I was in New York on Monday and Tuesday. The initial motivation for the trip was to have a Fine Art print made at Laumont Studios for an exhibition at the Contemporary Art Center in March 2011. Laumont has printed for Stephen Shore, Mitch Epstein, Nan Goldin and my personal favorite, Elliott Erwitt. In short, this studio is bad ass and I want the best possible prints for the show. They have a whole process of going in and talking about your project needs, from scan to framing.

So, I was standing at a large table talking to a printer, Alison, about paper preferences when I hear a person come in and call over another employee. My back was still turned when I heard a man say, “I’d like you to meet Elliott Erwitt.” My jaw dropped and my eyes opened wide. I turned around and sure enough there is Elliott Erwitt in a puffy, black, knee-length parka. I turned back to Alison and mouthed, “oh my god!” It’s like I was a 13-year-old girl with Bieber fever. I went on talking to Alison like it was no big deal that Mr. Erwitt was at the same table as me. I tried to drag out my meeting in the hopes that I might walk with him to the elevator, but unfortunately my meeting was done and his was just beginning. It would have been darn unprofessional to interrupt. That was my brush with Elliott Erwitt, my favorite photographer. For anyone reading this outside the photo world, Elliott Erwitt is a living legend. He is 82 and still shooting. Learn more about the man here and view some photos here. Below is one of my favorites. In the next few days, I’ll post about the rest of my New York visit, which included showing my portfolio around.

Earth Day is April 22nd and I plan to send a promo to people I’d like to work with. As with the last time I did this, I’m looking for a funny caption or copy to go with the photo in this post. I was thinking of including some seeds in the envelope (maybe basil?) as well. The person whose caption I choose will receive a free print of their choice (10×15 or 10×10 depending on format). The last time we did this, it resulted in some pretty good laughs!

Our dog Moe stepped on something that hurt his paw. He has been gnawing and licking it non-stop for a week which is preventing the healing process. Enter this wonderful cone-of-shame the vet recommended. To be honest, I was excited to get this so I could photograph him in it, and I almost asked if they had a more colorful version. You can see this version by 3M is perfectly clear, not to obstruct his vision I guess. But a more opaque disc would be better for photos I think. Although it did allow for both eyes to be visible in this sad, head-turned portrait.