’re really in a hurry you can also put it in tiny little knots for five minutes to get some thickness.

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Brown Teeth:

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No matter how sexy you looked while smoking that cig, it might not be so sexy for your shoot the next day. So do what you must in order to show up with those bright whites ready to dazzle the camera.

Quick Fix 1: Use toothpaste that has baking soda in it. Not only does it get rid of all your plaque, but you might even get calls for the next Trident commercial!

Quick Fix 2: If you’re off to a casting and really need to pay up on your bar tab from last night, don’t fret! Just show up wearing lipstick with a lot of blue in it. It neutralizes the brownish hues in your teeth and you will look just like a movie star.

Quick Fix 3: Use whitening strips. Choose the really strong ones and just hope for the best. And if you’re late to the shoot, get the ones that dissolve in your mouth. Just ignore that slimy texture and you’re good to go. But please try not to drink your usual espresso that morning. There just aren’t enough whitening strips in this city to keep up with your bad habits!

Make-up: Kim Webber Hair: Regee Drummer at Oliver Piro Set Designer: Brian Byrne Models: Shu-Pei and Heather H. at Next, Aline Nakashima at Marilyn Agency

NYC BATH HOUSE

WHAT WAS LOST IS NOW A STUDIO

BY CHARLIE FISH. PHOTOS BY CAROLYN FONG

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82 NYC Bathhouse

T

he inscription on the frieze running along the top of the building reads “Free Public Baths of the City of New York.” Nestled between two apartment buildings on East 11th Street, the BeauxArts style, limestone-clad edifice seems slightly out of place, if not out of a different time period. Not many buildings are left in New York that inform passers by of the structure’s past life. Indeed, if they haven’t been torn down to make way for a Starbucks or a trendy restaurant, then they’ve been gutted and filled in with the stainless steel appliances and amenities indicative of newly developed luxury residences. But the building located at 540 East 11th Street isn’t a luxury loft designed with the highest financial bidder in mind, nor is it a

quarters on the top floor. He then filled the 11,500 square foot building with props and artifacts from other historic sites, including a chandelier from an old theatre on 42nd Street, prop lighting from MGM, and vault doors from old banks. Perhaps his only nod to the building’s history is the use of small, imported blue tiles, reminiscent of tiling found in saunas, covering many of the interior walls and a chimney-like structure on the roof deck.

faddish boutique, selling used clothing at ambitious prices.

The building in question has been a photography studio since the mid-90s, when renowned Pulitzer-prize winning photojournalist Eddie Adams purchased the space and converted it into a massive studio.

laments there is very little evidence of what the bathhouse looked like before it underwent its many structural interior redesigns. As far as he knows, no pictures or blueprints survived. The only remaining relic can be found on the studio’s website: a copy of an article in the New York Times, circa 1903, mentioning the plans to build the free public bath based on the design by Arnold W. Brunner, a prolific architect of the era.

For over thirty years, the space now known as Bathhouse Studios sat unused and falling into disrepair, being used as an underground club, a warehouse and an auto chop shop at times. It wasn’t until 1995 that Adams revived the space and its façade, thus restoring its cultural significance. Other than the inscription, nothing from the bathhouse is left in the converted building. No drains remain where warm water once flowed into the piping systems. No original tiling, stalls, walls or windows. There is no indication, hard as one may try to find it, of the building’s former use. For a studio bearing the building’s past as its namesake, it seems a little odd. But David Gipson, Bathhouse Studios manager, insists there was not much left of the public baths to begin with. “This space right here,” he says of the lower-level 1800 sq. ft. Studio B, “was filled with nothing but cars, stacked all over each other.

The only things they could salvage and reuse were the support beams.” Adams completely gutted the space, creating two large studios, a fully functioning kitchen, and even lowering the floor to create higher ceilings. He also built his living

Standing across the street, it’s not hard to envision the public bathhouse in its heyday. Records tell of a 1906 heat wave and of “people standing in line, four people deep” waiting for a chance to take a cool shower at the 11th Street baths. Gipson

The Free Public Bath of East 11th Street, it turns out, was one of twenty baths born out of necessity and social reform. Immigrants lived in tenement buildings, sharing small spaces with hordes of people, creating squalid, unsanitary living conditions. Early tenements had few windows, and derived all their sunlight and natural air from a one-foot-wide by sixfoot-long opening on the roof. There was very little light and even less fresh air to be shared among thirty to forty people.

Diseases were rampant. There were no toilets, no hot water and no showers. Some buildings were lucky enough to have one bathtub per each of the six or seven floors. Some had one tub per building, some had none.

The plan to create public baths arose in order to create good civic welfare, to promote better health for all inhabitants of the city, and to reduce crime, the idea being, “No man who is dirty can truly respect himself.” Bathhouses were already

NYC Bathhouse 83

“EVERYONE WANTS TO KNOW ABOUT THE PAST OF THIS SPACE, BUT WE’RE COMMITTED TO THE FUTURE.”

common in Europe and Boston and considered a public service, but New York City finally jumped on the bandwagon in 1901 with the first municipally funded public bathhouse, located on 326 Rivington Street. Not all bathhouses were free, some charging minimal entrance fees or towel usage fees, and some were privately owned. But each bathhouse was grandiose in design and scale, adding a sense of majesty to the impoverished neighborhoods. Public bathhouses were always divided to properly separate men and women.

In the years to follow, the popularity of the baths became dramatically apparent. Plans for new bathhouses kept up with the demand, and the 11th Street free public bathhouse was opened in 1904 to service the German immigrants of the neighborhood. By all accounts it was a hit, remaining in use until the 1950s. By this point, all apartments had their own private showers, thanks largely in part to reformists. In their prime, public baths not only provided cleanliness and promoted health, but also fostered a sense of community.

Though evidence of gay sexual activity in public bathhouses dates back to the turn of the century, bathhouses came to be known as predominantly gay after World War II and continued to thrive during the 70s and 80s. It wasn’t until the financial crisis of the 70s and the onslaught of AIDS that officially ended the era of the infamous bathhouses that had once

been so prevalent. Most former public bathhouses have been either leveled or gutted, however you can still find Russian and Turkish baths and legal gay saunas throughout the city.

With Eddie Adams’s purchase of the former baths on East 11th Street came a resurgence of interest in the bathhouse.

“I wish I knew more about the space because a lot of people always have questions about the building’s past,” says Gipson. But Adams, a well-respected, lauded photojournalist known for his shocking image of General Nguyen Ngoc Loan executing a Viet Cong prisoner during the Vietnam War, was not interested in reliving the past. He took a building of social and historic importance — the building itself being a picture of past hardships, of immigration, of social reform — and converted the space into a widely used photography studio sought out by high-end fashion, advertising and fine art photographers, as well as event planners. The result is a perfect marriage between history and the present, between commerce and culture. Adams lived and worked in the space until his passing in 2004, but his goal, echoed by Gipson, was to make the most of the future. “We have all this great technology and state of the art equipment. Everyone wants to know about the past of this space, but we’re committed to the future.”

84 NYC Bathhouse

WHAT ARE THEY NOW?

540 East 11th St., East Village – BathHouse Studios Built in the turn of last century, went unused and misused for a long time before being bought, renovated and turned into a state-of-the-art studio by photographer Eddie Adams.

325 East 38th St., Midtown Once a bathhouse accommodating up to 3000, this space now serves as the Republic of Indonesia’s mission to the United Nations

133 Allen St., Lower East Side The last survivor of the twenty public baths shut its doors in 1975. It is now the Church of Grace to the Fujianese.

327 West 41st St., Midtown Former bathhouse knocked down to give way to the old McGraw-Hill Building.

141 Mott St., Chinatown This building predates the mandated free public baths by around fifty years. They charged a minimal fee, thus making baths and laundry unattainable to the impoverished. Closed in 1861, it is now a retail/residential building in busy Chinatown.

230 West 74th St., Upper West Side Once the Continental Baths Club, then Pluto’s Retreat, the space is now parking for residents of the Ansonia.

326 Rivington St., Lower East Side The first of the public baths, it remains abandoned, sealed and tucked away in the middle of Baruch Houses.

227 4th Avenue, Brooklyn Formerly known as Public Bath #7 in the Prospect Park area, the Brooklyn Lyceum is now an arts center showcasing music, theatre and comedy.

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212 . 714 . 9310 TEL 212 . 836 . 9898 CEL 227 WEST 29 STREET NEW YORK, NY 10001

OVERSIZE BOTTLE COCA-COLA

CAST URETHANE SOAP BAR DOVE

SIX FOOT BOTTLE OF CORRECTION FLUID FED EX / KINKO

URETHANE SPLASH SALLY HENSEN

12 FOOT GOLD LEAF LOGO, PAINTED BACKDROP, OVERSIZE RIBBONS AND BOX GODIVA

OCTOPUS TENTACLES BOEHRINGER INGELHEIM

STREET SET CAPITAL ONE

PT CRUISER HANDBAG CHRYSLER

CHRISTMAS WINDOWS AND STORE DISPLAYS HENRI BENDEL, FIFTH AVENUE, NYC

86 RGH

Luis

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“ RGH, HOW MAY I HELP YOU?” SOUND FAMILIAR? THAT VOICE ON THE PHONE CONNECTS TO SOMEONE. THAT LOGO ON THE SIDE OF THAT VAN PORTRAYS MORE THAN JUST THE COMPANY. THERE ARE PEOPLE HERE. FLESH AND BLOOD SERVING YOUR EQUIPMENT RENTAL NEEDS. HAVEN’T YOU EVER WONDERED WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE? FREAKISH FACES, BROKEN THUMBS, OR MAYBE BRADGELINA ACROSS THE BOARD. WELL, RATHER THAN WONDERING ANY LONGER, RESOURCE SET OUT ON A MISSION TO UNCOVER THE HOODS ON THEIR HEADS AND EXPOSE THEIR PRETTY FACES TO THE WHOLE INDUSTRY. NO HIDING RGH, WE KNOW WHO YOU ARE.

FACES BEHIND THE VOICES-

By Sara Caviarelli. Photos by Jason Lewis

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Ramon

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Jen

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Tony

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Shaune

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John

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Leif & Stacey

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Bevin

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Sean

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Braulio

RGH 97

Angie

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100 Davide Cantoni

Artwork provided by Davide Cantoni

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By Agnes Krup Photos by Jeremy Zini

102 Davide Cantoni

There may not be many other buildings in New York that contain as much creative energy as 20 Jay Street in Dumbo. Davide Cantoni shares his third floor studio with two other artists and designers. His space is right by the window. It has to be: his main medium is light.

At first glance, his work looks like black-and-white drawings, except that the thin sheets of vellum are a bit softer and creamier in color, and the lines are a darkish brown rather than black. It takes a moment to notice that the lines are burn marks, created with sunlight reflected through a magnifying glass.

Then the motives start to take shape. Most of them are photographs taken from the front page of The New York Times. Cantoni draws the picture on to the vellum with a pencil and then goes to work with the magnifying glass, the light being best absorbed where the vellum has been darkened by the pencil stroke. There are scenes from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, US Marines on patrol, poppy seed farmers watching their crops being destroyed, scenes of desert roads or ruins. There are Sudanese rebels leaning on their guns, Guatemalan peasants, and a flood in Indonesia.

