Like Riding A Bike

I had a really interesting experience a couple of weeks ago.



A phone call from Jake brought the happy news that he was engaged to be married. Now, what you need to know about me and Jake is that he is one of two men who are the closest I have come to have a son of my own. The other is a man who has been hailed as my adopted son, a man that I love, dearly, and who I continue to refer to as my son. He came into my life much later than Jake did. I've known Jake since he was ten, when I was playing Willy Wonka and he was playing an Oompa Loompa. In this life we become seperated from our loved ones by the continual moving that most of us do; and I lost touch with Jake. Years later, as an adult, he found himself studying acting in New York City, was headshot shopping, spotted my name and called to see if it was truly me - and we were reunited. Over the years, this reunion has brought me more joy than I can say. Now he is engaged to a lovely young woman who has captured (not only his heart but) the hearts of everyone in his life.

Upon hearing the happy news, I announced that I was to do their engagement photo.

Jake is on tour with a Broadway musical. He flies here, Emily flies to him; they make it work, which is what actors must do, since they often have to go to their work (work rarely makes the concession to come to us..does it?). On one of Jake's days in the city, we were scheduled to meet and make art.

It isn't every day of the week that I make art, anymore. As a matter of fact, it is a rare, fair month if I pick up a camera. Since retiring from working as a photographer, I have most of my equipment stored in the back of the closet. I also have my creative juices stored in the back of the closet that is my mind. There are times when I have a shoot coming up that I wonder if I will be able to deliver. In fact, most of the time (these days), if I am going to pick up a camera, I worry if I will still have it.

Flashback.

Some years ago, my attorney had a birthday party. He is one of the biggest show business attorneys in New York, with a client list that would make an autograph hound's mouth water. On the festive occasion of his birth, there was to be a show and some of his favourites were going to perform. A week before the party he called me and asked if I was coming. Yes. Would I bring my camera? No. I am coming as a guest, not an employee. He explained that nothing could be further from his mind; he just wondered if I was going to be able to take pics of Sam Harris, Randy Graff, Karen Mason, Julie Wilson, Margaret Whiting, Mimi Hines, Lesley Gore, Lainie Kazan, Nancy Dussault, Ann Hampton Callaway, Marcia Lewis, Jennifer Holliday... Yes, I told him, I will bring my camera. I spent the eve running around, amidst party guests like Linda Lavin, Gregory Harrison, Polly Bergen, Dee Hoty and my beloved LiZa, shooting pics of the show. A couple of weeks later I was in his office and saw a bag of videos - it was the pro shot video of the birthday concert. I told him I was taking one and he started to protest "I'M TAKING ONE" and that was the end of it. I transferred some of the numbers onto cd so I could listen to them in my cd walkman. Years later, I transferred the numbers to my IPOD.

The day of my scheduled shoot with Jake and Emily, I was coming up out of the gym. It was mid morning and the sun was out, even though it was a chilly day. As I passed up the stairs of the gym, through the lobby, out into the street, I found myself thinking "What am I going to do with Jake and Emily? What kind of engagement photo should I do? What can I do that is interesting, that is new? What if I don't come up with something good?"

My IPOD was on shuffle. As I walked into the street, I heard Randy Graff start to sing...

Mama, a rainbow
Mama, a sunrise
Mama, the moon to wear

CLICK! BZZZZZZZZZZ.

It was me. I had been standing under the videographer, the next level up at the party, during the show and taking pictures and each time I took a photo, there it was on the recording. Ha. I laughed. I smiled. A single tear squeezed out of my right eye and rolled down the bridge of my nose. Aside from the photos, there was proof that I was there. There was a document, a witness, of my artistry. Each time I heard that Click and Bzzzz, I knew why I had taken that picture; I could hear it in Randy's performance. It was as though she and I were collaborating on something: she made something unforgettable and I saw it and documented it - and the videographer documented me. A history was made. A history of art.

I took it as a good sign. A sign of good artwork to come. A few hours away....