Best of Pictures 2011
The holidays are approaching and 2011 is coming to a close. This is the time of year I look back on all the pictures I made throughout the year and ask myself are any of them worth entering in a contest. I’m never satisfied with my work and am often frustrated that I didn’t do more. I tried to keep my selection this year to ten images but I couldn’t get past 11. So here are my favorite pictures of 2011. These are in a visual arrangement not chronological.
Starting off with a bang, the birth of our second child. Our boy Hudson a.k.a. Sonny was born on July 25. I documented the whole pregnancy and labor with a fifty-five year old Nikon S2 rangefinder. In this image my wife Jennifer labors in the jacuzzi tub of our room at the birthing center at St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital in Manhattan.
Continue reading “Best of Pictures 2011” »
Return to the South
Back in the South and loving it. Deciding to quit our jobs and move the family back to Atlanta was not an easy one nor was it made in haste. But we’ve been back for a month now and it was definitely the right decision. Jenn is teaching at the Aveda Institute and I’m working as a freelance photographer being represented by Redux Pictures. Come visit. Give Atlanta a chance.
Oscar Pistorius for The New York Times
A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of photographing Oscar Pistorius, a South African sprinter and model of the new advertising campaign for Thierry Mugler A★Men fragrance for the Styles section of The New York Times. On the track Oscar is known as Blade Runner, “the fastest man on no legs.” A double amputee, he runs on J-shaped prosthetics made of carbon fiber. As you may recall I recently finished a longer documentary story on another double amputee athlete named Damian Lopez Alfonso. Oscar was a very amiable man, very easy going and so fun to work with. Here are a few flicks from the shoot.
Continue reading “Oscar Pistorius for The New York Times” »
Pretty Faces on a Dirty Brooklyn Street
On a recent hot and humid Saturday afternoon I invited my two friends Laura Wilson and Colin Tanner out for a little modeling session. This is my favorite way to shoot portraits; pick a spot and use the environment and subjects to get variety instead of fooling with changing lighting set ups and ratios. And it always helps to have a beautiful subject. Stay cool out there.
Continue reading “Pretty Faces on a Dirty Brooklyn Street” »
An Animal Oasis in Upstate New York
When Gene Baur, president and co-founder of Farm Sanctuary, asked how I heard about the well-known vegan, animal destination upon our arrival this past weekend, I answered, “Being vegan, it’s just a place we all know about, especially if you live in New York.” Farm Sanctuary is to vegans what Times Square is to tourists. Ok, maybe that analogy is a stretch but you know what I’m saying.
Continue reading “An Animal Oasis in Upstate New York” »
“Love Endures Even Cancer” on the New York Times
The first time I met Gavin he was sitting on a hospital bed at NYU with a titanium halo screwed into his skull in four places. He was preparing for a procedure called gamma knife in which gamma rays are very precisely targeted at cancerous tumors. Gavin had two metastases in his brain and many more throughout his lungs, liver, pancreas and bones. But even with all this weighing on him Gavin never stopped smiling, never stopped joking and never stopped living.
Continue reading ““Love Endures Even Cancer” on the New York Times” »
Thomas Giles, Braveyoung and Stephen Brodsky in NYC
My good friends from North Carolina in Thomas Giles (featuring guys from BTBAM, Prayer for Cleansing and Hopesfall) and Braveyoung played at Santos Party House in New York on April 2nd with Stephen Brodsky. I went with my pal Chris Walker and the night turned into quite the North Carolina expat reunion with no fewer than a dozen former North Carolinians in attendance. A great combination of good music, old friends and a fun night. You can see more pictures at Flickr.
DIY Bike Building in The New York Times
On a recent evening in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn I photographed Jason Henkle building a road frame by hand in the basement of his apartment. The space he was working in was no bigger than a closet. But driven by a love of bikes and gifted with a mathematician’s brain he was well into his fourth bike built from scratch. Henkle’s story is part of larger piece in this weekend’s New York Times, Metropolitan section and published on the Spokes blog Saturday. Check it out here and follow Spokes on Twitter here.
