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ARTISTS, MENTORS & MUSES

  • ANNIE LEIBOVITZ

    It took me two years to fit into Annie's schedule. Being on the other side of the camera was not her favorite thing. But once she committed, she was with me. The session took place in her New York office at 7:00am. That meant setting up the lighting the night before and coming in at 6:00am to finalize last minute details. An image does indeed occur in a moment, but getting there can take untold time and massive dedication.

    leibovitz annie pp leibovitz annie pp
    leibovitz annie pp
  • SASHA SHULGIN

    Sasha was a Harvard and Berkeley trained biochemist who spent much of his time researching psychoactive compounds at his home based laboratory in Northern California. He  was one of the few American scientists who was awarded a license from the DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) to explore the psychopharmacology of such agents as MDMA and Mescaline. He often tested these psychoactive drugs on himself.

    This was a session where I really had to just go with the flow. His work was all a bit above my head and his laboratory was forbidden to be photographed. Now, in hindsight, I realize I was in the presence of a gentle soul who happened to be the master of of psychedelic drugs.

    sasha shulgin ecstasy wolin sasha shulgin ecstasy wolin
    sasha shulgin ecstasy wolin
  • GEORGE BURNS

    From the moment we entered the home of George Burns to the time we left, he told jokes. He was brilliant and gracious. He invited us for tea
    and cookies. And his cigar? He had an attendant whose job was to hand him a freshly lit cigar when the one he was holding was getting too short.
    He didn't want that cigar looking like a cheap stogey. He was a very elegant man. He missed his wife, the equally funny Gracie Allen.

    george burns george burns
    george burns
  • MORGAN FISHER

    GUGGENHEIM FELLOW

     

     

     

     

    film maker film maker
    film maker
  • VENICE GONDOLIER

    Well, sort of Venice. Venice, California that is. Seems this lovely gondolier was photographed in Venice, Italy for Condé Nast Traveler Magazine
    but the images did not come out well. I got a call from the art director, Lloyd Ziff, telling me the gondolier was in Los Angeles and asking me to photograph him ASAP while making him look like he was in Italy! I went to the Hollywood Costume Shop and rented the right clothing and hat and
    whisked him to one of the Venice canals. Violá, a Venice Gondolier. It's Hollywood and nearly any dream is attainable with vision and fortitude.

    gondolier gondolier
    gondolier
  • THE BARBARIAN BROTHERS

    People Magazine asked me to photograph the Barbarian Brothers, David and Peter Paul; two huge body builders that were doing quite well in the movie business. It was the magazine’s idea to hire a bear to visually contrast the strength and power of the brothers. As someone said, “you can always made a picture better if you put a bear in it."

    True. So true.

    barbarian brothers wolin barbarian brothers wolin
    barbarian brothers wolin
  • JAYME ODGERS

    jayme odgers jayme odgers
    jayme odgers
  • URSULA K. LEGUIN

    LIFE MAGAZINE

    I arrived in Oregon on a usual rainy winter day. The minute she opened the door and before she let me in, she started complaining that the last LIFE photographer made her stand outside and she caught a terrific cold. This was not a good start. I backed out of the doorway and closed her door. I waited several moments and then rang the bell again and she opened the door, again. I re-introduced myself and said what a great day it would be to photograph inside. She smiled, let me and my assistant in the door and we had one of the most wonderful afternoons ever. She often wrote her novels with a pencil in the garden on a yellow lined legal pad. Her literary career spanned nearly sixty years, producing more than twenty novels and over a hundred short stories, in addition to poetry, literary criticism, translations and children's books. It was clear; I was in the presence of an extraordinary person.

     

    ursula k le guin ursula k le guin
    ursula k le guin
  • INGA LIZDENYTE

    inga lizdenyte inga lizdenyte
    inga lizdenyte
  • TERI GARR

    WET MAGAZINE
    Teri was a good sport. She got into our baby pool of warm water and endured the mulitple requests of different ways to photograph her, even
    tolerating a gold fish darting around in the water. (Didn't work – too slippery!) She was a wonderful actress and a wonderful person.

    teri garr wet magizine teri garr wet magizine
    teri garr wet magizine
  • CHARLTON HESTON

    Jeff Cohen, the picture editor of Playboy Magazine wanted Mr. Heston to look American. After researching him at the Motion Picture Library, I discovered he loved peanut butter. Love is good, so, what could be more American than his white tennis shirt, blue background, red tablecoth and peanut butter? Moses must play many roles and he does them well.

