Oh What a Night! & What is it? What lens Answers

What’s Up?

On Tuesday, Denise and I put the finishing touches on our three sold out B&H Event Space programs. If you unexpectedly find yourself in the neighborhood, would like to attend, but have not registered, it never hurts to stop by as you there are usually a few no-shows for each program. If you are a blog regular and are in the audience, please do introduce yourself.

We had a wonderful lunch at Prime Grill in the Sony Building on Madison at E56th with our two B&H affiliate friends, Izzy Flamm and Stuart Honickman. The food was great but the company and the conversations were even better. Many thanks guys.

I am up early today, Wednesday, October 14th writing today’s blog post. I wound up writing for two hours. It was published from Manhattan, NY at 7:10am.

Oh What a Night!

Last night denise and I attended the Broadway musical, Jersey Boys, at the August Wilson Theater on W55th between 7th and 8th Avenues. I have always loved the Four Seasons and denise too was very familiar with the music. Several other oldies were written into the show; of those, my favorite was (Two) Silhouettes (on the Shade), originally by the doo-wop group the Rays in 1957. A version by The Diamonds also did well. In 1965 it was a number 5 hit for Herman’s Hermits. I did not get the connection at the time but “Silhouettes” was written by Bob Crewe, an American songwriter and record producer who produced and co-wrote (with Bob Gaudio) a string of Top 10 singles for the Four Seasons. Crewe also wrote the lyrics for the show.

As we took our seats we saw the stand-in notice in the Playbill: “The role of Frankie Valli will be played by Dominic Scaglione, Jr.” I must admit to being slightly disappointed. Not. Dominic knocked the socks off every number. His performance was superb; he hit every falsetto note perfectly and the music was both incredible and moving, bringing back memories of my teen age years. We both agreed afterwards that it would be hard to imagine anyone giving a better performance, maybe even Frankie Valli himself….

The show told the story of the The Four Seasons astronomic rise to success after the group failed under a variety of names, the last of which was The Four Lovers. The group was named for a bowling alley in Union Township, NJ where, singing as The Four Lovers, they failed an audition….

The “Cry for Me” scene with Bob Gaudio first alone at the piano, then joined by the other three “Lovers,” was especially powerful as everyone recognized what would become The Four Seasons’ sound. After Bob Gaudio (keyboards and tenor vocals) joined the group, the Four Seasons began working with Bob Crewe’s production company in 1959. At age 15, Gaudio had his first hit writing “Who Wears Short Shorts.” He went on the write or co-write many of The Four Seasons’ biggest hits.

Speaking of hits, they hit it huge between between 1962 and 1964 with “Sherry” #1, “Big Girls Don’t Cry”, #1, “Walk Like a Man, #1, “Candy Girl”, #3, “Marlena” (one of my favorites but not in the show), #36, “Dawn (Go Away)”, #3, “Stay” (originally by Maurice Williams), #16, and “Rag Doll”, #1. The music in the first half of the show really got to me; my tears of happiness began with the group’s stunning rendition of Sherry as their breakthrough hit. With the group (Valli, Gaudio, Tommy DeVito on lead guitar and baritone vocals, and Nick Massi on electric bass and bass vocals) clad in fire-engine red jackets that number was both visually and musically stunning.

I’d be remiss without mentioning the stellar performance of Quinn VanAntwerp in the role of Bob Gaudio. VanAntwerp is an actor, singer, and dancer based out of New York City who has starred in Jersey Boys all over North America. For most of the show he wore a sublime smile that made the audience feel as if they were his friend.

After intermission the show became darker in mood as the group suffered a general downturn in popularity, lost two members, and encountered a variety of financial, family, and personal problems. The tears for me flowed freely for a variety of reasons: admiration for Valli, the death of one of Valli’s daughter’s from his first failed marriage, and the group’s and Valli’s resurgence.

Throughout the show, each member of the group serves briefly as narrator, sharing the personal perspective of their character. This was quite an effective touch.

The closing finale, a heavily edited version of “Who Loves You” (Pretty Momma?), was of course sung in rousing and spectacular fashion by the show’s original Four Seasons along with the entire company. As good as the music was throughout, the biggest highlights for me occurred during the long standing ovation: the smile of accomplishment on the face of Quinn VanAntwerp and most especially, the fact that the stand-in, Dominic Scaglione, Jr., was visibly moved by the crowd’s appreciation of his and the company’s performance.

Oh what a night it was.

You can learn more about The Four Season’s here and more about the show here, both Wikipedia.

Mystery subject

What is it?

Yes, David Peake, the subject of the featured image in the blog post here was detail on the hood of a vintage Plymouth Belvedere. The detail above is from an area of about three by two inches.

What lens?

The image was created with the hand held Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM lens and the Canon EOS 5D Mark III. Only Ullin Leavell suggested that the image was created with a macro lens.

Did you like it?

I, denise, and everyone who saw this on my Mac loved it for the textures, shapes, and patterns. I like the three Narwhals upper right.

In 2015, we are offering a 3-DAY IPT before Thanksgiving and a 4-DAY IPT after the holiday. You can attend either and spend Thanksgiving Day with your family. Sign up for both and we will be glad to apply a $100 discount to your balance. We know that there are lots of less costly workshops being offered these days. Many of them are downright cheap. Please remember that you get exactly what you pay for. With us you will have two full time pros there for you every minute we are in the field. Together they have more than 28 seasons of experience at the refuge. If you want the finest in photographic instruction and want to be assured of being in the right spot at exactly the right time every day, do join us.