In his drawings, Cantoni not only traces outlines but also creates whole surfaces of light and shade.

He must make sure not to burn through the paper, just singe it – except when he deliberately creates small holes, which add texture to the picture, giving it the impression of almost impossible fragility. The result of the burn process is startling. There is nothing abstract about these pictures; in fact, they look instantly familiar, recognizable from that fleeting moment when you looked at your daily paper. But you have not seen them like this. What used to be photojournalism is now, quite literally, searing itself into the viewer’s mind. Cantoni laughs when asked if a drawing ever goes up in flames while he works.

“It has happened a few times,” he says. “You have to work very carefully.”

Having grown up in Milan, he attended Slade School and the Royal College of Art in London, with a stint at Berlin’s Hochschule der Künste. During those years, he says, he became interested in technology.

“So much of all we know is a reproduction. You know lots of artworks that you have never seen in your life. You know the Mona Lisa, and you may never have even been to Paris.” Motifs, ideas, images get repeated over and over again, he argues, so to transfer photographs into other media and to work with images that already exist seemed like a logical thing

What used to be photojournalism is now, quite literally, searing itself into the viewer’s mind.

Davide Cantoni 103

to do. Still, in a time and space that suffer from too much information and too many images, he needed to restrict his material. If it’s not in the A Section of The New York Times, Cantoni won’t do it. He sometimes allows himself a small respite, when all the gruesome images just get to be too much. That is when the occasional fancy pin-up finds her way on to a sheet of vellum. Lacy lingerie is a lovely motive to trail with a burn glass.

But how did he ever come up with the idea to burn art? A coincidence, he says with a grin. One day, sitting by the window, he drew a glass marble, studying it through a magnifying glass, which caught the light and torched the paper. He still has that sheet from an old sketchbook and fishes it out of a drawer: a pencil drawing of a child’s marble and, next to it, a hole burned into the paper.

Cantoni has been producing burn drawings for ten years, starting with tiny images shortly after his arrival in New York in 1996. When he first came to the US, he explains, everything seemed so overwhelmingly big that he made his art deliberately small. Now, he is more interested in working on a bigger scale.

He points to two recent large pieces. Luna, the moon, is a detailed image of that celestial body against the dark shade of night, carefully pinned together from twelve different panes of breathtakingly thin vellum.

Cantoni’s deliberate use of tiny holes burned into the vellum creates an almost physical sensation of the moon’s craggy surface. And in order to create night – the first time Cantoni has created burn art with a dark background – he has had to blacken almost half of the surface of each sheet of vellum with graphite, a painstaking process. One morning, he accidentally torched an almost completed panel of Luna, sending a week’s worth of labor up in flames.

The counterpart to this brittle and somehow oldfashioned work is Sol, an animated depiction of the sun, and Cantoni’s first venture into the realm of video installation. Working from a film of one of the sun’s rotations, Cantoni isolated twenty-four frames, closely representing the twenty-five days it takes those regions of the sun closest to its equator to rotate.

Cantoni drew each of the twenty-four frames, burned them with sunlight, photographed the burn art, and reassembled the frames in the original sequence. In his video, Sol’s rotation takes about thirty seconds to complete.

Cantoni’s recent burn drawings expand on the photographic images, enhancing perspective and depth. A

What else really is photography, if not exposing sensitized paper to light?

destroyed building in Beirut becomes a study in geometrical patterns, electric wires the sharp lines that divide the bulky structure into different segments. In another drawing, an Afghan fighter stands with his back to us, his gun slung diagonally over his shoulders and his turbaned head right at the intersecting point of the two mountains he is facing. There is the feel of a classic composition to these images, and from looking at them one understands the high quality of the photographs on which they have been based. Which, to Cantoni, is bringing the work full circle. What else really is photography, if not exposing sensitized paper to light?

Better perhaps than anything he has done before, these larger scale burned pieces show how intensely political Cantoni’s art is. At the same time, his choice of photographs transcends politics. “Obviously, there are lots of news photographs that are just that,” he says.

“But really good photographers know their art history, their iconography.” It is those motives that Cantoni is interested in exploring further.

The hands of a refugee woman in Darfur, holding her dying baby in her lap, echo the “Virgin and Child” or a Pietà. The oversized rendering of Kosovo women mourning a fallen young man resembles a contemporary “Lamentation”.

Cantoni’s art is not created to please the viewer, no matter how stunning it may be to look at. It is meant to hook you, to not let you forget. You see an image of a woman cradling her children in their destroyed home, the scene burned into a tender piece of vellum.

It is not the news anymore – it is burned into your memory, perhaps even your conscience.

And that is a page you cannot turn.

Davide Cantoni has been showing mostly in Italy, but also in other European countries and, increasingly, in the United States. MoMA owns a piece of his work, as does the prestigious Osram Collection in Munich. Some of Cantoni’s recent works are on view at Plane Space, 102 Charles Street, NY 10014, from March 29 to April 27, 2008.

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title 109

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106 1000 Words

5 photographers. 5 portraits. 5 essays.

5 different ways of saying what happened the exact millisecond of SNAP. The writers cannot compare notes and the photographers cannot send files to each other. The snaps could occur at any moment somewhere inside an anonymous city full of millions. Could be New York, could be Tokyo, could be a production studio somewhere out in the damn Gobi desert, who knows? What remains the same is that frustrating and wondrous exactitude of time that stands still between five of these anonymous people. Any of these faces could belong to the psycho across the hall from you, the writer who stares at you on the train, the emotional dancer who smokes on your stoop, or the hyperintelligent drug dealer from East New York or East Berlin. So what if these people are only separated from you by six degrees or a hundred. Could any two photographers capture the same five faces in exactly the same way? Some of us would choose not to think so. Herein lies proof that no matter how many duplicates, copies, and discarded trends occur in fashion or photography, the face always remains the same: unclassifiable. Sometimes real, and sometimes frozen in time. [Introduction by Ana Callahan | Illustration by Dylan Kahler]

1000 Words 107

108 1000 Words

Sal

Words by Heather Simon | Photo by JJ Sulin Zoom in close. Crop out the red curtains, barber-poll and “Sal’s Barber Shop” sign. Sal the barber sits quietly inside his shop in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn. It’s a slow Saturday, but that’s all right by Sal. His eyes circulate around the room as he inhales a series of seaside landscapes, world maps, and model sailboats. To the right of his desk, a rickety television buzzes in Italian. The television is facing away from Sal. He does not strain his neck to see why the Italian footy fans have begun to cheer. He just sits in his chair while the waves crash onto the bluffs in the mural behind him. Outside, the afternoon is damp and gray. Sal never lets his eyes fixate on the window, not even when a potential customer peers inside.

The tide is high. The breeze blows softly. “Do you take walkins?” A man closes the door behind him.

Sal rises from his seat and points at one of the five empty barber chairs. “What can I do you for?” Sal picks up his scissors and walks behind the chair.

“Long on top, short in the back.”

“Of course. Your hair is too dry. Can I wet it?” His words roll out slowly with a thick accent.

“Yeah. It gets dry in the winter.”

“The winter.” Sal shakes his head at the man’s reflection in the mirror.

“You don’t like the winter?”

“Winter is winter.”

“Where’s your accent from?”

“My accent?” Sal chuckles. “My accent comes from all over the world. But I am from Sicily, the most beautiful place in the world.”

“Is that Sicily on your wall?”

“No, California.”

“Nice. Where else ‘you been?”

“All over. South America. I lived for many years in Caracas, Venezuela.”

“I’ve always wanted to go to South America.”

“You should go.”

“Someday. It’s hard to travel with work.”

Sal stops cutting and stares at the man’s reflection. “Work is never an excuse. Family, yes. But work, no. In Italy everyone takes a one-month vacation no matter what. Everyone.”

“I should rethink my profession. What’d you do in South America?”

“I was a barber.”

“Have you always been a barber?” The man laughs, but Sal’s look is serious.

“I was born a barber. As a barber, I can go anywhere. Everywhere in the world people need barbers.” Sal cuts the curls around the man’s ears. “I came to New York over fifty years ago, long before you were born.”

“Not all that long.” The man pauses as Sal circles in front of him and trims the top of his hair. “Do you still travel much?”

“Every two years I return to Sicily. I have nine hundred relatives there. I’m not joking.”

“You go back to South America?”

“No. My life is here now. My kids are here and their kids are here. It’s important to stay close to them. And on this street is everything I will ever need.”

“Yeah and if it’s not in Brooklyn, it’s in Manhattan.”

“F’get about it. Don’t even get me started. I don’t go to that dirty place. Nobody walks over there because everyone is pushing everyone. Why mention a place like that on a street as nice as this? It’s done much changing over the years. Amaz-

ing, how you can stay in one place and still be a tourist. This street was once slow and empty; now it’s full of people, shops, and banks. There are five banks just on this street and all the restaurants in the world. You know the Red Rose?”

“The Italian place?”

“Yes, down the street. I go there for dinner every night. I don’t even look at the menu: Tony just cooks up whatever’s good. Then I sit with him and Anna and talk all night.”

“I want to go back to Italy.” The man sighs.

“You’ve been?!”

“Just to Cuneo with my wife.”

“Cuneo, France ruled there for a long time.”

“During Napoleon?”

“Napoleon.” Sal puts down his scissors, walks to the back of the room and takes a map from the wall, bringing it over to the man. He traces Italy with his finger. “Took many years to rebuild.” He recalls Italy’s collapse. His accent thickens as he becomes impassioned. When his finger reaches Sicily his accent weighs so heavy it’s impossible to decipher his English from Italian swears. The man nods politely as Sal calms his words.

“Almost done.” Sal turns on the electric razor and neatens up the man’s sideburns. Once the sideburns are done, Sal steps back. “You like?”

“Very nice.”

“Do you want it shorter? Or longer?”

“Longer? Can’t really do that.”

“Sure I can.” Sal points to the hair on the floor and chuckles.

“I have tape.”

“Ha. It looks great. Thanks.”

“F’get about it.”

The man gets up and pays Sal. As he opens the door to leave, a gust of wind makes a mess of the hair on the floor. Sal picks up the broom and sweeps it into the trash.

Outside, the afternoon sky is quickly settling into a black night.

Sal sits down at his desk and picks up the picture frame facing him, atop his filing cabinet. Inside the frame a younger, sharply dressed Sal stands next to a woman dressed in white. He runs his fingers up and down her body. He touches her face, her eyes, her golden hair, and traces a halo above her head.

A breath of wind sweeps across his face. And for a moment her white dress blows up as she dances along the shore.

“You take walk-ins?” A guy and a girl step inside.

“Yes.” Sal stands.

“He neeeeeds a hair cut!” The girl runs her hand through the guy’s hair.

“I will cut your hair under one condition: you must shave that beard the moment you get home.” Sal winks at the girl and points to another empty chair. As the guy settles in, Sal picks up the map and pins it back on the wall.

