Picture of the Week #392 "Ragamuffin" Masai Mara, Kenya 1997 Signed & Stamped  

This is from our African Honeymoon Safari where last week I posted a portrait of a Masai Warrior and today I'm posting a smiling child we saw strolling along in tattered clothes but with a warm and happy expression. Perhaps, as it's 19 years later I wonder what became of this little one and if they were aware that they were poor, or not educated,  or if they knew what was going on in the outside world? Especially since they couldn't afford Television in every home and cell phones hadn't arrived yet. It would be interesting to go back and to see if things changed like it did in China. But I certainly don't expect the same results as China had.

Picture of the Week #391 "Meditative Masai" Masai Mara, Kenya 1997

We encountered the Masai tribe on our honeymoon safari in Kenya. This tired looking warrior allowed me to take his picture without asking for money or even reacting to my camera. He just stared at my lens. He was sitting with a group of other Masai, but his expression is what drew me in to take his picture. It was like he was off somewhere else. I'm not sure if he was just checking me out and wondering "oh here's another tourist with a camera" or was he meditating on his plight in life. 

Picture of the Week # 390 "Sharing Memories" Shanghai, China 2015 Signed & Stamped

My "MAO to NOW" exhibit opened yesterday at the Fowler Museum and will run until at least September 11th. I am actively looking for other venues, from Museums, to galleries to even large office buildings. I would like to sell the suite of 32 images in 16 double frames so that it is easy to understand the time frame of "MAO" in 1980 and "NOW" today and the vast changes that have occurred. As I have taken so many images and some like this one were taken when I was there for the Gallery show that I had of "MAO to NOW" at the ArtNSpace Gallery at M50 in Shanghai back in June, July & August of 2015. This image is very much in line with what an artist friend said of my work. That my "images are not preconceived. It is as my eye sees, while most people walk by & never see the image before them. They are clear on the moment and that separates them from other photographers."

Picture of the Week #389 "Me by Me" Bel Air, California 2016 Signed & Stamped

While my beautiful wife Ann was away visiting her brother & having some spare time I decided to try something different, a self portrait.  I hung a piece of black velvet and closed the shutters in my studio so only one side light shown in. I put my Sony camera on auto and hit the button and hustled back into my seat waiting for the shutter to click. Then I'd jump up and see how it looked. They were all out of focus. Fed up I tried with my Canon. Finally after countless tries I got this one. I quickly put it into the computer and turned it B&W. I felt good about it so I decided that I would use it as my picture on Facebook. Only I'm not sure what happened but suddenly I started getting compliments from people saying what a great photo it was. I'm still going to post it as my Picture of the Week even if many people already saw it.  I'm also putting it on my business cards. It's my best "selfie".

Picture of the Week #388 "Petanque Paris" Paris, France 1972 & 1989 Signed & Stamped

I am obsessed by Boule Players. I have photographed them since I first starting going to France. The Boule Player here is either from the South of France or the Dordogne area in 1989. The Eiffel Tower behind him was taken in 1972 when I thought I might be moving to Paris from New York and to follow my dream of being an artist. But, when the movie I was producing & directing, "The Lords of Flatbush" was sold to Columbia Pictures in 1974 and was an instant hit I decided that I could always move to Paris, but you can't always move to Hollywood with a hit film. So, I came out here to sunny southern California. Yes, there have been extended stays in France for as long as a year and a half. This was just at the beginning of the internet. We plan on returning full time when our beloved cat Babette finally goes off to dance with Elvis. She's almost 20 so each day we are closer and closer to returning. Don't get me wrong, I love and adore her and have battled my allergy just to keep her.  For my wife she is her baby. A stronger love is hard to find.