• 11
    Sep

    Nostalgia: A look back over the past 11 years and how photography has changed.

    Eleven years.  That’s  how long long I’ve been shooting for one of my oldest, newest clients — a decade  plus one.  What is an “oldest, newest client”?  Maryland Association of Realtors (MAR) was the first client I obtained under the new business — DC Event Photos.  Not the old business, Gatty Communications, my mom’s business. […]

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  • 10
    Sep

    Photography 101: It's hard to argue with happy.

    Working as a photographer, you are a fly on the wall to history.  The problem is, sometimes they — those not on the wall — want to take a swatter and beat the living crap out of you.  Photographer’s make for an easy target: in some ways, we’re a bother.  Everybody moans and groans when […]

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  • 08
    Sep

    How to justify everything in life without even trying.

    The Republicans have their economic theories.  The Democrats some of their own.  And, the President is responsible for overseeing the National Budget. There are hundreds of economic theories out there:  ranging from Trickle Down Economics of the 1980’s to Economies of Scale of the 1990’s.   All are wrong.  Mine is right. I call my […]

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  • 08
    Sep

    Travel tip #4: Travel Tips or Be Robin Leach

    I tip everyone.  I tip excessively.  Here’s why. In our work, servers, bellmen, valets, sky caps — even the workers at the hotel’s free breakfast — all make our jobs easier.  Much easier.  And, when I travel, I travel with equipment — in some cases more than 400 lbs of equipment — and lugging it […]

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  • 05
    Sep

    Travel Rule #2: The Front Desk Agent has POWER

    As some of my more loyal groupies might know, we shoot all the Indycar races, nationwide.  That eats up about 1.5 MONTHS out of my schedule of solid travel, setup and shooting time.  That doesn’t even account for weekends, if you look at just “work” days .  So, it’s a major contract for us, takes […]

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  • 04
    Sep

    Mike's travel rules to live by, RULE 1

    I eyed my schedule, nervously.  Fargo,  ND.  April.  Early April.  Then Long Beach, CA, for the Indycar race.  Fargo to Long Beach.  Two days in between, one for travel, one for setup.  And then, live.  Should be OK. Did you know there is an international airport in Fargo, ND?  This IS the same Fargo, by […]

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  • 03
    Sep

    The Death of a Legend

    Sigh.  Summer is over, and with it, my special summer haircut, my MOHAWK.  Now, I join the ranks of the normal, just another man with a shaved head, walking down the street:  little, ole’ average me.  Joe Normal.  Totally mundane. Yeah, right.  I’ll never be freaking normal.  I know I’ll never blend.  But what is […]

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  • 02
    Sep

    The $1,000 Cell Bill and month and a half headache.

    My mom has many great traits: she is a wonderful photographer,  a loving mother, a hard worker, and Irish.  Not that Irish is a trait, but it is in this sense:  her idea of going to the doctor is talking to the pharmacist at Walgreens and chewing two Tylenol for whatever ails her. She spends […]

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  • 31
    Aug

    Comfortable in my own skin. (Even if it's bloated, wrinkled, sagging and pimply)

    I have a theory.  This theory goes with Mike’s Portrait Theory Number 1, detailed two blog postings ago.  To refresh:  the subject had one picture, at least 30 years ago, where they liked their smile.  They have been trying to reproduce that smile ever since, in every photo (unsuccessfully) looking like a crazy person with […]

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  • 31
    Aug

    Wine, a former president, and Pittsburgh

    In a very early post, I mentioned one of my favorite jobs ever:  when I was hired by FAKT Newspaper, a daily out of Warsaw, Poland, to tag along with former Polish President Lech Walesa as he visited important US dignataries.  First, there was Hillary Clinton.  Then a few other members of Congress, a couple […]

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