Way back when, I decided the best way to give myself credibility as a photographer was to exhibit in the local art galleries. Stop laughing, it was a good idea. I put together several exhibits, one centered on my Ground Zero pictures, called, The Day Our Heart Stopped, and one called Serenity. There were others. […]
By now, if you read my little stories, you know my shtick. You know I am — let’s use the nice word — creative. Artistic. Unique. Or weird, you pick. And when I started out as a photographer, I didn’t expect to be the one strolling into a Rolls Royce store and ordering up the […]
This past spring, we were hired by a major banking chain to do 30 events, nationwide, in 30 days. Some of these events happened simultaneously, others only hours apart. The result was the entire team scrambling around the country, equipment zipping here and there, and me in my hotel room constantly eyeing travel plans and […]
I was on my way to the airport. “Steve, Mike Gatty,” I said into my iPhone, “I’m on my way to the airport in Baltimore. Are we confirmed?” Steve hemmed and hawed a few minutes. “Well, you have to understand, Honda isn’t exactly sure what they want to do, but, yes, we are confirmed.” “OK, […]
I mentioned in an earlier blog posting, The Broken Road, that Matthew and I take care of a special needs adult, David. David is 63, he’ll be 64 in October, and he is a Libra. He will tell you that his birthstone color is pink. Without you asking. Just out of the blue, “you know, […]
I mentioned in Part 1 of this series I hated Shinko printers. Here’s why. Go back in your brain about eight years. It was a simpler time. A time of rainbows and clowns, neighborhood block parties and cook outs. Leave It to Beaver was the popular show on TV. Women had just received the vote. […]
When I was with He Who Shall Not Be Named, his idea of a great vacation — especially at Christmas — was to go to Roanoke, VA. If it was a good year, we’d stay at the Holiday Inn, Roanoke (they had REAL MARBLE IN THEIR BATHROOMS). If it was an average year, it was […]
I’ve been running photo events for more than a decade. And, while I hate to admit it, not everything goes right all the time. The key is to never appear rattled. That doesn’t mean you AREN’T about to throw up, but you just can’t LOOK like it. You have to seem smooth, controlled, in charge. […]
Whenever you photograph anyone important, the client is a nervous wreck. I’ve never understood this. They are paying said VIP a large amount of money to speak, and sometimes to meet their important attendees after a speech. Yet, they are NERVOUS. I’ve made a career of keeping everyone calm: the client, the minions, the secret […]