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110 1000 Words

JASPER

By Keri Wirth | Photo By Victoria Jacob Beware of the silent seduction of the Dutchman. Nestled in the Netherlands, amidst the smoky cobblestone streets of hookers and hash, exists an unconventional flower. Once infected by this sensitive and intuitive creature, one’s immunity to love will falter. Being caught in their comfortably warm web of openness is inevitable. The photographer, Victoria Jacob, vowed that she’d never go back to other men. The Dutchman is so superior a lover she chose to study this anomaly in detail, body and soul. Victoria captured the mystery of the Dutchman from his bedroom at night. Undressed and alone, his vulnerability is impossible to resist!

Driving down the coast in his rented scooter, Jasper van Vugt is living large as he holidays in the biodiversity hotspot of Goa, India. With the warmth of the sun at his back, Jasper’s journey towards a remote beach in the smallest state of India has quenched his thirst for the sea. He spends there quiet time on a sandy beach taking pleasure in David Mitchell’s experimental novel, Cloud Atlas. Surrounded by flora, Jasper inhales the fresh sea air. Currently on a break from interviewing pop artists such as Beck and Lily Allen back in Amsterdam, twentyeight-year-old van Vugt doesn’t let the sand sink between his toes for too long. As a music journalist, he spends his evenings in Amsterdam reviewing new talent performing at the local haunts. Outside of Amsterdam, Jasper travels around the world, reporting his perspectives online. He is a multimedia extravaganza endowed with passionate words about his travels and the music of the moment. This man is anything but private about his professional opinion, yet I wondered how confidential he would be about his personal views. Delighted by the discovery of vulnerability, I began my excavation toward a guarded emotional treasure.

Jasper jokes that he is a Wiccan, Wicca being a variety of witchcraft founded on religious and magical concepts. It is not only distinguished by its beliefs, but by its practice of magic and ethical philosophy. Wiccans seek to develop eight virtues in their lifetime: mirth, reverence, honor, humility, strength, beauty, power and compassion. As it happens, Jasper van Vugt does indeed live by these virtues and I would not be surprised to see him casting a magical spell that will leave you weak in the knees. Maybe he’s a Wiccan after all!

I challenge the women from all over the globe to try and hold this confident man’s heart. Keeping his attention tied down to you will not be easy. This Dutch man’s mind needs to be entertained with witty opinions and deep philosophies. It’s fair to say that if you could hold a stimulating conversation with this fastidious man for a year you might stand a chance. Although a sucker for beauty, the right one does not resemble Pamela Anderson. A strong, self–deprecating, independent, pixie-faced, doe-eyed lady with a Master’s degree could apply to Jasper University. And only then, after a trial period, if her sweetness is enduring, her beauty is, in fact, elegant, and her mind is not arrogant, this chemistry might ignite monogamy.

Ignorance is frustrating and uncalled for according to the Dutch man. Van Vugt believes that people need to be more humble. They should realize they are just one in six billion and let go of the arrogance of power. You won’t see Jasper watching programs like MTV Cribs, where people are egocentric and lack the philanthropic gene it takes to give instead of accu-

mulate. The guilt associated with purchasing a fifth Mercedes when people are starving in Africa has left this benevolent man confused. Jasper is from a small, privileged nation, and traveling abroad is refreshing to him since meeting people from other countries broadens his point of view and promotes cultural understanding. The pleasure he finds in the diversity of others inspires him to always live with an open mind. He believes one will never truly know the absolute truth about someone else. People tend to project their own insecurities and anxieties onto others without taking into account other people’s shortcomings, reactions, and points of view. An honest relationship cannot develop if your own projections stand in the way. Just because you are having a bad day doesn’t mean that random lady on the street gave you a dirty look!

Feel free to challenge this Dutch man to an intellectual duel.

He is not afraid to admit when he is wrong, so reach out and share your thoughts with him, for he relishes in the significance of knowing as much as he can through difference of opinion. He is a pleaser, making other people feel alive in his presence. Just don’t get too comfortable around this pleasurable being, for he is likely to frighten you without warning. This could be because Dutchies celebrate Halloween as often as they change underwear. With the fear of skeletons locked in his closet, Jasper is a man who supports tradition and never grows tired of scaring the socks off his friends and family, night after night. He believes the world should hold on to its unique rituals and holidays, as it is what makes this universe brilliant.

This gentleman gains insight from being real. His humility is effortless and sincere. Self-development of his character never ceases. His nature is something to be proud of and is deserving of many riches. This charming character of nobility has the strength to make change. So raise a glass of brandewijn!

Cheers with chocolate kisses and marzipan hugs for the Dutch man Jasper van Vugt! He is a delicious addition to the world!

112 1000 Words

Peter

Words by Ana Callahan | Photo by Derin Thorpe

One more whisky before I leave One last chance For me To unlock her key -Blu Zusman Fed up, it seems. In a city of solid steel and people who think of themselves as miniature towers of Babylon, it’s a wonder that struggling musicians don’t topple over themselves. Or maybe they do. Before meeting Peter, a.k.a. Blu Zusman of the Coin Opera, I stared at this picture, as gray as the day had been when I first opened the email for this assignment. I sighed. I inhaled an invisible film noir-esque smoke into my lungs. Was this going to be the “token Midwesterner comes to New York looking for glory” story? Or was it going to remind me that art is as tragic and horrendous as a Scott Walker song? I was hoping for both; hoping that maybe this job would involve putting some of my worst fears inside it, instead of looking at this moment purely as an object d’art.

Good. Now that I had established my parameters, I could finally meet the subject at a Lower East Side café. Taking the subject out of the picture and having to physically talk to him and bomb him with questions…well, I just found that annoying, grating, and fucking unsexy. There’s something pristine and crystallized about the composition book, tie, and guitar all wonderfully frozen and forever in its place. Why discuss? Peter walks in and disturbs my annoyance. I knew he would be late, so I brought a book that I couldn’t concentrate on, naturally.

Click. I turn the tape recorder on, as cold and delicate as this portrait leaves me. He hands me a CD but my head is still lodged inside the black and white of this photo. Sorry, no music reviews here, babe.

“Well, the album pretty much tells a story” Peter says, as he looks down with a tension in his eyes. I didn’t listen to the album. I failed horribly at that, but throughout the conversation the singer continually won at soothing my annoyance; I realized no matter how much music I don’t listen to or how many clichéd artists are out there, we are all struggling and hustling, just like that brother on the train who wants you to smile if you can’t give him a quarter. I can’t decide if I’m giving quarters or smiles, but I know the coffee is kicking in. As the caffeine spikes, and the tape keeps rolling, I stop listening.

Looking at the picture, I notice something about his shoulders that my own body did naturally three weeks ago: It’s what I call ‘winning defeat.’ I know this pose. This was pretty much the stance I’d had when I got off the plane at JFK after returning from a tour of Germany with my band. I just didn’t want to fucking come home to the city that never claps, but then maybe I’m just not listening.

“Now the coffee is kicking in,” Peter smiles, which I notice is something he should do more often. I start listening again.

Questions begin to swell and my own fears gain a new edge,

just like when I look at Brassai photographs of prostitutes in Paris. What if I’m stuck on that sidewalk for the rest of my life?

What if I stop filling up composition books with songs? What if they never like me?

“Does it really matter if they don’t like your music?” Peter asks. I look up startled. I guess I like being asked the questions for a change. After doing a stint in L.A. for thirteen years, Peter has a relaxation about his work and a very blasé outlook on the portrait that I lack, due to non-exposure of the beach, sunsets and bouncy blondes. What happens as we are talking is nothing more than a classic case of art imitating life. Girl looks at photo, photo makes her frown, girl meets subject, subject realizes she is a musician too, subject gives advice, etc.

But the anonymity of the photo leaves her feeling cold. Does it really matter if they don’t like my music? Sure, sometimes. We become seemingly annoyed with each other for a moment because the object of the game is not to hang out with musicians, to whine, moan, or tell each other sob stories. I prefer rejected painters or writers, but I acquiesce happily in revealing my own black and white moments.

It’s almost time to leave and we continue to spar with each other about finite possibilities in music or my sunny naiveté regarding the aggressive, shameless self-promotion of my new EP. I glance listlessly at the photo and think about how hungry I am, how hungry he may be, and what it means to be on a city street without so much as a coin of hope in your pocket or, maybe too much self-confidence. I bid goodbye and leave.

The next day I delete the photo. I just didn’t want to look at it again. So, I opened up a book on Brassai and realized that the picture I’d deleted captures that classic wolfish look that many artists betray. But there’s one thing edging into my viewfinder.

It isn’t the shadows, the blurry background, the fuzzy black and white, or the nose of the guitar case jutting down into an invisible puddle. I smirk and realize that nothing has really changed. If cliché is truth then Brassai managed to capture it, much like this portrait does. Laughter seems to tickle up my throat because I know I’m just as stolid as any ventriloquist, musician, acrobat, or forlorn prostitute stuck inside Paris’ seething Metropolis in the 1930’s. And so is the subject.

Artists would like to be immortal, but photographs don’t pander to false hopes. The portrait leaves me hungry for more black and white moments, bad shows, toxic naysayers, and heady determination. Oh, and maybe I should quit the coffee for a while, too.

114 1000 Words

Sander

Words by Jana Hsu | Photo by Phil Sharp Look closely at this photo of a man. What do you see? Who is the man in the photograph? Who is Sander Martijn? Can we look into these eyes and decipher who and what he is? Can a picture offer its thoughts?

Let’s look at this portrait again. A man’s portrait provides infinite possibilities of a man’s psyche and brings emotions, which may, in truth, be our own emotions. To be sure, I searched behind the lens into a man’s thoughts. What answers did we find there? You decide.

I look at the gorgeous, white furry animal sniffing my pink pen with interest. What can his cat tell me about Sander? Long, white cat hairs cling to the black futon where we sit, like a projected image on black canvas, or the thin frame of a photographer in signature black against a backdrop – never to be caught in front of the camera lens – at least Sander’s lens. He doesn’t like to be photographed. He is much like his contemporary peers in their black and white usual, who’d prefer to take a picture of anything else but themselves. He is also much like the artists on the Deviant Art homepage, featuring dual-tone artwork, with splashes of color as focal points. That is the one consistency in his art: not black and white, but black, white, and neutral colors like skin tones with one vibrant color. Unlike his contemporaries however, Sander throws in a cowboy hat as his focal point.

As he speaks, he has a face that is younger and more open than the face in the portrait I opened on my laptop a day before.

He tells me that words cannot convey what a picture can. He seems very sure about this. I look past him to the wall above his computer screen. I see a portrait of a Haitian man he took during one of his trips: a lipless man who only manages to look friendly with the smile in his eyes. An anthropologist’s eye has captured this image. Is Sander just an anthropologist with a camera? Does a picture tell a story about a picture, which in turn tells another story? Is that the secret? Is Sander an anthropologist, a photographer, a businessman, or overall, an artist who tries to clear his mind at night by putting his worries away so that he could get a good night’s sleep like everyone else? What I don’t know, Sander tells me. He is a man who goes by a Dutch name, and runs ninety-five percent of his own business of renting out space in his Bridge studio.