    charlton heston playboy magazine charlton heston playboy magazine
    charlton heston playboy magazine
  • FREEWAY OVERPASS

    dave lambert dave lambert
    dave lambert
  • JAN BIRNBAUM

    A chef outstanding in his field. There was only one Jan Birnbaum. He was a big man, a generous man, a kind man. And my, could he cook. He cooked in the finest restaurants in the world and always had a child-like enthusiasm for what he was doing. He was loved by owners, diners and the people in his kitchens. When I handed him this ginormous whisk, he was all in and knew exactly what to do with it. Thank you, Jan. You are a Prince among Princes.

    jan birnbaum jan birnbaum
    jan birnbaum
  • JO ANN CALLIS

    jo ann callis jo ann callis
    jo ann callis
  • MICHAEL SCHWAB

    GRAPHIS MAGAZINE

    All photographers search for a unique style. I love working with scale. A camera does this very well. When Michael saw the size of the paintbrush I brought to the session, he took it from me and put as much red paint into the bristles that he could. A good photograph happens somewhere between the photographer's idea and the subject's enthusiasm for that idea. And keeping one's finger on the button. Timing is everything. The element of suprise is a fleeting moment that cannot be authentically duplicated unless you are working with actors, which most of us are not.

    michael schwab michael schwab
    michael schwab
  • MICHAEL McMILLAN

    mcmillan michael wolin mcmillan michael wolin
    mcmillan michael wolin
  • JOHN MATUSZAK

    PLAYBOY MAGAZINE

    Jeff Cohen, the picture editor at Playboy wanted the largest man in football to look big. Jeff is himself a photographer and a wonderful collaborator. And he trusted the photographers he worked with. I tried two ideas for this session. First, I rented a set of beautiful twin newborn babies for John to hold in each arm. Not being a father, he didn't really relate to this. Then, I tossed him a toy football and his entire persona lit up. He loved the football and suprise, this photograph was hailed as one of the most iconic sports photographs in history.

    john matuszak playboy magizine john matuszak playboy magizine
    john matuszak playboy magizine
  • WILLIAM B. SMITH

    william b smith william b smith
    william b smith
  • x30 bw brous wolin x30 bw brous wolin
       x30 bw brous wolin
  • CHAKA CHAKA CHAKA KAHN

    kahn chaka website kahn chaka website
    kahn chaka website
  • CHAKA CHAKA CHAKA KAHN

    "Shoot it both ways," pictures editors used to plead. This was not my favorite thing to do, shoot color film and then switch to black and white. It just got confusing. But it worked on this session because Chaka was so professional and gave me so much of her energy to work with. This was one of those times where I left the shoot thinking I had the best job in the world.

    chaka kahn pw web chaka kahn pw web
    chaka kahn pw web
  • THE BAND

    My first real job in Hollywood was to photograph Bob Dylan's back-up band, The Band, for Bob Cato and A&M Records. Cato was a protégé of
    Alexey Brodovitch at the Design Laboratory, an advanced invitation-only New York think tank, training graphic designers including Marvin Israel
    and photographers including Richard Avedon and Diane Arbus. Cato had a portfolio drop-off policy for photographers. That seemed like the kiss
    of death so I wrote him a letter explaining why he should see me. Convinced, he met me, saw GUEST REGISTER, and hired me on the spot.
    He asked when I could schedule The Band session and I said, "three weeks." I was nervous. With someone like Cato, one who is used to a
    New York Minute, three weeks is an eternity. I did the session five days later. Job #001.

    the band the band
    the band
  • RYSZARD HOROWITZ

    horowitz ryszard pp horowitz ryszard pp
    horowitz ryszard pp
  • NORMAN FELTON

    norman felton producer la web norman felton producer la web
    norman felton producer la web
  • JOEL MEYEROWITZ

    meyerowitz wolin meyerowitz wolin
    meyerowitz wolin
  • Dem Bones

    bone girl wolin bone girl wolin
    bone girl wolin
leibovitz annie pp
sasha shulgin ecstasy wolin
george burns
film maker
gondolier
barbarian brothers wolin
jayme odgers
ursula k le guin
inga lizdenyte
teri garr wet magizine
charlton heston playboy magazine
dave lambert
jan birnbaum
jo ann callis
michael schwab
mcmillan michael wolin
john matuszak playboy magizine
william b smith
   x30 bw brous wolin
kahn chaka website
chaka kahn pw web
the band
horowitz ryszard pp
norman felton producer la web
meyerowitz wolin
bone girl wolin
    /26

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