• 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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  • 29
    Aug

    Mike's Portrait Theory #1 or I would have made a good psychologist. Suck it up, Buttercup. See?

    Last week, I relived history.  Or, at least an early part of my history.  Here’s what happened. I was called by a client to go to an office near the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) and do an environmental portrait.  I always get a little weird when I go anywhere near Baltimore — it’s […]

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  • 29
    Aug

    Egypt or Arbitrary Story #6 or Why is Ra Laughing?!

    I’d always wanted to go to Egypt.  When I was little, my mom took me to the King Tut exhibit at the Smithsonian.  We stood in line for 6 hours, and it was worth every second. Worse, I decided at that moment I would be a pharaoh.  Why shouldn’t I wear golden masks?  Sit on […]

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  • 28
    Aug

    WWCD? Or, What Would Cher Do? Portrait Photography meets politics

    Perhaps it’s not proper to write this blog about photographing the former Vice President.  But I can’t help it.  Maybe it’s disrespectful.  But I can’t help it. It all started with Linda Springer.  Linda Springer was the former Director of the Office of Personnel Management, which is a big deal.   She was in charge […]

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  • 26
    Aug

    Travel Demons, Me, and Projectile Vomit.

    I was sitting today at Sacramento International Airport, and a gentleman sat down next to me.  Directly next to me.   Now, there were 80 empty seats in the very posh gate area, but he decided that seat next to me was way better than the empty one across the way.  I was listening to […]

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