A cowboy hat.

A cowboy who rode into town and took over the scene; a scene exploding with color, without a hint of a dual-toned snapshot.

But don’t mistake the rugged, droopy expression with the man himself. Consider what he must be thinking when taking in the bright, explosive colors of this photograph; what lies inside the man is the thing that shines. The hat’s hand-bent shape and custom-made blue and white splashes of Jackson Pollock paint resemble the thin shafts of coveted late afternoon light during a cozy home photo session. A photo session that answered my next question, “What is the most impressive thing you’ve witnessed in a studio?” He delivers a very abstract image to answer this, going back to the mother photo of all photos that got him interested in the first place before he was taking a photography class or two at the age of ten or twelve.

He shows me an image on his desktop, one he has to search a little to find. It is an abstract image of a girl’s back, he tells me. A girl he had loved. It is a love story he took with his first camera, or rather, his girl’s first camera. I look and see the girl’s back, all creamy with shadows from the late afternoon light,the shadows of objects painting a musical note on the blank page of her back, bringing the cameraman back to his first love – music.

When I turn back to Sander, he volunteers more information.

Sander’s love for photography began in the mid-nineties, but he didn’t start the business of actually managing studios until about three years ago. “Was it hard to transition from hobby to business?” “Yes. But growing as an artist is altogether a process, not a state of being,” he says. He seems so down to earth and like everyone else, he wants to do what he wants to do to support his work, instead of needing the work to support him. This is his immediate goal right now. Every time he shoots, he improves. He manages to state very concrete ideas for his work while conveying a very abstract quality. “I could be shooting a musician, but it will come out like a beauty shot with art photography elements in it.” “Visually, it’s about the process,” he adds as afterthought. “There should be no postproduction work – get it right the first time.” He works with what natural light there is because the truth is, nobody ever needed Photoshop with old-fashioned film.

As I look at the portrait of this man, this artist, what comes to mind is someone true to his work. I asked him to give me three adjectives to describe what he does as a manager of a photo studio. He tells me he’s terrible at this type of stuff. Hmmm.

Surprising for someone who says he’s a writer. He is a writer who clears the clutter of dreams from his head every morning, but shows his thoughts through pictures. “Hard to do in words, easier to show in pictures,” he says. What do you think?

116 1000 Words

Sean

Words by Jon Melamed | Photo by Jennifer Becker My thoughts are momentarily lost in the strong wind blowing up off the East River, the air getting filled with the all too familiar, acrid stench of human waste from the Newtown Creek Sewage Plant.

This intrusive olfactory discomfort makes Greenpoint seem pretty dingy, but looking out from this relatively high vantage point at the rest of New York City, the entire metropolis looks pretty bleak. The slivers of sky visible between Manhattan’s vast structures are a deep gray, receding into a thick, milky white horizon hanging just above the buildings. It looks almost as if the skyline were holding it in place. Pull Manhattan out from underneath the heavens and watch it all come crashing down into the ocean. The fog softens the geometric edges of the distant edifices, making them seem millions of miles away, toy-like and haunted.

Even though I have lived in this building for a while now, this is my first time on the roof. For about a quarter of the year I travel outside of New York. But after such jaunts, I am often left feeling socially overly saturated, and choose to maintain a relatively solitary life here in Brooklyn. I spend most of my time working on my art, reading and watching television. As a personal choice, I have very few friends, just a small group of people who I trust and genuinely enjoy being around. I am often accused of being snobby or conceited, but I feel it is the most practical approach to socializing. The way the city looks on an overcast day like today, as described above, is pretty apropos to how I feel about socializing in New York. It can be a distorted place, where, if you start getting involved with all the bullshit, you may lose your own personality. If you aren’t careful, you can end up walking around all out of focus, chasing blurry, unrealistic goals. I am not a very negative person, I just know what I want and I don’t like wasting my time.

I am ripped out of my thoughts by a fantastic crashing sound.

It seems that the same gust, which for a moment, sent my consciousness into the air, has also overturned a piece of equipment. A large black flag ripped from the knuckles of an extended c-stand flies past. I focus on the small crater left in the soft tar of the rooftop where the stand made its initial impact before completely collapsing, looking now like a shiny, metallic praying mantis on its back.

I regain my external senses as I lean back on the tin flashing of the roof’s edge and a frosty chill crawls up my naked spine.

But the arctic shock from the rear is quickly rivaled by the hot, itchy sensation of the healing tattoo on my neck. I am actually relieved to have my chest exposed to the elements, where the cool breeze can reach my fresh ink. Slick and glistening from the anti-bacterial ointment, the tattoo stands raised above the skin like a mountain range on a relief map. The black lines of ink, hammered under my skin only yesterday, are remarkably

darker and more brilliant than those of my surrounding, older tattoos. I have very personal feelings attached to every one of them, all of which I have designed myself and tell their very own story.

I have had a lot of requests to have my picture taken, but after the shoot, just by viewing the digital images on the small screen of the photographer’s camera, I could already see that hers far surpass any photo taken of me to date. She has truly captured the beauty of my body art. I hardly knew her before the shoot, meeting her only briefly at a brunch. But after this totally relaxed photo shoot where she didn’t insist on any contrived poses, I feel she captured the true me.

The photo shoot came about as, not to sound corny, an act of fate. When I saw him featured in an ad, I knew I had to work with him one day. I was, of course, immediately drawn to his tattoos, but I also thought he had a really interesting look.

Here’s where fate came in: merely days after seeing his photo, I ended up randomly having brunch with him and a mutual friend in Brooklyn. He agreed to work with me and we used the rooftop of his Greenpoint apartment building as the location.

The weather was pretty shitty on the day of our shoot. Although the clouds and gray skies supplied a very moody backdrop, we could’ve done without the wind, which periodically sent my equipment sailing across the set. He was a real trooper and never once complained about the rain or wind. He was extremely calm and more animated and talkative than I expected from a generally shy guy. We did a series of portraits and he was very comfortable and knew exactly what to do in front of the camera.

In this particular shot, his body language suggests a tough, ambivalent person. His heavily tattooed arms crossed, his eyelids hanging low, and his expressionless mouth, generate a mysterious portrait of a complex and pensive man. Although he is a self-proclaimed skeptic of human nature, he is truly a sweet guy and a talented model as well. I feel this photo captures this dichotomy of his character and showcases his talents as a natural in front of the camera.

** Author’s note: This piece was inspired by the photographer and the model. While they didn’t write these words themselves, hopefully you, as the reader, will be able to see echoes of the following musings in the resulting photograph.

LIAISON:

Notes on Fly Magazine Story: Muriel Quancard-Johnson

Liam Gillick Re-revision, 2006 Collection edition for FLY Edition of 50

Liason title 123

JE T’AIME, MOI NON PLUS ¹

F

ashion has tumultuous relationships with other creative spheres such as cinema and contemporary art. They flirt, borrow, and steal, at times with complicity, at times with duplicity, and, often, with impudence. The DVD magazine FLY seeks to explore this volatile alchemy by mixing fashion video editorials, short films, animations, portraits of contemporary artists and music videos.

They invite creators from various disciplines to direct short films and videos. The works they produce are not intended to develop a specific and refined aesthetic. Nor are they expected to resolve any issues. FLY invites artists to provoke thoughts by questioning the world and the cultural, societal, and political swings they observe.

FLY’s editors – Catherine Camille Cushman, Stephen Blaise and Laurent Vacher, all from different artistic backgrounds — envisioned an innovative representation of fashion by gathering talents from the fashion, film and contemporary art worlds. The challenge lies in the fundamental differences of the creative process in each of these creative spheres, as the ideology and tools of each discipline determine its methods. The disparities between fashion and visual arts are unmistakable: while fashion photographers audaciously seduce their audience, contemporary artists at times envy their glamour and ineluctable frivolousness. If contemporary art defies the boundaries of human activity, fashion attempts to alter them. Art anatomizes, fashion wraps; where art comments, tropes and ironizes, fashion travesties. Filmmaking drifts from shore to shore.

Through various styles and topics, FLY’s editors reference such artistic movements and avant-garde modes as Romanticism, the Vienna Secession, Dada, and Bauhaus, each of which prefigures the multidisciplinary approach favored by FLY. FLY produces an average of a dozen videos per issue; for the three first issues, their creative team commissioned some seventy-five alone.

From a peculiar documentary on Cambodian rock n’ roll directed by indie cinematographer John Pirrozi, to a poster by contemporary artist Liam Gillick, asking: “Alors les gens étaient-ils abruti à ce point avant la television?” (Were people this dumb before television?), each issue of FLY is published with limited edition artwork. Gillick’s poster was printed for FLY_01, while Ryan McGuiness created a series of silkscreened covers for FLY-00.

“Talents are selected for their strength of vision and willingness to collaborate with artists of other disciplines,” says Stephen Blaise. For the ‘LOOP’ of FLY_02, they collaborated with the Cedar Lake Dance Company, inviting its artistic director, Benoit-Swan Pouffer, to choreograph the dancers based on descriptive words given by fashion photographer-turned-director, Alex Cayley.

The conception of each issue evolves around themes: ‘Conscious Dreams’, ‘Words’, ‘What A World, What A World’, and for the upcoming issue, ‘Objects of Desire.’ “The idea. This is where everything begins,” says Catherine Camille Cushman, who directed ‘Protest’.

“Our magazine has a voice; we are discontent and yet passionate about what we do. We often wonder why people are not taking to the streets in this country. It’s not the ‘60s where people had idealistic hopes that they could effect change. Something is missing now. Our innocence as a country has been destroyed to the point where people feel hopeless.”

For ‘Protest’ Cushman followed a model dressed in Louis Vuitton through a frantic crowd protesting against the Iraq war, which required careful planning and coordination of the three cameras in a live event. “People were holding photos of their dead children, and we didn’t want them to think we were in any way trivializing their pain or making a commercial. FLY’s team met with the cameramen beforehand to discuss the frenetic quality we were hoping to achieve, logistics, sunlight/shadows cast from buildings, managing the chaos of the crowd, equipment, batteries, direction of the model in a loud atmosphere etc.” They chose to cast a model with large expressive eyes, who acted as an observer rather than representing a determined political position.

FLY’s team has also invited fashion designers, including Alice Roi, Richard Chai and Shelly Steffee to take part in the creative process by exploring ways of integrating their collections into the editorial concept, and even styling films themselves. This approach proved to be so exciting for both the designers and FLY’s creative team that it will certainly continue.

There is something haunting and profound in this novel use of media to explore the experience of fashion. With the moving image, FLY’s creative team brings to fashion many of the concepts widely explored by filmmakers and contemporary artists for decades, and deliver uncommon opportunities to experience temporality, refine narratives, and intensify emotions. It is exciting to see these talents emerging from the realms of fashion, film, photography, and visual art to reinterpret our relationship to clothing.

For further information on FLY DVD, please visit: http://www.insidefly. com

Notes: 1. As a metaphor for the relationships sustained by the various creative fields discussed here, we titled this article with Serge Gainsbourg’s legendary lyrics ”I Love You, Me Neither”, sung by Gainsbourg and his lover Jane Birkin, in a song of the same name.

