TAOS SKI VALLEY NEW MEXICO – We’re staying at the Bavarian where we celebrated New Years Eve with some friends who have built a house here. A family party image with my Panasonic.
New Years Eve
On this day last year: Maria in a nun costume. The scary thing about this was that Maria went to convent school and actually knows how to act like a nun.
NEW YORK NEW YORK – I met with our friend and designer Antonella Scarsini at B&B Italia to look at some furniture. I captured a nice angle on the Christmas Tree in the courtyard of the Bloomberg Building and a bowl on a tabletop, both with my iPhone. Some work in post: grunging Bloomberg and percolating the bowl.
Bloomberg Building
Bowl
On this day last year: from my office.
AT&T Building
NEW YORK NEW YORK – The day of the iPhone riot. A gallery of the Christmas Season images from midtown.
Bolts
Sculpture
Ice Cream
Necklace
30 Rock
Street Graffiti
Tree grill
Christmas comes but once a year
Christmas Cheer
Glasses
Park Avenue in Morning Light
Blue ball
On this day one year ago: Bunny Beekman.
Bunny Beekman
NEW YORK NEW YORK – We entertained some Dutch friends in our kitchen. Captured with my Ricoh.
Dutch friends
Christmas party at the Knick. Hmmm . . . . We’re doing the same things every year. With the same people. They’re not getting any younger. I sense an issue here. Memo to self: hang with younger people at edgier venues.
NEW YORK NEW YORK – It’s party season. Here we are at one of many annual holiday parties, this one at the Knickerbocker Club. The 2010 Knick party was my subject for December 13 last year. Taken with my Ricoh – the party animal.
Christmas Party
On this day one year ago: torrential freezing rain.
NEW YORK NEW YORK – A friend, Bill Beekman, has collected a treasure trove of Virginia Woolf first editions, letters, manuscripts, autographs and photos. It’s all on display at the Forbes Galleries, starting with an opening tonight. Here’s Bill and his wife, Bunny, being photographed by a friend, and the same friend trying to photograph me with a very pretty white Nikon point and shoot. Taken with my Ricoh GRD IV, aka the “party animal”.
Bill and Bunny
Good luck shooting me
On this day one year ago: Interior at St. John the Devine. One of my favorites from last year.
WARREN CONNECTICUT – Thanksgiving day. This (apart from Father’s day which is the most important day on the calendar) is my favorite holiday. It’s not commercialized. there is little or no guilt associated with it. There’s a lot of food, which in my mind is a good thing.
The downside of this holiday in our family is that I’m the most competent cook, so meal preparation tends to fall on me. By the time we sit down on Thanksgiving afternoon my eyes are crossing; I’ve got band-aids covering self-inflicted nicks, and tastings along the way have fully satisfied any cravings for turkey that I may have had. In reviewing past years’ work I have confirmed that Thanksgiving is not a auspicious day for photography for me. This year i produced a totally (and purposefully) out of focus image with my Ricoh GRD IV.
Thanksgiving
On this day one year ago: Venini vases.
NEW YORK NEW YORK – We’ve instituted a weekly Sunday family dinner with out children and any house guests or close-at-hand close friends. The large concept is that it’s a home cooked sit down meal. So we had dinner at home with Alexander and Laura, Francesca, and a visiting German friend, Dorothee Grisebach. Taken with my Ricoh GRD IV.
Aunt Dorothee
On this day one year ago: Bunnell Farm.
Bunnell Farm stand Litchfield Connecticut
NEW YORK NEW YORK – At the beginning of a very busy week my firm gave a party for me and one of my partners at the Four Seasons Restaurant here. I won’t say, here at least, what the event was celebrating. I carried my Rikoh but was distracted from photography. I managed to take this looking up from the bar before things got into full swing. I’ve included a shot that Francesca took of me speaking just to document that there was a party.
The Four Seasons
Francesca's shot
On this day one year ago: Washington Congregational Church.
Congregational Meeting House, Washington CT
NEW YORK NEW YORK – I stayed in town this weekend for an number of reasons – the best one of which was a birthday party for Francesca, our daughter, given by some friends. Here they are shot with my Ricoh GRD IV. The on camera flash on this thing isn’t all that bad.
