Day Seventythree: David Strathairn

Well today it was sunny and pleasant in Northern NY. I mowed the grass today at two properties. Last night I played guitar at the Muskie Lounge in Alex. Bay. That went quite well. There were a few people who were impressed. Now, if I can keep them coming back for more it might turn into something.


This is a photo of David Strathairn, the actor who portrayed Edward R. Murrow in the film Good Night and Good Luck. I made the photo for USA Today. It happened that he was in town doing a gig at Fort Drum. USA Today hired me because I live about twenty miles from Fort Drum. In this day and age when a national publication needs a photo shot they very often contact newspapers in the region where the photo shoot is to take place asking for reccomendations. It is because Fort Drum has gotten lots of national and international attention in recent years that I have gotten work for quite a list of publications. Now if something were to take place in Buffalo, a four hour drive for me, those publications would first try to locate a reliable photographer in Buffalo. The days of being a staffer for a national publication and travelling all over the country and the globe are pretty much over. There is a glut of photgraphers out ther, some obviously better than others, all looking for work. Plus, with todays technology, it's a lot easier for mediocre photographers to make technically usable photos. There are many out there working that really do not have an eye for some situations. The same goes for wedding photographers. They point and shoot with little or no thought about the light, the moment, the composition, the content. Those are the things that all come together to create a good photograph. At some point I will try to delve into those items one at a time in more detail.