2. Information about author: Muriel Quancard founded Quancard Contemporary Art, a production company specialized in the fabrication and implementation of artworks and art projects. For further information, please consult: www.quancardcontemporaryart. com.

Ryan Mc Guiness Fly DVD Zero Issue Silkscreen Edition of 50

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Nolita neighborhood joint for nearly five years, Shebeen is the anti-scene. It’s not going to impress anyone or blow your mind, and there will be times when you wonder if the cracked tube lights covered in paper and ceiling fans are intentionally part of the minimalist ‘anti-scene’ décor or if the owners should maybe, just maybe, push the furniture budget up a notch this year.

Story: Sachi Yoshii | Photos: Keith Telfeyan

WHERE TO TAKE YOUR CLIENT:

Shebeen / Tree

A A

Pedestrians usually pass right by the unmarked door.

Celebrities frequent the place when they don’t want to be seen, mixing with the downtown crowds, from the fashion mag girls clomping in their six-inch platforms, the black plastic framed set lounging at the bar in their Tom’s, to the pre-PhD’s waxing poetic on the white sofas in front.

All are most likely working or living nearby, so anyone lucky enough to wander in unsuspectingly has stumbled across an unmarked treasure.

up the bar with her friend, Tarin Kosviner, to create an informal and unpretentious hang out spot. Today, Shebeen is known for its homemade cocktails, quality funk/jazz/old school hip-hop, and the shiny, secret back room where everyone but the claustrophobic can chill.

Favorites include the strawberry balsamic martini ($10), a beautiful, rosy blend of muddled strawberries, strawberry vodka, a splash of balsamic vinegar, and an odd hint of icy Chapstick. I loved the ginger martini ($10) with its sugar flecked rim and bits of fresh ginger floating in a refreshingly light blend of gin, lime, and triple sec.

After downing a few (or four), it was time to head home, so we snuck out of Shebeen as quietly as we had entered into this anti-scene.

Co-owner, Dalya Tugend, hails from South Africa where ‘Shebeen’ is slang for ‘speakeasy’. In 2003, she opened

Shebeen 202 Mott Street, between Spring and Prince Streets New York, NY 10012 212-625-1105

Price $$ Drinks *** Ambiance *

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121. AD: RRRENTALS

S

pringtime has been reduced to approximately 8.5 days this year. Most blame global warming for the lack of easy, breezy, beautiful weather. Although our trek into a hellish, humid spring begins with sweltering days, there is nowhere better to take your clients than to the outdoor garden at Tree in the East Village for the slightly cooler spring nights.

Tree is a charming, unpretentious restaurant serving hearty comfort food to the young, old, and forever-31 crowd (since 30 is the new 20). Chef-owner Andrew Robinson and co-owner Colm Clancy are more attractive and chilled out versions of a bald Michael Rappaport and an Irish Thom Yorke. They take pride in the fact that the four months of their blood, sweat, and butter-cream colored paint has resulted in the ideal neighborhood bistro, attracting an eclectic mix of clientele.

Robinson, a Gramercy Tavern vet, creates savory dishes, including a seared foie gras sprinkled in pomegranate seeds ($12), guaranteed to have your clients salivating for another creamy bite. Regular customers ask for the braised short ribs

and root veggies ($19), perfect when paired with the Pitch Cab ($10 per glass/$39 per bottle). The seared duck in a pomegranate reduction ($21) is near perfection – nice and fatty, with a side of creamy parsnip puree. Portions are on the larger side, so remind your clients to save room for dessert.

The apple tart will be devoured in seconds – my friend would have licked the custard glaze off the plate if the family next to us hadn’t been staring directly at him – and the chocolate mousse is surprisingly outstanding. Ordinarily, I am not a fan of chocolate monstrosities, as they’re usually too rich to take more than one bite of, all smothered in gobs of whipped cream and adorned in an absurd amount of gold flakes – kind of like an edible Paris Hilton, which is enough to ruin anyone’s appetite. However, Robinson’s mousse is wonderfully simple, easy, and enjoyable, much like Tree itself.

Make a beeline for the garden outback, or be ready to get close and intimate if you choose to stay indoors.

Tree 190 1st Avenue, between 11th and 12th Streets New York, NY 10009 212-358-7171 www.treenyc.com

Price $$ Food** Ambiance***

Velvia® 50

Portra® 160NC

TRI-X® 400

Kodachrome® 200

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The world’s best film simulator just got better.

Introducing Exposure 2,® an even more featurepacked version of our award-winning Photoshop® plug-in that gives digital photographs the look and feel of film. Whether you’re a fashion or wedding photographer, a designer or art director, you’ll have one-click access to the broadest range of film stocks and special effects settings available anywhere.

It all comes down to grain.

Exposure 2 gives you the most realistic grain on the market, now with even more control over sharpness, color variation, and intensity throughout the tonal range. And since our grain size automatically adjusts to your image size, you get consistent results across all your cameras.

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When it comes to the variety of film stocks you can simulate, Exposure 2 has no peer. You can match the look of popular film stocks like Portra, Velvia, Kodachrome, Polaroid® and TRI-X. We’ve even saved some film stocks from extinction, like Agfa® Scala,® GAF® 500, and Kodak® EES.

More effective effects.

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Max Ferguson - Photographer, Image Maker, and Photoshop Author

www.alienskin.com Copyright © 2007 Alien Skin Software, LLC. All rights reserved. Exposure is the registered trademark of Alien Skin Software, LLC. All other trademarks or service marks mentioned are the property of their respective owners.

With over 300 presets, Exposure 2 has even more special effect settings than before, including push and cross processing, a vastly improved infrared simulator, and sophisticated color to black and white conversion.

So order Exposure 2 today.

There’s no better way to give your photographs the best of both the digital and film worlds. Visit www.alienskin.com for details.

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The closest thing to film since film.

TM

124 Movie Review

MOVIE REVIEW:

Qui êtes-vous, Polly Maggoo?

By Alec Kerr | Illustration by Dylan Kahler

W

ho Are You, Polly Magoo? is not available in the U.S., but chances are you’ve heard whispers about it. This biting satire about the worlds of fashion, commercial photography and television was the feature film debut of William Klein, an American photographer who found his style while bouncing around Europe in the late 1940s and early 1950s before his return to New York. His photos, especially those attempting to capture a gritty reality, challenged and rejected the standards of photography at the time. He subsequently brought that sensibility to his years shooting fashion for Vogue in the mid-1950s.

If Polly Magoo is any indication, the experience left him jaded.

Shot in Paris in 1966, the film opens with a brilliant lampoon of the era’s high fashion, with a show featuring models in clothes made from sheets of metal. It doesn’t matter if they cut the

Movie Review 125

“Models are either kooks or schizos. Everybody knows that.” –TV executive models: a little make up will cover up anything. Miss Maxwell (Grayson Hall), the editor of a high profile fashion magazine, declares the show a triumph, and a gospel choir on the film’s score mockingly agrees with her. When Miss Maxwell tells the designer, “You’ve recreated woman,” he coolly replies, “Well I did my best.” This opening vignette sets the tone for the rest of the film.

The title character (Dorothy McGowan), a 20-year-old model from New York, is the subject of a shallow TV documentary titled also, Who are you, Polly Magoo? McGowan, who was a model in real life, has a wonderful screen presence and a keen sense of comic timing. Her facial expression when reading in an article, “The fashion industry has more categories than philosophy”, perfectly encapsulates how good of a comedian she truly is. It is a shame that this is her only piece of acting because she has that allusive “It” factor.

At first glance, the film seems to be about how the fictional filmmakers and interviewers are trying to find if there’s anything below the surface of Polly, becoming increasingly frustrated at her empty answers; but this is too superficial a reading of the film. Klein’s target isn’t the shallowness of models, but rather the hollowness of the whole system. He seems sickened with the whole concept of fashion as an industry: some characters dismiss it with quip like, “A dress is a disposable wrapper.” He is equally venomous towards television and has one character wondering aloud if “we must choose between government run propaganda TV and commercial TV for the moronic millions.”

Polly is stuck in the midst of this stew of cynicism. Although barbs are tossed at her, she proves to be savvier then she seems at first glance.

What she says about herself is surprisingly revealing and honest: “They take my pictures every day, every way. They’ve taken millions of pictures and every time they take a picture there’s a little less of me left. So what will be left of me when they’re done?” Her interviewer dismisses her questioning, simply imposing a Cinderella cliché on her life. Whether it fits doesn’t matter. For him (and the public at large), all models are the same.

both fall in love with her. Even strangers on the street propose to her, but no one is in love with her. They are just in love with the idea of her. To truly know her would ruin the mystique captured on billboards, commercials and advertisements.

Klein’s work here as a director is exceptional. The film, beautifully shot in black and white, fits nicely within the oeuvre of French New Wave, but with an absurd quality to it. It pops with ingenious ideas, like faces drawn on a freeze frame of Polly’s face, or a dinner party where a TV mirrors what’s happening. When the film turns to flights of fancy in the final act, it loses some of its satirical edge, but by then Klein’s point is made. The film’s most whimsical moment has Polly in a tutu singing Shirley Temples “Animal Characters in My Soup.”

As a filmmaker, Klein ventured into satire once more with his anti-America superhero parody, Mr. Freedom, then worked exclusively on documentaries and commercials. In the mid-1980s he returned to still photography, and his work into the 1990s mixed mediums, including photography, painting, drawing and film.

Although Polly Magoo is very much a time capsule of a specific period and place, it doesn’t feel dated. Klein’s targets are easy ones, but he doesn’t go for the cheap gags, lending the film a timeless quality. His message continues to be relevant today, as our culture’s obsession with celebrity seems to increase daily. Today we have shows like America’s Next Top Model dedicated to getting into the minds of up-and-coming models, going behind-the-scenes of the fashion industry. But ask yourself: are we really probing any deeper than the superficial filmmakers in Who Are You, Polly Magoo?

Released: November 21, 1969 Director: William Klein Writer: William Klein

One such interviewer, Grégoire (Jean Rochefort) puts Polly through a series of ridiculous verbal and physical tests to ultimately conclude that she is a “narcissistic freak.” Yet, Polly is more shrewd and witty than anyone is willing to see. When Grégoire begins ranting that “Fashion is a business and a con game”, Polly retorts, “So is war.” To his “Modeling is a waste of time,” Polly snaps back, “So are TV films.”

The further you get into the film, the more ironic its title appears. No one really wants to know who Polly is. They want her to fit their image of a vapid, brainless model. If they have to re-edit footage to create this grotesque caricature, they will. People don’t want to know her; they just want to be infatuated with her. Grégoire and a buffoon prince (Sami Frey)

Main Actors: Dorothy McGowan as Polly Magoo (as Dorothy McGowan) Jean Rochefort as Grégoire Pecque Sami Frey as The Prince Grayson Hall as Miss Maxwell Producer: Robert Delpire Music: Michel Legrand Distributor/Studio: Rank Organisation

130 title

BOOK REVIEW:

Faces/Shortcomings Review: Taylor Dietrich | Photos: Zachary Swenson

J

ohn Berger, the Booker Prize-winning author best known for his art criticism and for the novel G, began as a painter, and his expertise of that medium has had a clear

influence on both the style and subject matter of his long-form essay, And Our Faces, My Heart, Brief as Photos. Short in length but large in scope, this dense work is an exertion of theoretical acuteness combining the steady pacing of scripture with the vividness of formal dialogue. Berger defines reality as the measured coherence of observable events.