Party
Here’s the last of the self variations that I’m going to post. Here I divided the print plane into quarters and placed a quarter of an image from each of four different times, and blended them.
Self times four
NEW YORK NEW YORK – We went to Mas, a new locavore restaurant on Downing Street in the Village, to celebrate Francesca’s Birthday. Here she is blowing out a candle, taken with my ever-ready Ricoh GRD IV.
I mention the equipment that I’m using in most posts. Why? Well it’s because it helps bring traffic to this site as people search specific camera brands that they are considering.
Happy Birthday Francesca
So . . . back to the 24 hour self-portrait series taken in 1999. I have experimented with theses images at some length, for example by exploring the grid. (You may remember that the background is a grid “appropriated” from a Chuck Close image.) I divided the print plane into a grid, and then for each square I selected at random the corresponding square in one of the 24 self portraits. The result is a self portrait assembled from randomized bits of me taken over a 24 hour period. The finished work includes a title and caption. ad is printed 24×36 inches.
Self x 24
WARREN CONNECTICUT – A friend had a birthday celebration at has house under construction in Warren. There was no heating so we build a large fire in the fireplace. There were no kitchen appliances so we grilled the food. the wine selection was over the top with a 2000 Ch. la Conseillante (one of my favorite Pomerols) and 1996 Pichon and Latour. Not bad. Pictures taken with my Leica M9 and 24mm Summicron lens.
Construction site party
The wines are ok
Here’s my boring self, from my hourly series, at 10:03 PM on February 13, 1999. Again taken with an Arca Swiss 8×10. This is the only image in the series where I’m wearing glasses, which we will see as we display some of the variants on these pictures (probably in mid-November at the pace we are moving at) has odd consequences.
NEW YORK NEW YORK – The James Beard Foundation had its annual two day food policy conference starting today. Good Housekeeping Magazine was our host – we held this year’s event in the Hearst Building in New York. Here’s a view of a break, taken with my Leica M9 and 24mm Summilux lens.
Hearst Building
On this day last year: One Oak. For some reason I didn’t like this last year. I’m a bit more positive on it now – the image exudes pheromones.
One Oak
NEW YORK NEW YOK – Well today is the big day for Alexander (our son) and Laura. I was a participant and had little energy/focus for photography. Here’s a quote on the event from a note from a friend:
I thought that Laura’s and Alexander’s wedding ceremony was beautiful, touching, and memorable. I was entranced by the rich and majestic setting (St. Ignatius Loyola was truly gorgeous), and charmed by the priest, whom I found interesting and compelling.
And then there was the wonderful, joyous, energetic, and sumptuous cocktails and dinner and dancing at the Yale Club. What a perfect setting! The hors d’oeuvres and dinner were delicious (I was the fellow who ate 8 pounds of the grilled sausage) and the dancing was amazing. Why didn’t you warn me that Francesca (senior) is a whirling dervish? She is a sensational dancer. I danced with Francesca for a song or two and, as I walked exhausted back to my table, concluded that she has the aerobic capacity of a Navy seal. And, of course, Patrizia was amazing to watch as she moved across the dance floor. Francesca (junior) was stunning (as always) and looked fabulous on the dance floor herself.
But, most important, I was touched to see Laura and Alexander so obviously happy and in love. They make a handsome couple. I was moved by their closeness, and I know that they will be very good to and for each other.
Anyway, a couple of images with my M9 and 50 mm Summilux lens:
Laura gets made up
Announcement
On this day one year ago: New Milford Congregational Church.
First Congregational Church New Milford, CT
NEW YOK NEW YORK – This is rehearsal day for Laura and Alexander’s wedding. Thankfully I’m not serving in any official role as a photographer for the event. Wedding photograph is grueling business – I have tremendous admiration for the team that is shooting the wedding. I managed a few shots with my Panasonic GH2 at the rehearsal at St. Ignatius.
Alexander and his best man, Karim:
Alexander and Karim
The families watch
Maria practices her reading
Alexander and Laura sit patiently
On this day one year ago: The Guggenheim.
