Category: LIFE though a LENS

There are many kinds of mentors. Some are teachers, relatives, and friends. Mine was a beautiful blond named Jo-Anne Miller. When I met her I was in and out of college. I was floundering and was an angry young man because my basketball dream did not come through. She wanted to see the world and do different exciting things. She encouraged me to finish school and get the job that I wanted to do.

I did!

We decided to get married and spend some time in Spain & Portugal. I had never been on a plane and hardly ever traveled.

My wedding present was this camera, my first!

Finding Vivian MaierTrailer/ What a story!

Please watch.

Watch the story above about how she was found.

Photo Vivian Meyer

I think that Mary Ellen represents the one of best of the late 60’s & 70’s documentary photographers. I especially like the two photos I have put up underneath this great video.

She spent her life photographing the cops and the firemen of New York.

She devoted her life to street photography!

Mr. Parks was the first black photojournalist to work for Life Magazine and many other magazines from the 1940’s -1990’s. He was also one of the first to direct films like Shaft & many others.

He was a real artist.

Back in the days of Tri-x the contact sheet was the photographer’s best tool for editing. The film was developed and then cut into strips of six negatives which were then placed on a piece of photo paper which was developed in a darkroom. I will never forget the thrill of seeing these images appear in the red light of the darkroom. I have gathered some of those images in this video.

Saint Anthony high school in Jersey City NJ won the first national high school championship with a record 32 wins in a season.

Not bad for a team that didn’t have a gym of their own, practiced in a Polish bingo hall and never played a home game.

I covered the story for Life magazine then.