This astounding work of imagination is ultimately coherent, an achievement when you consider the brave segue ways he takes along the way.

With fearless probing, Berger attempts to qualify aspects of human paradox by extrapolating certain phenomena: undifferentiated sexuality, metaphysics, and the realization of life in the womb, as it defines death as always closer than what lies at the end of the birth canal. This sort of subject matter might seem weighty, and it is. Berger is using decades of acquired knowledge and memories to build and disperse profound theories about events that exist in an undercurrent.

Berger’s prose, even more than his poetry, illustrates the importance of sound. It’s the sound of the words on the page that guides the sentence, the paragraph, and invariably the meaning behind his highly conjectural essays. As a thought unravels about the cyclical nature of time and the importance of this in considering the coexistence of prophecy and destiny in the freedom of choice, Berger smoothes over the technical nature of the conversation with a sculpted cushion of rhythmic vowels and balances approaching assonance, “An angel in white stone, whose wing tips merge, in the winter light, with the high hawk-colored cliff behind the village—this stone angel holds the wrist of a soldier, whose legs have already given way and who is slumping into death.” To read Berger is to participate in a one-sided conversation about a subject both new and as familiar as the foundations of commonplace coffee talk. It’s how he renders his argument in a conversational tone that gives it its significance.

Where he excels is in the reframing of the political as cultural intrigue with poems that act as section breaks. The sections have titles of their own: “Once,” “Emigration” and

And Our Faces, My Heart, Brief as Photos

by John Berger

“The First Part is About Time”. Far from an intervention into immediate world politics, the book focuses on the consequence of photographic incriminations. He writes, “Utopias exist only in carpets,” conjuring Maugham’s ghost, and redefining both the scale and result of what was once defined as human bondage.

With its Maxim-like short-paragraph structure, And Our Faces has its occasional awkward transition. Still, it is hard to imagine any other writer capable of mitigating the ethereal distance between the sensorial experience of viewing lilacs at dusk and the meaning of home to early man. Berger makes it look easy.

Book Review 127

W

ith exacting minimalist drawings and understated dialogue, Adrian Tomine has created a first long piece, composed of three of the periodic installments to his

serialized comic Optic Nerve, that provides a complex overall package contrasting with its simplistic presentation. The comic book-novella, Shortcomings, revolves around Ben Tanaka, an unlikable art film house manager whose only redeeming quality is his consistency. He’s insensitive, elitist, deprecating and rampantly critical of others, while being oblivious of his own faults. The uniformity of Ben as an anti-hero in this otherwise penetrating story could have caused it to plateau if not for the introduction of a few sobering characters.

Alice Kim, a Mills College graduate student, whose ambitions include the conquest of at least 100 “freshwymn” before finishing her PhD and the continued cultivation of her family’s delusional perception of her true sexuality, is a welcomed counterweight to Ben’s aura of lackadaisical dejection. It is Alice, with her ample database of ironic one-liners and her gutless extroversion, who counteracts Ben’s whiny bumbling. When Ben’s live-in girlfriend, Miko Hayashi, takes an internship at the Asian American Independent Film Institute in New York, Alice both ridicules Ben as he indulges with mixed success in his obsession with white women, and eventually lures him into crossing the swath that separates Oakland from New York.

In many ways, Shortcomings is a departure from Tomine’s earlier work. Still, the subject matter will no doubt leave Tomine’s critics with plenty of material for griping. Written over nearly five years, the novella reads like Tomine’s earlier work with his signature examinations of the self-interested exploits of characters struggling with unremarkable problems (not the typical subject matter for a genre stereotyped by superheroes). He’s received equal doses of critical praise and ridicule from some readers of the graphicnovel genre who would like to see the 31-year-old author/artist for once write a story about a mechanic or an octogenarian deli owner, a story about anything other than his typical limited subject matter. In his work from the early ’90s – stories that utilized a barely disguised autobiography – Tomine steered clear of race relations by drawing his protagonists with sunglasses and illustrating, through surreptitious shading, characters of indefinable origin. In Shortcomings, race, gender relations and the entropy of failing love occupy much of the spot-on dialogue. Before Ben discovers Miko’s blossoming love affair with a Japanese-speaking American photographer, Alice is already speculating if it is assimilation that Ben is after by pursuing the walking manifestation of a foreign cultural ideal with golden locks.

The story is a quick read and could probably be rushed through in under an hour. If read this way it would provide an experience analogous to watching a realist film while ironing in the opposite direction. Read more slowly and a full appreciation accompanies the discovery of rampant foreshadowing and the general authenticity of expression, stitched within the masterly two-toned illustrations of Tomine’s characters’ emotional reality, a reality unarguably resembling our own.

Shortcomings

by Adrian Tomine

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Dollhouse What would a little girl’s room be without a dollhouse? Sure it’s a cliché, but when creating a recognizable world quickly, a stylist relies heavily on familiar images and motifs. Clichés don’t need to be drab and tired, either. Pomme imports much of its stock from France and offers a variety of chic, modern, yet oddly classic children’s toys, accessories, clothes and more.

Pomme 81 Washington Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201 (718) 855-0623 – www.pommenyc.com Girl’s Ray Dollhouse: $375

Shirt Models get all the attention, but sometimes it’s good to be the one that everyone admires. A trip to the mall will not suffice when it’s time to shop for yourself. For something bold and unique, head to Le Sous-Sol, a boutique opened by stylist Linda Belkebir, offering only the best Belgian designers. Treat yourself to something edgy or avant-garde, and turn some heads next time you are on a shoot.

Le Sous-Sol 137 Rivington Street, Lower East level, New York, NY 10002 (212) 477-7723 – www.lesoussol.com

Cabinets File cabinets are utilitarian, efficient, dull and uninteresting. But nobody told that to the good people at The Container Store. The Bisley brand manufactures the standard filing cabinet we all know, but also offers smaller, more attractive versions. Kudos to them for throwing a little color into the mix and going mini. These compact cabinets are ideal for storing and organizing photographers, stylists and prop makers.

The Container Store Multiple locations (888) CONTAIN – www.containerstore.com Bisley 5-Drawer Cabinet: $99 (available in 9 colors)

title 133

GO SEE:

Spring Collection

By Alec Kerr | Photos by Zachary Swenson

Luster Dust These colorful powders are not part of a home spin art kit, although anything is possible with a little bit of skill. If you don’t feel like taking a crack at being the next Jackson Pollack, you can use these bright pastel powders for what they are really made for: baking. New York Cake Supplies is a food stylist’s Shangri-La, carrying everything you need to turn a cake into a masterpiece.

New York Cake Supplies 56 West 22nd Street, New York, NY 10010 (212) 675-2253 – www.nycake.com Luster Dust: 4g jars ($4.99)

iPod Cover If Hello Kitty makes you smile as wide as the George Washington Bridge, and spending time on a Dance Dance Revolution machine is your idea of a workout, then Air Market is the place for you. The store features all things Japanese: gadgets, accessories and clothing. The key word here is “cute”. If cold, steely technology makes you feel less than adorable, dress it up with one of these playful holders. Don’t let yourself be defined by the imposed look of your gadgets. Get some of your personality back!

Air Market 97 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10003 (212) 995-5888 Cell Phone Cover: $5 Light bulbs A light bulb: so simple, yet so necessary. Each new day may bring new advancements, but the light bulb quietly sits in its socket, lighting the way. We take Thomas Edison’s invention for granted every time we flip the light switch on, but a set designer knows that every detail counts, especially the ones few people notice. If you need the perfect bulb, or the oddly shaped one, Just Bulbs is brimming with endless possibilities.

Just Bulbs 220 East 60th Street, New York, NY 10022 (212) 888-5707 – www.justbulbsnyc.com Assorted bulbs – Prices vary

RESOURCE DIRECTORY

ARTIFICIAL FOLIAGE American Foliage* 122 W 22nd St. New York, NY 10011 212-741-5555 afdesigngr@aol.com www.americanfoliagedesign.com BACKDROPS Betsy Davis Backdrops 601 W 26th St., #308 New York, NY 10001 212-645-4197 www.betsydavisbackdrops.com Broderson* 873 Broadway, #603 New York, NY 10003 212-925-9392 info@brodersonbackdrops.com www.brodersonbackdrops.com BOOKS Power House Books 37 Main St. Brooklyn, NY 11201 212-604-9074 www.powerhousebooks.com www.newyorkphotofestival.com CATERING Green Catering 61 Hester St. New York, NY 10002 212-254-9825 www.greenbrownorange.com/green DIRECTORY PhotoAssistants.net 212-254-7608 www.photoassistants.net PhotoCrew.com 310-855-0345 www.photocrew.com Production Paradise 646-344-1005 www.productionparadise.com ICE SCULPTURES & WATER EFFECTS Set In Ice 718-783-7183 917-974-3259

brian@setinice.com www.setinice.com INSURANCE Hill & Usher 3033 North 44th St., #300 Pheonix, AZ 85018 800-956-4220 www.hillusher.com MODEL-MAKER Suzanne Couture 227 W 29th St. New York, NY 10001 212.714.9310 www.suzannecouturemodelmaking.com Swell 300 7th St. Brooklyn, NY 11215 646-373-6188 makoto@swellnewyork.com www.swellnewyork.com ORGANIZATION Lucie Awards 844 S. Robertson Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90035 310-659-0122 www.photoawards.com PHOTO EQUIPMENT Adorama* 42 W 18th St., 6th Fl. New York, NY 10011 212-741-0052 info@adorama.com www.adorama.com Alkit Pro Camera* 227 East 45th St., 12th Fl. New York, NY 10017 212-674-1515 rental@alkit.com www.alkit.com Available Light* 29-20 37th Ave. Long Island City, NY 11101 718-707-9670 info@alny.net www.alny.net Calumet 22 W 2nd St.

