On January 15 of this year New Yorker's got a ringside seat to a most unusual event, the safe landing of USAir Flight 1549 in the Hudson River. In March on my blog Stellazine, I wrote about the problems photographer Stephen Mallon was having in showing the photos he had been contracted to take of the salvaging of that flight.
After lots of publicity and back and forth, Mallon was able to publish his work with minor alterations. Now "Brace For Impact: The Aftermath of Flight 1549" has opened at the Front Room Gallery at 147 Roebling Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. I went there to see the 13 large scale photographs and they look fantastic! It's an exhibit worth seeing, so get yourselves over to Brooklyn now. I asked Stephen, NY chapter president of ASMP, some questions about his background and his work.

Tell us a bit about your photography background
I got started pretty early with my dad’s AE-1, with my first photo being at age 3. I shot on and off for the next 12 yrs, and after not pursuing a military career I decided to go after photography. I got my BFA from RIT in 1996, assisted HASHI, Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, Bob Sacha, Mark Seliger, and many others, making just about every imaginable mistake and learning from some of them (the mistakes).
I started shooting as soon as I arrived with my first editorial job in '96 for Black Book magazine. By the year 2000 I had my first cover shoot for a computer trade magazine, CRN along with a contract with Image Bank. Both have lead me into many great places in my almost 10-year shooting career.

What made you settle on industrial photography?
Ive always been a fan of the sandbox. It was what I was shooting when I was 15, got away from it for a while but was always staring at the antennas and bucket loaders when I was on the road. As my commercial and fine art careers were moving along, I realized I was always drifting back to shooting dirt and machines. A push came from a creative director who was looking at my work and told me that the landscapes I was shooting were beautiful, but to make it market-friendly there needed to be a human element involved. Another meeting, and another Sr. art buyer pointed out that I needed to incorporate the workers as well to truly succeed.

How did you get to photograph the salvaging of Flight 1549?
Weeks Marine, (the crane company) began commissioning me after I photographed their ongoing project of retiring 1500 NY subway cars and putting them in the ocean to form artificial reefs. Our working relationship started growing from there.

Can you sum up the situation with the embargo and how it was lifted?
The images had been pulled up and down from the web site a number of times between the NTSB and AIG, and it was a little scary when I wasn’t sure if the images were going to be visible ever. Pressure mounted to release the photos and with the help from two lawyers, Amy Benjamin and Victor Pearlman (ASMP!), journalists, and fans, the images were released again. I was able to get the legal firm representing AIG and USAirways to grant all the self-promotional usage that I had asked for as long as the logo of their client was not clearly visible. The NTSB had a hold on the interiors for a little while after that but once the investigation was over they were also released. The interiors are currently not on my site. Please stop by to see the prints at the show!

Tell us about the show
“Brace for Impact: The Aftermath of Flight 1549” opened at Front Room Gallery Thursday Sept 10th with a reception on Saturday, September 12th The prints range from 20x30 to 40x60 and were printed by Luscious Ink and I have to say look pretty frackin great! A limited edition catalog is available at the gallery.

What are you itching to shoot?
Ooooh nuclear submarines, I might be heading to 3 Mile Island soon, those airplane graveyards in the West and in Australia, the tunneling under the Hudson River, military recycling, and the military's new hydrogen locomotive, to name a couple.

What’s next?
Hopefully 3 Mile Island. I have to work on a grant proposal for a ship breaking yard in Texas, and there is a sewage treatment plant I am on hold for, and lectures! I am speaking at B&H Photo in New York on October 1st, at Front Room Gallery October 3rd, and a little bit at PhotoPlus Expo on October 23rd.
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Labels: bob sacha flight 1549 front room gallery hashi mark seliger Stella Kramer stephen mallon timothy greenfield-sanders
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ASMP New York has relaunched SHARPEN, the online magazine of ASMP New York.

Today begins a new feature, a weekly “spotlight” of our fellow ASMP NY members.  I'll introduce inspiring men and women that are world renowned, at the beginning of their careers, and somewhere in between.  Here we'll celebrate each others accomplishments and how their work moves the world forward.

Huge thank you to Elizabeth Avedon, Holly Stuart Hughes, Jody Quon, Marc Sobier and Hosanna Marshall for taking time to delve deep in all the wonderful imagery everyone submitted. Tough decisions but lots of fun! Enjoy the pics by Alex Geana.

ASMP New York has Relaunched SHARPEN, the online magazine of ASMP New York. We have daily news, features, advice and over 20 columnists.

I admit, it has taken me a long time to get used to the notion that a photo taken with a cell phone is totally acceptable. I was a student of old school photography and I wanted to remain that way for a long time.

(A wonderful perspective and advice for our community.)

PRESIDENT’S LETTER

It’s Just Business

Several recent threads on ASMP’s on-line forums have dealt with photographers’ frustration with client negotiations.

Photo by Ruben Natal-San Miguel, from the Nocturnal/Activo series, Bronx, 2012.

THIS SATURDAY!!!

Bronx Masquerade brings together ten emerging Bronx artists who uncover the true stories of the young people in the Bronx.