Guggenheim Museum New York
BROOKLYN NEW YORK – Today is Maria’s birthday. We had a small dinner at Frankies Spuntino in Brooklyn (that’s not a typo – it’s owned by two guys named Frankie). Shot with my Leica M9 and 50 mm Summilux lens.
Maria has a birthday
On this day one year ago: Citicorp.
Citicorp
NEW YORK, NEW YORK РA couple of things happened today. We spent a while with Alexander and Laura, his fianc̩, preparing for their wedding, which is next weekend. Here they are, with Maria, taken with my Leica M9 and a 50mm Summilux lens:
Last minute planning
My firm had an alumni reception at Morgan Library. We had free run of the collection, assisted by docents. It had been a while since I had been there – the overwhelming impression is admiration for J.P. Morgan. Today’s billionaires build superboats, buy 747s, and collect 100,000 square foot houses. Morgan assembled a treasure trove of illustrated manuscripts, drawing and rare books. What a difference.
Morgan Library
Morgan Library
On this day one year ago: St. John the Divine.
St. John the divine
WESTHAMPTON, NEW YORK – I carried my Leica M9 with a 50 mm Summilux lens around all day. I’m often surprised and delighted by the images that this combination produces – I think that if I were to limit myself to a single camera and lens this would be it.
Still life
Party
More party
On this day one year ago: a not so magic moment.
Party
CAPRI ITALY – We spent another day at da Luigi at the Faraglioni. This is from later in the day shopping.
Amazon
We spent some time Saturday and Sunday at Le Conversazioni, Antonio Monda’s literary festival in Capri. We had run into Dona Tart on the aliscafo to the island, so we caught Antonio’s interview of Dona this evening. Leica M9 with a 90mm lens.
Dona Tart
Capri Literary Festival
On this day last year: Clamps.
Clamps
CAPRI ITALY – Still no bag from Air France. They say it should arrive late afternoon. Anti-French images crowd out every other thought. “Cheese eating surrender monkey” doesn’t begin to capture it. The wedding is at 6:00 PM. This is no joke. I’m in Italy. These people take their wedding seriously. Everyone is beautiful and well dressed. I have a theory that on Capri the Carabinieri round up all of the ugly people every night, take them out to sea and drown them. You actually can’t show up at a fancy Italian wedding in jeans and a three-day polo shirt.
We made the most of the day. I bought a swimsuit and spent the day with my family on the “beach”. Beach is in quotes because there are no actual sandy beaches on Capri. People pay mega-euros to lay out on the rocks near the water. I’ll cover that beat in tomorrow’s post. Anyway at exactly 6:00 PM my bag arrived at my hotel room door. I dressed and was out the door in 15 minutes and got to the church by 6:30. This was the full mass version of a wedding so things were just starting to move along. I’m posting several images from the wedding, not necessarily in narrative order, all taken with my Leica.
The enthralled crowd at the Piazzetta.
Piazzetta
All kidding aside the bride, Emanuela Volpe (Maria’s niece and perhaps Francesca’s closest friend), was radiant.
Emanuela
Some ambience.
Wedding party
Francesca and her great aunt.
Two hot girls . . .
On this day one year ago: Quito.
Demonstration - Ecuador National Assembly
NEW YORK NEW YORK – Our friends Varya Gornostaeva and her husband, Sergei Parkhomenko, were in town from Moscow so we had a small dinner party for them in our kitchen. Varya has terrific English and Sergei very good French (as does Maria) so we had enough languages in common to communicate well. This is Sergei captured with my Leica M9 – this is less annoying than it looks because it was at the end of the meal and still mid-afternoon in Moscow.
Dinner in the kitchen
On this day one year ago: A passport photo for Maria. This very clearly demonstrates that I really could make a living at photography, doing passport photos.
Maria
NEW YORK NEW YORK – We went to the opening of Honor, Giovanna Randall’s new boutique located on Gansevoort Street in the meatpacking district. The men were noticeably better dressed than the usual grungy New York crowd. I asked Maria if this is a new (and welcome) trend – she responded “No, they’re just fashonistas.” Taken with my suitably retro Leica M9 and a vintage 50mm Dual Range Summicron. We walked on the High Line afterwords where I captured another image.
From the High Line
On this day one year ago: 289 Devonshire.