Photographing Coney Island in the Dead of Winter
There’s no denying Coney Island has a special place in American history. It has a long reputation for being a day-trip getaway for New Yorkers where one can do anything from ride Deno’s Wonder Wheel to see a side show act or just sit on the beach. But it seems like every year we hear new stories of the classic attractions at Coney Island being threatened by aggressive developers. For now though, the boardwalk is still intact and the Mermaid Parade is still happening.
On a recent family trip to the New York Aquarium on Coney Island with my beautiful wife and two-year-old son, I took a few minutes to walk the boardwalk and take a few pictures. It was a cold and snowy day, a perfect chance to see the dormant side of Coney Island.
What Happens to your Poo in Brooklyn?
Funny you ask. It goes to a place called the Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. If you haven’t heard of the name there’s a better chance that you are familiar with the unique architectural design of the plant including the iconic digester eggs.
All wastewater in Brooklyn and Queens comes to the plant for “cleaning,” a complicated and scientific process of treating the water before it is released back to nature by way of the East River. Sludge and methane gas are two of the natural bi-products of this process. The sludge can eventually be used as fertilizer and the methane gas is a source of renewable energy.
I visited the plant this week to shoot pictures for a NYT story on how the city plans to convert methane gas released from the sludge to energy. I could have spent a whole day at the plant wandering around but unfortunately my time was limited. But here are a few favorites.
Recent Images from the Streets of NYC
I’ve never spent a great deal of time doing street photography but occasionally I will go out with one camera and one lens and see what unfolds. For me that’s the most thrilling and enjoyable part of street photography. You set out with a clear head; no shot list, no specific direction, just wander. And when you come across something special, in broad daylight, that screams at you while everyone else is rushing by without a notice, it’s magical.
Street photography was an early inspiration for me as a young photographer. I studied the work of photographers like Henri Cartier-Bresson, André Kertész and Trent Parke to name a few. Their vision, style and ability to capture the moment influenced me greatly.
I recently set out on a much less grandiose street photography adventure for a column in The New York Times called Metropolitan Diary. Here is what I found while wandering a small area of Manhattan.
Most Precious Blood in Brooklyn
Most Precious Blood, a great contemporary hardcore band with ex-members of legendary Indecision, One King Down, etc., played Sunday night at Public Assembly in Brooklyn. It was MPB’s album release show for Do Not Resuscitate on Bullet Tooth Records. It was great seeing my good friend Matt Miller from ATL and Mr. Brannan who lives out in Bay Ridge. My pregnant wife even made a night of it as well as fellow Empirer Chris Walker. Great old school-feeling show. Be sure to check out the Indecision/Unbroken/Jesuit epic show on April 9. It’s sold out but if you can find a way in, make it happen.
A Snow Day with Tattoos and Beards
After the blizzard of Xmas here in NYC finally began to become a little less stupid I wanted to get out and take advantage of the snow still around and set up some kind of a shoot. I called my friend Colby Smith who works at NewYork Adorned and asked if he’d be interested in “modeling.” Modeling for one of my shoots usually means just running around having fun and trying to pretend like I’m not there. Being the solid dude Colby is, he was of course down and he brought along Steve French of The End Records. The day shaped up beautifully with temperatures in the forties and a thick fog that rolled into the field at Prospect Park right as we began shooting. Steve did launch a snowball directly into the lens of my Hasselblad right off the bat but after that we got some great stuff. Check it out.
See more pictures at TheBrightLives.com
Digital Cellular Pictures
Below is a picture I made while waiting for my train yesterday evening. The subject was far away and my camera was disassembled in my backpack. Luckily the Camera+ iPhone app allows zooming, though as you can tell not very well. The body language of the subject and the atmosphere still make it a memorable picture for me. I’ve also updated the series on my website called “Digital Cellular” which contains pictures shot with my iPhone.
I Saw ‘Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark’ and it Was Not Pretty
I’ve seen some great musicals, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark is not one them. If you live in New York there’s no doubt you have heard about this show recently in the news. It’s been plagued with financial troubles from the beginning and has been pushed back over an over again. It has cost more than $60 million and has the most extreme special effects and stunts you will see in a Broadway show.
