Our ChatterArtist for this month is New York-based portrait and lifestyle photographer Tony Gale, an Aries, born on March 26. Tony was recently a participant on the PDN 30 Panel held at the SVA Theater on West 23^rd Street, during which it was revealed to be his birthday on that same exact day! As I thought about it, I recognized some of the Aries characteristics in him, starting with when Tony mentioned during the panel discussion (about how to survive when you are first starting out) that he worked as a cook part-time to help pay the bills, until he had enough work photographically to sustain him.

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Frank Villafãne – ChatterArtist January 2014

Our ChatterArtist for this month is a new client I started working with last year, architectural photographer Frank Villafa?ne.  I received an email from Frank recently informing me that some of his images would be appearing in a show in New Brunswick, NJ and the timing was kind of well, perfect. Why? The sign for this month of January is the Earth sign of Capricorn, and although Frank is not a Capricorn himself, he is one of the other two Earth signs, a Taurus. Frank photographs Architecture and man-made industrial structures – and it is our Capricorn who builds these very structures!

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Our ChatterArtist for this month is Atlanta-based photographer J.D. Scott – a Cancer, born on July 19 – a “late” Cancer making him close to the next sign of Leo. When you are born on the “cusp” between two signs, you will naturally take on some of the characteristics of the other sign, as well as your actual Sun sign. So with J.D., for example, we see the “nurturing” Cancer in much of his work, which is all about education, family, healthcare, humanitarian issues and so on. And then the Leo comes out in his love of the creative arts, and his ability to have fun with what he does, which in turn allows his subjects to have fun too.

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Our ChatterArtist for this month is Jill Waterman, who ironically introduced me to last month’s ChatterArtist Linda Rutenberg, and they both like to photograph at night! Jill is a Gemini, born on June 5^thand we first met when I was still working at PDN and PhotoServe. We immediately became friends, and I will never forget when my back went out and I was stuck in my apartment for several weeks, it was Jill who came by to see me and bring me some of my work from the office!

FYI – I chose this beautiful image of the Aurora Borealis to head Jill’s article because it fits the Gemini theme so perfectly – Gemini is connected with Electricity and your Nervous System!

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Our ChatterArtist for this month, Lori Nix, is one of my absolute favorite artists, and was my April ChatterCorner a couple of years ago for PhotoServe. Naturally, Lori is an Aries, born on April 13^th, so it’s a perfect opportunity for me to remind you just how talented she is and to show you yet more of her extraordinary work. And to prove the point that there are no coincidences in life, as you will read from this month’s ChatterLog, the sign of Aries is connected with Accidents – and the fact that Lori’s personal email address includes the very word “accidental” in it is surely no accident?

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Our ChatterArtist for this month is a client with whom I have been working for several years now, and that is Miami-based lifestyle & resort photographer Stephen Flint,naturally he’s an Aquarius, born on January 31st in Haiti to English parents. Interesting, right? Steve then lived in Jamaica and Trinidad for 10 years before moving to the U.S. in the early 1980’s, where he has lived ever since. And, as an “Island Boy” at heart, it really comes as no surprise to me that he primarily (though not exclusively) shoots hotel and resort lifestyle, and a lot of water sports, mostly in Florida and the Caribbean!

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Naturally this month our ChatterArtist is going to be a Sagittarius, and I happen to know several photographers born under this sign, but the one I selected is such a perfect fit, and you’ll see why. Mark Segal, and I have known one another for a long time, back from when I worked with American Showcase and Archive Magazine. I have seen Mark’s work evolve over the years, and his business change through both desire and necessity, yet all with one consistent thread – his innate ability to “see” the bigger picture. Sagittarius is the sign that says, “I see, I see so much, where do I start first?” You’ve heard of the expression when someone is said to “not see the forest for the trees” – well, in Sagittarius’ case (and Mark’s) they do see the forest, they see the bigger picture – literally.

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This month our featured photographer is Arnie Zann, a Libra born on September 25^th! As with many Libras, Arnie is naturally charming, a great communicator, and a class act with a resume to match! He started out his 45-plus year career shooting for LIFE and Time, and since then Arnie has traveled the globe creating stunning images for numerous corporate libraries, private museum collections, galleries, major magazines, and more… I first met Arnie and his wife Margo Pinkerton a while back in 2007 when I went down to North Carolina and participated on a panel for their local ASMP Chapter. Margo and I then combined forces and presented a program together at the Miami Ad School later that same year.

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This month our featured artist is New York based photographer and filmmaker Stephen Mallon, a Leo born on August 2^nd. I have known Stephen for quite a few years now and have watched his career evolve, grow and progress during that time. We first met when Stephen was just starting out, one of the skilled and talented young shooters to come out of RIT and start a successful career initially shooting stock. Did somebody say stock? Yes, that’s what I said.

Stephen was smart enough to not solely rely on shooting stock for the rest of his life, especially once he married his lovely wife Sacha and they had their daughter Josephine. So what else has Stephen done? Well, Stephen has always been and continues to be involved in the photo community, including serving as the ASMP NY Chapter President a few years ago. Regarding his photography, he has always pursued the “fine art” avenue as well as commercial assignment and editorial work right from when he graduated in the mid-90s. A photographer is still first and foremost an artist, so it is fine if you present yourself to multiple markets, as Stephen does. Stephen is currently represented by David Laidler, and Works Artists.

Flight 1549 ©Stephen Mallon

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