We would like to ask you help us support a former ASMPNY President in this election. As many of you know, Thomas Werner was central to the rebuilding the of New York Chapter, helping to create the strong and vital chapter that you know today.

As a reviewer for the 3rd year in a row I remembered how fast-paced the reviews can be. How stressful it is for the person getting reviewed. It reminds me of what speed-dating must be like.

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Tuesday, Feb 7th is the annual Fine Art Portfolio Reviews, are you ready to show your stuff?

6:45-9pm

***Only prints will be reviewed (no iPads or laptops) unless the work is meant to be exhibited in a museum or gallery hooked up to a computer.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

7-9pm

How do you stand out in a crowded market? Not by spending the most and yelling the loudest — that’s a sucker’s game (and boy, do those suckers get annoying, fast.) The secret to gaining attention in a noisy world lies in making yourself irresistible at all turns:

In the spirit of the holidays, Janet Borden Gallery is exhibiting never-seen-before images by Lee Friendlander- who captures Christmas in his own unique way. Exhibition closes Dec. 31st.

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Here is a wonderful interview with Anna Skladmann who has been photographing the children of Russia's nouveau riche. Her shots of these kids haunt me.

Last week was the 10th anniversary of the biggest art fair in the country. I had been to Miami before but not for ABMB. I was an Art Basel virgin...

You could tell who was from New York because every other person was wearing black even in the 77 degrees weather. Yeah, I saw art.

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Wednesday, November 30th at 11th Street Bar

510 East 11th Street (Between A&B) beginning at 6:30

Congratulations to all the winners of Image 11!

Professional: 1st Place: Peter Dazeley

Student: 1st Place: Brad Curran

November 22nd, 2011

It was packed! And rightfully so, with an incredible line-up of reviewers from The New York Times, DDB, PDN, Magnum and tons more. The energy in the room was filled with excitement and maybe even a little nervousness.

October 4th, 2011

One should really use the camera as though tomorrow you'd be stricken blind.

Please join me for this online only exhibition of Kim Keever and Bruce Checefsky's work. From October 4-November 1

While peering into an alternate universe, such as Kim Keever has created using a 200 gallon glass tank filled with water, it's easy to get lost in the hidden chasms of his landscapes.

ASMP NY: CALLING ALL PHOTOGRAPHERS

NEW YORK, NY - September 2011 - Now in its 6th consecutive year, ASMP NY will host its annual Commercial Portfolio Review for all ASMP NY members on October 11, 2011.

Why should you take this course?

· Do you want to learn how to uncover a prospect's budget?

· Do you ever hear, "I'm interested, call me after the holidays?" or "This is great, I just need to run it by my boss/editor/wife/business partner?" but you never hear back from the prospect?

· Do you feel

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Tomorrow night September 12th is the very special curated photography show by Ruben Natal-San Miguel about the 10 years since 9/11. This exhibition is supported by Finch & Ada.

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Ahhh, the very important issue of stealing imagery from photographers to make a buck. In this case, Michael Dweck is $100,000 richer via Malibu Denim Co. thanks to the courts and rightfully so. Justice prevails! Click here for more on this story.

Longtime photojournalist Michael Kamber is the force behind the Bronx Documentary Center, a venue for photography, film, and new media that opens in September with an exhibition on the work of the late photojournalist Tim Hetherington, who was killed in Libya in April.

Focus on Sales: Sandler Sales Training Level One

Tuesdays, this fall! Sandler Sales Training is back ! Why should you take this course?

Do you want to learn how to uncover a prospect's budget? Did you ever hear, "I'm interested, but call me back after the holidays"? Then you never heard back from

Must give a major shout out to Stella Kramer who edited and published this blog for the past few years- keeping it chocked full of information and writings based on the contemporary photography world, commercially and in fine art. It must be noted that she posted everything before August 2011.

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This hurricane will surely be a phot-op so if you are brave and want to take the risk, please take necessary precautions. And if you want to send them to the blog to post, please do at asmpsharpen@gmail.com.

For the rest of us, we'll opt to stay dry.

Most of us miss the smell of a darkroom and the potent chemicals that seep through our hands and clothes back in the day when the darkroom was king.

Attention All Photographers!- 2001-2011- A Decade of Insanity : Still Searching for Healing- Exhibition

Attention all Photographers!- I am back to curating, As a survivor of Sept 11 attacks, will like to celebrate life, commemorate the 10 year anniversary and how photography has changed the face of

Resource is putting together a Summer inspired film series (with the curation help of our friends at Vimeo) and we want you to be there. The event is at Factory Studios. factorybrooklyn​.com

We're taking over 2 floors of Factory!

Today at 7:00pm

@Factory Studios

79 Lorimer St.

Saturday, August 13, 2011, 12pm

ASMPNY's Summer Party on the Hudson

ASMPNY's Summer Party is THIS SATURDAY! Photogs will appreciate the beautiful view (and breeze) along the Hudson River at the PIER i CAFÉ. You might want to bring your camera, or ride your bike to get there.

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