New York, NY 10010 212-989-8500 800-453-2550 www.calumetphoto.com DigiCombos 866-485-4826 www.digicombos.com Foto Care* 136 W 21st St. New York, NY 10011 212-741-2990 info@fotocare.com www.fotocare.com RGH Lighting* 236 W 30th St. New York, NY 10001 212-647-1114 info@rghlighting.com www.rghlighting.com TREC* 127 W 24th St. New York, NY 10011 212-727-1941 info@trecrental.com www.trecrental.com PHOTO LABS Baboo Color Labs* 37 W 20th St., #1 New York, NY 10011 212-807-1574 info@baboodigital.com www.baboodigital.com Duggal* 29 W 23rd St. New York, NY 10010 212-924-8100 info@duggal.com www.duggal.com Ken Horowitz Photographic Services* 134 W 26th St. New York, NY 10001 212-647-9939 ken.horowitz@verizon.net L & I Color Lab* 1 W 22nd St. New York, NY 10010 212-206-7733 info@landiphotolabs.com www.landiphotolabs.com

Manhattan Color Lab* 4 W 20th St. New York, NY 10011 212-807-7373 Primary Photographic* 195 Chrystie St., North Shore New York, NY 10002 212-529-5609 www.primaryphotographic.com Taranto Labs* 36 E 30th St., Ground Fl. New York, NY 10016 212-691-6070 lab@tarantolabs.com www.tarantolabs.com PHOTO-SHARING WEBSITE Fotki* 118-A Fulton St., #416 New York, NY 10038 866-2533-4142 www.fotki.com PROP RENTALS Arenson Prop Center* 396 10th Ave. New York, NY 10001 212-564-8383 http://www.aof.com/props/index.html Eclectic Encore* 620 W 26th St., 4th Fl. New York, NY 10001 212-645-8880 props@eclecticprops.com www.eclecticprops.com Manhattan Medical* 509 W 34th St., 3rd Fl.

New York, NY 10001 212-239-0043 manhattanmedical@aol.com

212-967-9909 info@320studiosnyc.com www.320studiosnyc.com

ModProp Studios 212-628-7582 info@modprop.com www.modprop.com

3rd Ward* 195 Morgan Ave. Brooklyn, NY 11237 718-715-4961 info@3rdwardbrooklyn.org www.3rdwardbrookyln.org

Props For Today* 330 W 34th St., 12th Fl. New York, NY 10001 212-244-9600 info@propsfortoday.com www.propsfortoday.com Props NYC* 509 W 34th St., 2nd Fl. New York, NY 10001 212-352-0101 lohaizasaladin@aol.com The Prop Company* 111 W 19th St., 8th Fl. New York, NY 10011 212-691-7767 propcompany@aol.com www.propcompany.com RENTAL STUDIOS 2 Stops Brighter* 231 W 29th St., 10th Fl. New York, NY 10001 212-868-5555 info@2stopsbrighter.com www.2stopsbrighter.com 320 Studios* 320 W 37th St. New York, NY 10018

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723 Washington* 723 Washington St. New York, NY 10014 646-485-0920 booking@723washington.com www.723washington.com Above Studio* 23 E 31st St. at Madison Ave. New York, NY 10016 212-545-0550 ext. 3 info@abovestudiorental.com www.abovestudiorental.com American Movie Co.* 50 Broadway, #1206 New York, NY 10004 917-414-5489 info@americanmovieco.com www.americanmovieco.com Atelier 34* 34 W 28th St., 6th Fl. New York, NY 10001 212-532-7727 studio@atelier34studio.com www.atelier34studio.com

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136 titleMotion Pictures* Atlantic

Camart Studios* 6 W 20th St., 4th Fl. New York, NY 10011 212-691-8840 rentals@camart.com www.camart.com

Dakota Studios* 78 Fifth Ave., 8th Fl. New York, NY 10011 212-691-2197 dakotastudios@yahoo.com www.dakotastudio.com

Available Light* 29-20 37th Ave. Long Island City, NY 11101 718-707-9670

Capsule Studios* 873 Broadway, #204 New York, NY 10003 212-777-8027 info@capsulestudios.com www.capsulestudio.com

Daylight Studio* 450 W 31st St., 8th Fl. New York, NY 10001 212-967-2000 info@daylightstudio.com www.daylightstudio.com

CECO International* 440 W 15th St. New York, NY 10011 212-206-8280 info@cecostudios.com www.cecostudios.com

Dayspace Studio* 447 W 36th St., 5th Fl. New York, NY 10018 212-334-1241 info@dayspace.com www.dayspace.com

Cinema World Studios* 220 Dupont St. Greenpoint, NY 11222 718-389-9800 cinemaworldfd@verizon.net www.cinemaworldstudios.com

Divine Studio* 21 E 4th St. New York, NY 10003 212-387-9655 alex@divinestudio.com www.divinestudio.com

Composition Workshop* 45 Summit St. Brooklyn, NY 11231 718-855-1211 Setinbrooklyn@mac.com www.compositionworkshop.com

Drive-In 24* 443 W 18th St. New York, NY 10011 212-645-2244 info@diveinstudios.com www.driveinstudios.com

162 W 21st St., 4th Fl. New York, NY 10011 212-924-6170 adam@atlanticmotion.com www.atlanticmotion.com

BathHouse Studios* 540 E 11th St. New York, NY 10009 212-388-1111 manager@bathhousestudios.com www.bathhousestudios.com Biwa inc.* 214 W 29th St., #1105 New York, NY 10001 212-924-8483 info@biwainc.com www.biwainc.com Brooklyn Studios* 211 Meserole Ave. Brooklyn, NY 11222 718-392-1007 brooklynstudios@verizon.net www.brookylnstudios.net

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DuVal Enterprises* 8-03 43rd Ave. Long Island City, NY 11101 718-392-7474 adv@duvalenterprises.com www.duvalenterprises.com

Go Studios* 245 W 29th St. New York, NY 10001 212-564-4084 info@go-studios.com www.go-studios.com

Hudson Studios* 601 W 26th St., 13th Fl. New York, NY 10001 212-924-2430 info@hudsonstudios.com www.hudsonstudios.com

Eagles Nest Studio* 259 W 30th St., 13th Fl. New York, NY 10011 212-736-6221 eaglesnestnyc@yahoo.com www.eaglesnestnyc.com

Good Light Studio* 450 W 31st St., #9C New York, NY 10001 212-629-3764 rickard.cn@gmail.com www.goodlightstudio.com

Industria Superstudio* 775 Washington St. New York, NY 10014 212-366-1114 kslayton@industrianyc.com www.industrianyc.com

Fast Ashleys Studios* 95 N. 10th St. Brooklyn, NY 11211 718-782-9300 shelly@fastashleysstudios.com www.fastashleysstudios.com

Greenpoint Studios* 190 West St., Unit 10 Brooklyn, NY 11222 212-741-6864 info@greenpointstudios.com www.greenpointstudios.com

Jack Studios* 601 W 26th St., 12th Fl. New York, NY 10001 212-367-7590 mike@jackstudios.com www.jackstudios.com

Gary’s Manhattan Penthouse Loft* 28 W 36th St., PH New York, NY 10018 917-837-2420 gary@garysloft.com www.garysloft.com

Home Studios* 873 Broadway, #301 New York, NY 10003 212-475-4663 info@homestudiosinc.com www.homestudiosinc.com

James Salzano Studio* 29 W 15th St. New York, NY 10011 212-242-4820 js@salzanophoto.com www.salzanophoto.com

Gary’s Loft* 470 Flushing Ave. Brooklyn, NY 11205 718-858-4702 gary@garysloft.com www.garysloft.com

Horvath & Associates* 335 W 12th St. New York, NY 10014 212-463-0061 contact@horvathstudios.com www.horvathstudios.com

Jim Galante* 212-529-4300 jim@jimgalante.com www.jimgalante.com

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Pier 59 Studios* Chelsea Piers #59, 2nd Level New York, NY 10011 212-691-5959 info@pier59studios.com www.pier59studios.com Pochron Studios* 20 Jay St., #1100 Brooklyn, NY 11201 718-237-1332 info@pochronstudios.com www.pochronstudios.com Polaroid Studio* 588 Broadway, #805 New York, NY 10012 212-925-1403 mail@jennifertrausch.com Primus Studio* 64 Wooster St., #3E New York, NY 10012 212-966-3803 info@primusnyc.com www.primusnyc.com Production Central* 873 Broadway, #205 New York, NY 10003 212-631-0435 david@prodcentral.com www.prodcentral.com

L Gallery Studio* 104 Reade St. New York, NY 10013 212-227-7883 info@lgallerystudio.net www.lgallerystudio.net Light-Space Studio* 1087 Flushing Ave., #420 Brooklyn, NY 11237 212-202-0372 info@lightspace.tv www.lightspace.tv Location 05* 568 Broadway, #805 New York, NY 10012 212-219-2144 info@location05.com www.location05.com Markus Aurelius Studio* 303 42nd St., 4th Fl. New York, NY 10036 212-627-2728 info@photostudiorentalsnyc.com www.photostudiorentalsnyc.com Metropolitan Pavilion* 125 W 18th St. New York, NY 10011 212-463-0071 info@metropolitanevents.com www.metropolitanevents.com Neo Studios* 628 Broadway, #302 New York, NY 10012

212-533-4195 mail@neostudiosnyc.com www.neostudiosnyc.com NoHo Productions* 636 Broadway, #302 New York, NY 10012 212-228-4068 info@nohoproductions.com www.nohoproductions.com Paul O. Colliton Studio* 305 7th Ave., PH New York, NY 10001 212-807-6192 Paul@collitonstudio.com www.collitonstudio.com Persona Studios* 40 W 39th St., 4th Fl. New York, NY 10018 212-852-4850 persona@kristeratle.com www.kristeratle.com Photo Group Inc.* 88 Lexington Ave., #15E New York, NY 10016 212-213-9539 info@photo-group.com www.photo-group.com Picture Ray Studio* 245 W 18th St. New York, NY 10011 212-929-6370 bookings@pictureraystudio.com www.pictureraystudio.com

Project 35* 381-383 Broadway New York, NY 10013 212-226-0035 studio@project-35.com www.project-35.com Pure Space* 601 W 26th St., #1225 New York, NY 10001 212-937-6041 rida@purespacenyc.com frank@purespacenyc.com www.purespacnyc.com Rabbithole Studio* 33 Washington St. Brooklyn, NY 11201 718-852-1500 info@rabbitholestudio.com www.rabbitholestudio.com Ramscale Productions* 55 Bethune St., Penthouse New York, NY 10014 212-206-6580 info@ramscale.com www.ramscale.com Serge Nivelle Studios* 205 Hudson St., #1201 New York, NY 10013 212-226-6200 www.sergenivelle.com Shoot Digital* 23 E 4th St. New York, NY 10003 212-353-3330 Kevin@shootdigital.com www.shootdigital.com

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Shoptitle Studios* 140 442 W 49th St. New York, NY 10019 212-245-6154 Jacques@shopstudios.com www.shopstudios.com

Splashlight Studios* 529-535 W 35th St. New York, NY 10001 212-268-7247 info@splashlightstudios.com www.splashlightstudios.com

Sun Studios* 628 Broadway New York, NY 10012 212-387-7777 sunproductions@sunnyc.com www.sunstudios.com

Showroom Seven Studios* 498 7th Ave., 24th Fl. New York, NY 10018 212-643-4810 maricaso@aol.com www.showroomseven.com

Steiner Studios* 15 Washington Ave. Brooklyn Navy Yard, NY 11205 718-858-1600 jwooten@reubenstein.com www.steinerstudios.com

Sun West* 450 W 31st St., 10th Fl. New York, NY 10001 212-330-9900 sunwestevents@sunnyc.com www.sunnyc.com

Silver Cup Studios* 42-22 22nd St. Long Island City, NY 11101 718-906-3000 silvercup@silvercupstudios.com www.silvercupstudios.com

