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Frame From The Fog

All day today I had the pleasure to shoot & chronicle the delivery, installation & final mounting and presentation of a remarkably beautifully piece of art at the Rockwell Museum of Western Art in Corning, NY. This great painting, Mt. Whitney, painted by Albert Bierstadt,  got a brand new custom made, period accurate frame that reflects the period accurate style & grandeur of the 1860’s- 1870’s when this painting was created. A group of talented Framing Artisians from Manhattan NYC, who themselves hand crafted this one of a kind $70,000 Masterpiece Frame, were on hand to handle the painstaking set-up, fitting and installation of this remarkable piece of art. It was a very interesting day watching this collaboration all come together! A job well done by everyone involved!
PS: After looking at that next to last image of all the guys raising that painting up on the wall….the way some of them have their hands and arms outstretched reminds me of the famous flag raising shot from Iwo Jima in World War II.

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Dust In The Wind….

Friday…. it was a long, fun & special day. Up at 7:00 am believe  it or not…..out at 8:30 & off to a HUGE Estate Sale – to sell everything from the house in which my friends Jason, Angela & Clara spent so many years in – The house had been in their Maternal Grandfather’s Mother’s family –  they are assuming it was somewhere around 200 years – a lot of generations of people in one family who never really moved things out – just found places to store the things that currently weren’t being used. As my tribute to my above mentioned friends, today I took this journey through time, with my camera lens to my eye, as I ventured to capture a few telling images of these items. Items frozen in time for ages…….un-earthed & brought out and into the brilliant sunlight of today, to be found, claimed & enjoyed in the future by new owners. Enjoy!

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Only Nikon Glass for this Guy…

I noticed something pretty remarkable when I was editing my last Wedding. In these shots that we captured after the ceremony Laura, Mark & I must have been a couple hundred yards away from the crashing waters at the base of Taughannock Falls. Because of the strong winds swirling around in the canyon, here as well as during the actual Ceremony, we kept getting sprayed & chilled despite being so far away. I was amazed at how clearly the great glass in my Nikon Lens was able to catch those tiny droplets in mid air, to the point where they don’t even look like droplets anymore, but more like little threads of light dancing around in mid air… like little light meteors! Pretty cool! Check out both images by clicking on them, the first is the original image to give you an idea of our overall location, and the second is the close up of the same shot. Of course my D3s Camera Body, the settings, and the photographers steady hand had a bit more to also contribute too, but I doubt I could have captured such great detail it if I were using some of the cheaper, lower quality brand, knock-off lenses that are out there and that used too frequently by other shooters. Even though Nikon’s cost substantially more, they are worth it without a doubt. ALL of my lenses are Nikon Lenses. I wouldn’t trust anything else to capture my work. I really wanted to share this one with you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The “Lambs” were Screaming…..

Upon arriving at the Studio today, I was greeted by this beauty laying at my front door. Must be it couldn’t handle THE SNOW? I’m expecting a knock at my door any moment to find Jamie Gumb, looking for one of his “babies”…..”“it rubs the lotion on its skin or else it gets the hose again”. …..

Horseheads’ Military Pack Horse Finally Comes Home

Earlier this afternoon just down the street from my 211 Studio & in front of the Horseheads Village Hall, I found all the Village Chain Gang Crew preparing for tomorrow’s unveiling of Horseheads’ newest monument to our past…. a bronze, life-sized 400+ lb. Military Pack Horse Statue.  My buddy Mikie Burke was even giving the Horse a “Horsicure?” with his grinder, just prior to it’s being carried over & set on it’s final place of honor. Horseheads is the first & only Village & Town in the United States dedicated to the service of the Military Pack Horse. Try to find time on your Saturday schedules to come to the formal dedication tomorrow, May 18, 2013 at 10:00 AM at the Horseheads Village Hall on South Main Street.

Looking at the first image… kinda reminds me of the last time I saw a horse that rigid, stiff & stretched out like that….was in Dean Wormer’s Office  @ Faber College, in that classic scene from Animal House!

 

 

 

 

 

“The Kingmaker”

I’m known (at least to myself!) as, The Kingmaker!
I have the unbelievable distinction of having EVERY SINGLE POLITICAL CANDIDATE that I have ever had the pleasure to shoot their Portrait, WIN their respective elections! EVERY ONE! From nationally known… NYS Senator Hillary Clinton & NY Governor Eliott Spitzer, to many local Judges, Mayors, State & U.S. Congressmen, a State Senator, local D.A.’s. And I even shot some great candids of President Obama & Mexican President Felipe Calderon at the White House in May 2010. One of the coolest days of my life I might add!
Not Bad at all!  Perhaps you should have given me a call there….. Mitt!

So step right up Rodney, & keep “The Kingmaker’s” winning streak going…….Here’s your next winner folks!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh Christmas Tree! Santa…….. all I Need is MORE ROOM!

My wife says I’m kinda a Scrooge around the Holidays, but I’ve been trying to work on that lately, especially around the Studio & Office. I always hated the set-up & tear down with the tree, because I really have a TON of nice glass ornaments, porcelain ornaments, and just a lot of really neat & meaningful pieces that I have collected over the years. So a few years ago I came up with this total brainstorm…..I had this low cart built on a sheet of aluminum, with wheels, & mounted the tree base, and now all I have to do is unplug it,  throw a large plastic bag over the tree along with a couple of big tarps….and just roll it out to an unused corner of the shooting Studio. What a time saver! The last few years I’ve especially looked forward to going to Kohls late in the Christmas Season, as they always seem to have really nice pieces on sale for like 60%-80% off. The only problem I have now is that I’ve got no more room to hang anything! The damn tree is absolutely PACKED! But I still find a way every year to add a few…& yesterday I somehow managed to get 5 more on, including an official Christmas Vacation talking Moose Mug! “That there’s an RV Clark!”

Monument Valley Memories – 1998

Last week some photographer friends & I were chatting about shooting in “the West”,  and while moving some things around the Office this weekend, I stumbled upon a few prints that I shot on vacation in July 1998 while on a solitary, 3 mile trek through these awesome, desolate & very hot badlands! So Beautiful, So Hot, & So RED!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Tribute to Titanic – 100 Years Later – 04/15/1912 – 04/15/2012

As many of my close friends know, I have always had a great interest & fascination with the Titanic , as well as what I feel is a very eerie connection to this storied ship. To commemorate the 100th Year Anniversary of her Maiden Voyage and ultimately her Journey into Eternity, I put together a nice display of some of my collection of period objects, here in the Front Lobby of my Office/Studio.

For any of you that are interested, I have also attached a link to my story, (I finally wrote it all down a few years ago because I’ve been telling it so many times) which details why I feel I have this genuine Titanic connection. So if you’ve got a few minutes, give it a read and let me know what you think? Enjoy!

Rick

My TITANIC story:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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“Rail Re-Birth” in Horseheads, NY

This spring, there has been a lot of activity around the Horseheads Holding Point Rail Yards. New Crossing Signals/Arms are going up at Watkins Road, and the Holding Point Rail Beds are almost all getting re-built. These shots are from the just re-built switch bed, located right at the main entrance off Watkins Rd./ North Main Street (just across from my studio). New Rails, a fresh bed of crushed gravel ballast & the overpowering smell of New, Creosote Soaked & Blackened RR Ties,  gives quite the impression of strength & longevity! Perhaps this batch will last another 75 years like the last ones did?!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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