This aspect of the show did not disappoint. Performers are flying around all over the place. Spider-Man regularly leaps from the stage to the balcony in a split second. At one point the Green Goblin and Spider-Man battle it out while suspended and flying around the theater.
The set design and on stage special effects are equally impressive. But all of this does not carry a terribly written screenplay and convoluted plot. The opening of the show is awful and the four teenage actors who act as narrators to move the story along are completely irrelevant and only add to the confusion. Some scenes are solid, during others I was holding back laughter. The scene where Peter Parker dreams of and subsequently makes out with the Goddess Arachni is laughable. Likewise, the scene where Arachni and her spider posse sing about shoes is honestly infuriating and I can’t seem to figure out why anyone could rationalize that being a good idea.
The high notes were Jennifer Damiano as Mary Jane Watson and Reeve Carney as the main Spider-Man were great.
So don’t see it unless you get free tickets.
Lost and Found
I love finding pictures that I forgot I had ever shot. This particular frame is from Feb. 2009 during a cruise with the U.S. Coast Guard to Robbins Reef Lighthouse in New York Bay. The images never ran but I’ll never forget the adventure. On this cold winter morning I rode out to the lighthouse off the coast of Bayonne, N.J. with the Coast Guard and spent some time exploring the unused tower. It was amazing, especially to be sitting on a tiny island in the harbor wtih the New York skyline in the distance. Good times. You can see my original post here.
New York City Marathon, Round Three
This is my third year going to the New York City Marathon, which took place this past weekend. The race is in it’s 41st year and draws thousands (45,344 this year) of athletes from around the world. Among road races, the NYC race is well known for its unique atmosphere and energy. The runners start on Staten Island at the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, the temperature usually hovers around 40 degrees. During the 26.2 miles of the race runners make their way through countless neighborhoods in the remaining four boroughs. The race ends in Central Park, this year on the west side near 67th Street.
This year my colleague Jon Huang and I wanted to build off of our concept from last year, Faces at the Finish. We wanted to take it a step further and capture an even more intimate portrait of the NYC marathoner. After working out our last minute credentials and figuring out a location to set up the “studio” the only thing we had to do was pray for good weather.
I had a well formed vision of what I wanted the pictures to look like. I used my Canon 5D Mark II and Canon 135 1.4. We set up a 5×7 foot white backdrop and two Alien Bees 800W strobes powered by two Vagabond battery packs. We didn’t have access to power and since we were going to be shooting for several hours power management was a top priority. The Alien Bees lights are compact, light and efficient and my first choice for location shooting. We shot at about 1/2 power and the battery packs held up great.
We aimed to photograph at least 100 runners beginning with the Elite Women who started rolling in around noon. We had to wrap shooting at 3 p.m. to break down and head back to the office to start producing in order to get the piece up that evening. Jon waded through the crowd of runners and grabbed people as quickly as he could. Then while I photographed them Jon began entering their info into an Excel spreadsheet. We made it a point to keep everything as organized as possible so our job of producing little would go as smoothly as possible.
Jon worked his magic with the final product and presentation on the website. Again we wanted a fluid and smooth way to deliver the pictures. I think we achieved our goal. But check it out and see what you think.
Slippery When Wet in Central Park
This past Sunday was the Lou Maltese Memorial Road Race in Central Park. The weather forecast definitely looked questionably but I didn’t care as long as the temperature was above 70.
As I was waiting for me teammate Colin at 5:00 a.m. on Flushing Ave. in Brooklyn it started to sprinkle; then it started rain a little harder, and harder. By the time I got to Central Park the weather still couldn’t make up it’s mind. The ground was soaked and it couldn’t have been more humid.
The Cat 4 field was full with 80 riders and I think everyone was a little weary of the slick tarmac. If you’ve ever raced in Central Park you know that at the north end of the park there is a big downhill S turn which is dangerous in a pack even in the best conditions. Sure as sh*t, as we came through the S turn on the first lap riders began to slide out in front of me like they were riding on ice. I played it safe, allowed myself plenty of space and rode slow. I managed to stay upright but we had to of lost at least 20-30 guys throughout the race.
Riding in conditions like that you just have to suck it up and resign to be sprayed in the face the whole race by all of the dirt and water coming off the wheels in front of you. I had glasses with yellow lenses which at least kept some of the dirt out of my eyes.
