New WeHo Library

Had the good fortune to preview the new West Hollywood library across the street from the PDC, shooting an editorial assignment this morning. Wonderful civic project, designed by Johnson Favaro. Our family will definitely be spending time there once it opens in October.

Joyce Carol Oates and Me

The New Yorker published A Widow's Story by Joyce Carol Oates in the Dec. 13, 2010, issue about the sudden death of her husband, Raymond J. Smith, in 2008. It's a powerful, intensely sad essay. One of our great American writers doesn't need my nod, but I'll offer it up nonetheless.

Her words are accompanied by a striking full-page photo of the couple taken more than 40 years ago, and it reminded me that the first commercial photo I ever took was this shot of her, in about 1994. It was an editorial assignment for the now-defunct arts and entertainment weekly (so defunct it doesn't even show up when googled) L.A. Village View, for which I also copyedited at the time.

I was living in Venice, carless and nearly penniless at the time. I took a couple of busses to Dutton's in Brentwood, where Oates was to be promoting a new book. She was also being interviewed for the Village View, and I had to wait more than an hour while she was being interviewed before getting my three minutes to shoot photos. That meant no warm-up time for the subject. She was noticeably uncomfortable, but gracious and cooperative. She radiated, though not with any conventional beauty. Stereotypically bookish, she also possessed a bright and strong presence.

How did my less-than-auspicious leap into the photo fray conclude? I was paid $10 for the shot that ran in the paper. I was also reimbursed the cost of two rolls of Kodak Tmax 120 and processing. And I continued to copyedit the music section of the paper in exchange for a mediocre Thai dinner one night a week, picking up more $10 photo assignments whenever I could.