Studio 147* 147 W 15th St. New York, NY 10011 212-620-7883 info@studio147.net www.studio147.net

Taz Studios* 873 Broadway, #605 New York, NY 10003 212-533-4299 fotogbill@aol.com www.tazstudio.com

SoHo Loft 620* 620 Broadway, #2R New York, NY 10012 212-260-4300 nancy@nancyney.com www.soholoft620.com

Studio 225 Chelsea* 225 W 28th St., #2 New York, NY 10001 917-882-3724 james@jamesweberstudio.com www.studio225chelsea.com

The Bridge Studio* 315 Berry St., #202 Brooklyn, NY 11211 917-676-0425 sander@bridgestudionyc.com www.bridgestudionyc.com

SoHo Studios* 13-17 Laight St., 4th Fl. New York, NY 10013 212-226-1100 sohostudios@hotmail.com

Studio 450* 450 W 31st St., 12th Fl. New York, NY 10001 212-871-0940 www.loft11.com

The Foundry* 42-38 9th St. Long Island City, NY 11101 718-786-7776 www.thefoundry.info

SoHoSoleil* 136 Grand St., #5-WF New York, NY 10013 212-431-8824 info@sohosoleil.com www.sohosoleil.com

Studio 7 New York* 120 Walker St., PH 7 New York, NY 10013 212-274-0486 paul@studio7ny.com www.studio7ny.com

The Space* 425 W 15th St., 6th Fl. New York, NY 10011 212-929-2442 info@thespaceinc.com www.thespaceinc.com

Southlight Studio* 214 W 29th St., #1404 New York, NY 10001 212-465-9466 info@southlightstudio.com www.southlightstudio.com

Studio W26* 601 W 26th St., #1680B New York, NY 10001 212-647-6002

Zoom Studios* 20 Vandam St., 4th Fl. New York, NY 10013 212-243-9663 zoomstudios@yahoo.com www.zoomstudios.net

Space 523* 10 Jay St. Brooklyn, NY 11201 646-515-4186 rentals@space523.com www.space523.com

Suite 201* 526 W 26th St., #201 New York, NY 10001 212-741-0155 info@suite201.com www.suite201.com

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142 title RV RENTALS & LOCATION VANS Big Shot* 212-244-7468 bigshotsinc@aol.com www.bigshotsinc.com Chelsea Motor Rental* 212-564-9555 chelsearental@verizon.net Royal Buses* 718-657-9609 royalbuses@aol.com www.royalbuses.com SET BUILDING Ready Set* 663 Morgan Ave. Brooklyn, NY 11222 718-609-0605 info@readysetinc.com www.readysetinc.com SHOWROOM Maggie Norris Couture* 494 8th Ave., #1505 New York, NY 10001 212-239-3422 Maggie@maggienorriscouture.com www.maggienorriscouture .com

WARDROBE RENTALS RRRentals* 245 W 29th St., #11 New York, NY 10001 212-242-6127 info@rrrentals.com www.rrrentalsny.com

WARDROBE SUPPLY Manhattan Wardrobe Supply* 245 W 29th St., 8th Fl. New York, NY 10001 212-268-9993 info@wardrobesupplies.com www.wardrobesupplies.com

SOFTWARE Alien Skin Software 888-921-7546 www.alienskin.com *Distribution sites.

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THINK RENTAL. THINK CALUMET. 22 W 22ND ST, NYC 212.989.8500

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BROWSE calumetphoto.com • Get the latest gear quickly • Comprehensive product information • Chat with our technical experts • Read inspiring articles and view the work of successful pros • Always open to help you

CALL 1.800.CALUMET (225.8638) • CPC certified technical-support staff • Knowledgeable technical support • All your video questions answered • 97% of orders shipped the same day • Customer satisfaction guaranteed • Monday to Friday: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. CST • Saturday: 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. CST

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CALUMET: IT’S WHERE THE PROS GO • Spacious showroom stocked with the latest and finest cameras and accessories, lighting equipment, inkjet printers, darkroom equipment and supplies • Expanded rental department offers an extensive selection of equipment and competitive rates from such well-respected names as broncolor, Canon, Hasselblad, Leaf, Mamiya, Nikon, Phase One, Profoto, Speedotron and more • 29 retail and rental locations around the world • Our digital imaging center features the latest in high-tech capture and computer devices from Apple, Canon, Epson, Leaf, Nikon, Phase One, Sinar and more • Choose from our tremendous selection of memory cards, film, inkjet media and other supplies from such companies as Brilliant, Canon, Epson, Fujifilm, Hahnemühle, Ilford, Kodak, Lexar, Moab, ProSpec, SanDisk, and more • Affordable leasing options are available • No gray market products sold — all items feature U.S. warranties

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COMICS:

Spring Sweet Spring Illustrated by Horatio Baltz and Josh Mirman

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GYPSY HOROSCOPE:

Spring ‘08

Heavily influenced by the recent passing of her favorite uncle, Charles Briggs, Ms. Clarke posthumously dedicates this column to him and his surviving family.

By Missye K. Clarke ARIES March 21st – April 19th This year ushers in an older and understandably wiser you. Because natural leaders like yourself tend to be an island anyway, different facets of view can, and sometimes do, bolster your decisions for the coming months.

Share some time with someone you love – or even with someone you have disdain for but still admire just a bit. Life’s an adventure, anyway.

One caveat: When you decide to park it on a slice of Central Park on a sunny, almost Spring afternoon, make sure it’s reasonably poop-free.

TAURUS April 20th – May 20th You know yourself well enough by now to know that your stubborn, but consistently grounded personality, is why others count on you. NYC life, and life in general on this big blue marble, can carry you on a steady subway ride until you get jerked to a stop by someone who is displaying perpetual victim-hood status.

You’re stubborn enough to hang on to that one, thinking they need the constant grounding from you. But it’s YOU who needs that constant grounding and reminding, while they just need some energy Drano. Even bulls like you need a jolt in the horns now and again to keep this POV. Spring cleaning equals emotional inventory, so sharpen your horns, Taurus, and enjoy the April showers/May flowers!

GEMINI May 20th – June 21st Paradoxically, you Air signs are in a city not known for pure oxygen outputs. As naturally inclined for a debate as you are, is it worth it? Seriously. Save the energy for things worth arguing over, Gemini; and no, not getting your favorite Easter egg color in a Pilates outfit or your fall for the 243rd try in rollerblading isn’t a criterion. It’s insignificant in rearview. Now go celebrate this newfound wisdom over a scrumptious dish of lo mein and Dasani water. You earned it from the afternoon of skating, after all.

CANCER June 22nd – July 22nd Like the crab you are, your innate intuitive self can get even further introverted if not for a kindhearted, impartial and compassionate friend in your life willing to meet you on common ground. Yes, everyone’s got a protective shell, but in this case, it’s time to take that mobile home off for a wash-and-wax, and poke your head and heart out a bit to enjoy the Coney Island hot dogs and Nathan’s French fries.

Who knows? With your quiet observances, the perspective you offer may make someone’s day when they’re trying to make yours. BTW: You’ve got a blob of ketchup on your nose.

LEO July 23rd – August 22nd No one is “on” all the time, King or Queen of the Jungle. Depending on events that will either cross your orbit or just dust the outer elliptical loop, it’s a wise idea to garner input from those around you who know you best. The “my-way-or-the-highway” approach on a dilly of a pickle while enjoying a Spirit of New York boat cruise with the one you love, lust, or loathe is either as dumb as tossing yourself overboard or as smart as discovering a cure for cancer. Find and enjoy perspectives and balance, Leo. Even a pride of lions needs more than one to make a kill.

VIRGO August 23rd – September 22nd Your well oiled and well known assistance could be bull’s-eyed in planning spring nuptials, winter honeymoons, 4th of July anniversaries, August bridal or April baby showers. This is a place where your brand of perfectionism fits right in. POVs don’t have to come from people; they can come from memories too. This one is a definite keeper to get your Zen on when everything’s comin’ up garbage and a NYC Sports Club post-workout funk day ricochets in your realm, ‘cause it’s sure to happen.

LIBRA September 23rd – October 22nd Talk about putting things in perspective, Libra. You could experience how unusual NYC is and still find a reason why it’s cool for you or others in your world to just deal. It’s in your nature to untangle the yarn ball of adversity as patiently as you do. People marvel at this trait. Embrace it.

Then reward yourself in the practical, balanced way you do. Please, just don’t purchase anything practical ... like a toaster. You’ve got one of those from your mom, anyway.

SCORPIO October 23rd – November 21st Most people, when emotionally stung, especially by an unnecessary injustice, don’t forgive so easily. Scorpions, this is you, personified. As unforgiving as Gotham is, it is time to grow a sage heart and let the oversight go. You don’t exactly forgive the infraction per se, but you need to develop a rearview perspective; it is not worth the invested energy letting their insensitivity bother you. Rats, be it subway ones or grown boys and girls with opposable thumbs, are still rats in jerk form. Instead, take that emotional intensity to a positive and noble advantage, since an arsenic-laced latte for the evildoer is not an option. Good karma rewards handsomely for a positive effort.

SAGITTARIUS November 22nd – December 21st Not everyone’s going to see your imaginary friends hiding out under your crawlspace bathroom sink, no matter how often you say these things. This is to say your version of things is not the end-all, be-all, Sags, and as with anyone else, truth has an ironic way of smacking even you in the back of the head when the time comes.

Don’t complain. Just—as you’ve told others before—deal. The Sabrett hot dog you just wolfed down won’t give you such intense indigestion when this approach is embraced.

CAPRICORN December 22nd – January 19th Driven. Focused. Pragmatic. Strong.

Career advancement is everything to you, but acting too cautiously in communicating, Capris, isn’t an option. While in the cheap seats at the Barnum & Bailey circus during Easter/Passover week, let your goat horns guard down a bit and let your significant other know how you think, feel, and believe in what you do. Don’t forget to SAY so, for Pete’s sake! You can regret having said too much—but you can also regret having said too little. Too timid? The distinctive aroma of elephant dung, even way back in the cheap seats, has an interesting way of acting like truth serum on anybody!

AQUARIUS January 20th – February 19th Paradoxically, for a dude who craves the company of many, you don’t get too intimate with just one person. Though you’re a rebel by nature, in the instance of “walking 1,000 miles in another man’s shoes”, you are effective in communicating when the one you care for is bedrock unforgiving. And speaking of Gotham, notorious for crowds yet desperately lonely, don’t lend yourself to another statistic. Open your expansive mind and quick intellect, Water Carrier, to airing truths, grievances, fears and desires to your loved one. It’ll hurt like hell to hear, but it’ll hurt less and less as you heal.

PISCES February 20th – March 19th Many can learn from your instinctive cues on how to handle life, Pisces. Facts, reason, common sense, bah! It’s your keen intuitiveness that rules… it’s as if you can feel the thunderstorms before they actually arrive. In some instances, when going against the current would bode well for you more than the usual, go with the flow skein, and try communicating with yourself and others. Hey, you could be struggling with snagging the good treadmill at your New York Sports Club…but if the member goes against the flow with that machine, you get on it when he flies off. Ah, now there’s your flow!

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