289 Devonshire Street, Boston
NEW YORK NEW YORK – We attended a dinner sponsored by the Harvard Business School Alumni Club of New York, which named my friend of long standing, Tom Barry, as “Business Statesman of the Year”. Past recipients of this award include David Rockefeller, Felix Rohatyn, Paul Volker, Louis Gerstner, Henry Paulson and Michael Bloomberg. Tom spoke on the role that luck (the “ovarian lottery”) has played in the fortunes of the attendees – one of Tom’s recurring themes. Here’s Tom at the dinner, at the Temple of Dendur at the Metropolitan Museum, taken with my Panasonic GS2 and a 20mm pancake lens.
Tom Barry
On this date one year ago: Jim and Kelly. May 19 seems to be National Portrait Day.
Jim and Kelly
NEW YORK NEW YOK – The James Beard Foundation Media Awards were held this evening in an event space on West 42nd Street. Terrific party. Outside there were anti-foie gras demonstrators, who object to the treatment of geese in producing foie gras, because the Foundation has not taken a stance against foie gras (which was not served at the event, but I would have been fine if it had been because I love it). This taken with my Leica M9 and a 28mm Summicron lens.
Anti-foie gras demonstrators
On this day one year ago: Sunset from the High Line Park. One of my favorite images from the past year.
From the High Line at sunset
NEW YORK NEW YORK – So I spent the afternoon testing and working out the high and low points of a new lens for my Alpa kit. This is our library taken with my Alpa Max, a 48mm lens Schneider Helvetar APO lens and Hasselblad 60 meg back.
Library
On this day one year ago: rehearsal at Lincoln Center for the James Beard Foundation Awards.
James Beard Awards rehearesal
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – This daily blog project is starting to reveal the cyclicality of my life. Here we are at the 2011 Pen gala. Compare this with the link for “on this day last year” in tomorrow’s post. Here’s a link to the Pen American Center website. Maria is a board member and treasurer; she’s one of the moving forces behind the “World Voices” festival.
Nan Graham, Editor in Chief of Scribner captured with my Panasonic GH2 and a 20mm Pancake lens.
Nan Graham at Pen Gala
On this day last year: fog on Park Avenue.
Park Avenue in the Fog
NEW YORK NEW YORK – I attended a benefit at the Waldorf-Astoria’s Grand Ballroom for the Marine Corps Law Enforcement Foundation. I thought it might be interesting to connect with the Marine Corps part of my background. A lot of interesting people but I got bogged down in conversation, of all things, and didn’t really connect with the visual scene, despite the scores of full dress uniforms. Taken with my Panasonic GH2 and a 20mm pancake lens after quite a few glasses of wine.
Marine Corp Law Enforcement Benefit
This was actually my last photographic act on Thursday – barely making it into Friday which was an overwhelming busy day at my day job.
On this day one year ago: Socializing at Lever House.
Lever House
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – This evening we spent a couple of hours at a party at ICE (the Institute for Culinary Education) celebrating the publication of Nathan Myrvold’s book Modernist Cuisine. (ICE is the cooking school that was founded by Peter Kump, a close friend of James Beard.) Taken with a Panasonic GH2 with 20mm pancake lens.
Carmelized Carrot Soup
On this day one year ago: Chrysler Building from the East Side
Chrysler Building from the far East Side
NEW YORK NEW YORK – As noted yesterday we stayed in New York this weekend to attend an engagement party at the River Club. Shot with my Panasonic GH2 and a 20mm pancake lens..
Engagement party at the River Club
On this day one year ago: Joshua Tree National Park.
Joshua Tree National Park
WARREN and DABURY CONNECTICUT – I’ve got a couple of images for New Years Eve. We had an excellent sunset, followed by a costume party given by our friends Bill and Bunny Beekman. The sunset is three frames stitched taken with my Hasselblad H4D-60 and a 100mm lens.
Maria went dressed as a nun Here she is in character, taken with my Panasonic GF-1 and a 14mm pancake lens. This is genuinely scary.
Finally, New Years greetings from me, with Francesca.
On this day one year ago: Guess what? A New Year’s Eve party at the Beekmans.
New Year's Eve
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