Bosque del Apache 2015 BIRDS AS ART/A Creative Adventure Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT). 3-FULL DAY IPT: NOV 22-24, 2015. $1149. Two great leaders: Denise Ippolito and Arthur Morris. Meet and greet and introductory slide program after dinner on your own at 7:00pm on SAT NOV 21.

Just 2 spots left.

Tens of thousands of Snow Geese, 10,000 Sandhill Cranes, ducks, amazing sunrises, sunsets, and blast-offs. Live, eat, and breathe photography with two of the world’s premier photographic educators at one of their very favorite photography locations on the planet. Top-notch in-the-field and Photoshop instruction. This will make 21 consecutive Novembers at Bosque for artie. This will be denise’s 7th workshop at the refuge. Nobody knows the place better than artie does. Join us to learn to think like a pro, to recognize situations and to anticipate them based on the weather, especially the sky conditions, the light, and the wind direction. Every time we make a move we will let you know why. When you head home being able to apply what you’ve learned on your home turf will prove to be invaluable.

This workshop includes 3 morning and 3 afternoon photography sessions, an inspirational introductory slide program after dinner on your own on Saturday, 11/21, all lunches, and after-lunch digital workflow, Photoshop, and image critiquing sessions.

There is never a strict itinerary on a Bosque IPT as each day is tailored to the local conditions at the time and to the weather. We are totally flexible in order to maximize both the photographic and learning opportunities. We are up early each day leaving the hotel by 5:30 am to be in position for sunrise. We usually photograph until about 10:30am. Then it is back to Socorro for lunch and then a classroom session with the group most days. We head back to the refuge at about 3:30pm each day and photograph until sunset. We will be photographing lots of Snow Geese and lots of Sandhill Cranes with the emphasis on expanding both your technical skills and your creativity.

A $449 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your slot for this IPT. Your balance, payable only by check, will be due on 7/25/2015. If you cancel and the trip fills, we will be glad to apply a credit applicable to a future IPT for the full amount less a $100 processing fee. If we do not receive your check for the balance on or before the due date we will try to fill your spot from the waiting list. Whether or not your spot is filled, you will lose your deposit. If not, you can secure your spot by paying your balance.

Please print, complete, and sign the form that is linked to here and shoot it to us along with your deposit check (made out to “Arthur Morris.”) You can also leave your deposit with a credit card by calling the office at 863-692-0906. If you register by phone, please print, complete and sign the form as noted above and either mail it to us or e-mail the scan. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via e-mail.

In 2015, we are offering a 3-DAY IPT before Thanksgiving and a 4-DAY IPT after the holiday. You can attend either and spend Thanksgiving Day with your family. Sign up for both and we will be glad to apply a $100 discount to your balance. We know that there are lots of less costly workshops being offered these days. Please remember that you get exactly what you pay for. If you want the finest in photographic instruction and want to be assured of being in the right spot at exactly the right time, do join us.

Bosque del Apache 2015 BIRDS AS ART/A Creative Adventure Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT). 4-DAY IPT: (three full and two 1/2 DAYS) NOV 28-DEC 2, 2015. $1499. Two great leaders: Denise Ippolito and Arthur Morris. Meet and greet at 3pm on SAT NOV 28 followed by an afternoon photo session at the crane pools and the introductory slide program after dinner on your own.

Just 3 spots left.

Tens of thousands of Snow Geese, 10,000 Sandhill Cranes, ducks, amazing sunrises, sunsets, and blast-offs. Live, eat, and breathe photography with two of the world’s premier photographic educators at one of their very favorite photography locations on the planet. Top-notch in-the-field and Photoshop instruction. This will make 21 consecutive Novembers at Bosque for artie. This will be denise’s 7th workshop at the refuge. Nobody knows the place better than artie does. Join us to learn to think like a pro, to recognize situations and to anticipate them based on the weather, especially the sky conditions, the light, and the wind direction. Every time we make a move we will let you know why. When you head home being able to apply what you’ve learned on your home turf will prove to be invaluable.

This workshop includes 4 afternoon (11/28through 12/1), 4 morning (11/29 to 12/2) photography sessions, an inspirational introductory slide program after dinner on your own on Saturday, 11/28, all lunches, and after-lunch digital workflow, Photoshop, and image critiquing sessions.

There is never a strict itinerary on a Bosque IPT as each day is tailored to the local conditions at the time and to the weather. We are totally flexible in order to maximize both the photographic and learning opportunities. We are up early each day leaving the hotel by 5:30 am to be in position for sunrise. We usually photograph until about 10:30am. Then it is back to Socorro for lunch and then a classroom session with the group most days. We head back to the refuge at about 3:30pm each day and photograph until sunset. We will be photographing lots of Snow Geese and lots of Sandhill Cranes with the emphasis on expanding both your technical skills and your creativity.

A $599 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your slot for this IPT. Your balance, payable only by check, will be due on 7/25/2015. If you cancel and the trip fills, we will be glad to apply a credit applicable to a future IPT for the full amount less a $100 processing fee. If we do not receive your check for the balance on or before the due date we will try to fill your spot from the waiting list. Whether or not your spot is filled, you will lose your deposit. If not, you can secure your spot by paying your balance.

Please print, complete, and sign the form that is linked to here and shoot it to us along with your deposit check (made out to “Arthur Morris.”) You can also leave your deposit with a credit card by calling the office at 863-692-0906. If you register by phone, please print, complete and sign the form as noted above and either mail it to us or e-mail the scan. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via e-mail after July 29.

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