Midway through lap 4 Aviv and I attacked on Harlem Hill, followed by a Foundation rider. Aviv led all the way through the climb and then peeled off and left the Foundation rider an myself on our own. We quickly broke away from the pack and worked the entire rest of the lap to maintain our daylight but neither of us had the strength and were caught at the two laps to go mark.
After negotiating the turn successfully two more times we approached the finish in relatively good fashion; the pack was together and stable. I was sitting second or third wheel and Misha was right behind me. I yelled at him to stay on my wheel and he did. Misha is a pure sprinter and I knew he had a better chance than I did at the win. At the bottom of the hill before the finish he jumped around me and took off with a few other guys. He took second place in a great uphill sprint.
Pics from the race at NY Velocity and Prolly gave me a shoutout as well for the pictures shot by my wife Jennifer Jones.
New York Fashion Week
I was gratefully able to attend a fashion show this season and given backstage access. I’m not so much interested in fashion but the whole production of shows and the industry as whole does fascinate me. So I was given about 30 minutes backstage at Nanette Lepore’s show on Feb. 17 and I had a great time. Afterwards I watched the show from a seat and shot a few more pictures. You can see the entire gallery at www.raymjones.com. And check out the Bryant Park retrospective video that I also worked on called, Finding A Stage.
Graceland in Brooklyn
My wife Jennifer Jones, the hair dresser, recently made the decision to leave her salon in Manhattan to work at a brand new salon in Williamsburg. I was thrilled for her as soon as she told me the concept. Graceland is half tattoo shop, half salon with a touch of Elvis. It was meticulously designed by co-owners Corvette Hunt and Bethany Paul whose attention to detail can be seen in the inlaid shears in the floor of the salon and WWED metal letters in the bathroom. There are four stylists in the salon side and several artists from East Side Ink will be servicing the tattoo half. It’s a great move for Jenn and we’re all really excited about how much attention (here, here) Graceland has received already. Graceland is at 677 Lorimer St. in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Check it out.
Empire on NYT
The New York Times has a weekly cycling blog called Spokes. One of the primary writers and colleague of mine J. David Goodman has a post today about depcitions of cycling in films. MASH broke new ground with the release of their film a few years ago and with notables like Macaframa, Empire, Bootleg Sessions, The Revival and others we are sure to see more and more beatiful HD films of cycling in our cities. Check out the Spokes post here. Prolly already has a post up as well, you can’t beat that guy.
Xmas at JFK
We thought we were dong fine when we made it to the airport early this morning and on the plane pretty smoothly. At the last minute they pulled us off the plane because the pilot was too tired. I shit you not. So hopefully we’ll make it to NC before Xmas is over.
Philly Cyclists, Lookout
Sharon Gekoski-Kimmel/Philly.com
Cyclists in Philadelphia have been feeling the heat heavy in recent weeks. In October two pedestrians were hit and killed by cyclists in Philadelphia within the span of a week. As you might imagine there’s been some backlash against cyclists, not only from the public but from the law. Philadelphia police began heavily ticketing cyclists not obeying traffic laws. And some of the backlash has been specifically aimed toward “brakeless” fixed-gear cyclists opening up yet again the debate over mandatory brakes on bikes and what actually is the definition of a brake. Yesterday dozens of messengers and cyclists gathered at LOVE Park to counteract the “anti-cycling” mood that they feel has been bubbling up over recent weeks. It will be interesting to see how things play out in Philly and what ramifications if any it will have on New York’s relationship with cyclists. Until then we can all only dream of riding on Copenhagen’s bicycle superhighways. [via Spokes, Philly.com]
Really, More Marathon?
Yes, more. When I shot the New York City Marathon earlier this month for the Faces at the Finish piece, I had a lot of down time. Because I had such an amazing location on the ground at the finish factored with TV cameras, credentials and security I had to be at the finish line at 8 a.m. but I wouldn’t be allowed to start shooting from my location until about 1 p.m. That meant several hours of down on the photo bridge over top of the finish line. So I decided to bring along my Holga and a few rolls of film to pass the time. Here is what I came away with.
