Mel: The Apartment

Photography and Text by Tony Ward, Copyright 2023

.

The Apartment

.

The apartment that I rented in Amsterdam at the turn of the 2000’s was a perfect location for me to work from at that point in time.  I had become friends with local businesswoman, Danny Linden who owned a fetish shop on the famous Oudezijds Achterburgwal in the Red Light district.  Danny and I became friends and worked on a number of shoots together for her shop.  She realized that I was going back and forth to the states on a regular basis between 1999 and 2005 so she offered me to stay at an apartment that she managed just around the corner from her shop on a tiny little street that looked on to rows and rows of prostitute windows.  I was such a frequent visitor that they always said hello to me as if I was their neighbor or something.  Yes.  There was the something too.

In this part of the apartment where I made the photographs of Mel there was natural light entering the living area windows. The warm red walls  bathed my models in beautiful afternoon light as we worked through a series of test pictures for the latest body of work.

Mel was one those visitors on a go see.  I remember her most as a makeup artist. However, when I saw how exotic she looked I asked to photograph her right there on the spot.  No conversation before , it was very spontaneous.  I never saw or had the opportunity to work with Mel as a makeup artist this occasion  but I do cherish the brief time that we met. It was fun to have bathed her in such beautiful light.

.

To access additional articles by Tony Ward,  click herehttps://tonywardstudio.com/blog/light-table-a-sliver-in-time/

Casting Call: A Sliver in Time

 

Text and Photography by Tony Ward, Copyright 2023

.

Casting Call: A Sliver in Time

.

One of the joys of being a photographer for the past 40 plus years is that I’ve accumulated a  large body of work and incredible visual memories. In this series of pictures,  the subject met me only once but left a trail of images that brings back memories of the days, months and years I worked in Amsterdam photographing some of the most beautiful women in the world. 

On September 25th, 2003 I was out having dinner and drinks at Club Nl, a very well known night club in the heart of the city that was frequented  mostly  by locals.  This was the place where I often met with Dutch friends to enjoy Amsterdam’s nightlife.  It was also a place where I scouted for models. 

On this particular evening  almost 30 years ago,  Frans a close friend mentioned there was a young woman by the name of Layla who wanted to meet me for a casting. Arrangements  were made for the prospective model to meet me at the apartment I was renting in the Red light District.  Layla arrived on a beautiful sunny afternoon looking forward to the opportunity to meet me with hopes that she could model for one of the magazines of which I was a contributing photographer.  She knew that I was a specialist in erotic photography so the sitting went smoothly as she was eager to exhibit her youthful beauty within this small sliver of time that has left lasting visual memories. 

Harvey Finkle: Under One Sky

Harvey Finkle: Under One Sky

PRESS RELEASE:

 

Upcoming Exhibitions:
 
Under One Sky: Reflecting Immigrant Communities.
The Photographs of Harvey Finkle, A Harvey Finkle Retrospective, 1982-2018.
 
 
Curated by David Acosta, Artistic Director for Casa de Duende, opening October 1st, 2022 5-8 PM @
The Dene Louchheim Gallery, Fleisher Art Memorial,
 
719 Catharine St, Philadelphia, PA 19147
 
 

Ed Simmons: In Memorium, 10-07-1952 – 9-22-22

Ed Simmons. Self-Portrait. LA. 2018.
Ed Simmons. Self-Portrait, Los Angeles, 2018.

In Memorium: 

Ed Simmons: 10-07-1952 – 9-22-22

.

Text by Tony Ward, Copyright 2022

.

It figures that today is a dreary rainy day.  Not easy getting bad news on a day like this, but it happened anyway. Jacqueline Simmons, the daughter of a dear friend,  Ed Simmons called at 10:42 this morning to inform tearfully that  her Dad passed away peacefully from complications of renal cancer. She was by his bedside at the time of his passing.  Anyone that knew Ed would know how much he was comforted by Jacqueline’s presence.  His daughter was the apple of his eye, a complicated relationship but they loved each other immensely none the less.  Ed called early in June of this year and gave me the news his diagnosis was terminal.  I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.  Ed always appeared fit and healthy. He didn’t exactly know how much time he had in June. He was acutely aware his time was very limited on this earth.  We talked about therapy options that he didn’t want any part of.  I tried to encourage him to look on the bright side, hoping against hope there would be a miracle, certainly there were plenty of prayers. Ed was steadfast. He starred squarely at his mortality and accepted his pending demise without complaint. He remembered seeing his dad suffer with the end stages of the same disease and decided after conferring with doctors not to take any chemo or radiation. He didn’t want to suffer with ineffective treatments the way his dad did.  He said the disease was really nasty. 

So we talked since  June numerous times about what he would do with his personal effects, especially his photography collection.  Ed was an amazing photographer and always offered his assistance on my shoots  whenever I worked in Los Angeles.   He loved LA’s nightlife and became a fixture, particularly around Melrose and his home away from home, Venice Beach, where he wished to have his remains released to the sea, where his spirit can eternally enjoy the sun and surf.

A life well lived and a close friend I will truly miss.

.

Here are a few links to past contributions Ed Simmons made to this blog. He would love for visitors to enjoy the articles he left behind:

. Dancing Girls Harvard and Stone: https://tonywardstudio.com/blog/ed-simmons-dancing-girls-harvard-and-stone/

. Venice Beach Trashed: https://tonywardstudio.com/blog/ed-simmons-dancing-girls-harvard-and-stone/

. Jay Adams Local Hero: https://tonywardstudio.com/blog/ed-simmons-jay-adams-local-hero/

Studio News: Harvey Finkle – Under One Sky

poor black immigrant using old mattress as a trampolene
Photo: Harvey Finkle, Copyright 2022
 
Dear Friends:
 
Under One Sky: Documenting Immigrant Communities in Philadelphia The Photography of Harvey Finkle is an exhibition being planned for October of this year. We are raising much needed funds to assist with the matting, framing and mounting of 43 photographs out of the 83 that will be in the show and any amount donated will help us get closer to achieving our goal of being able to show these amazing photographs. Below please find a little more about Harvey’s work and this exhibition.
 
For five decades Harvey Finkle has documented immigrant communities, as well as social and political activism in Philadelphia and other US cities. He photographed and documented the Sanctuary Movement in the early 1980s and in 2003 his exhibition Philadelphia Mosaic: New Immigrants in America was held at the Free Library of Philadelphia.
 
 Under One Sky: Reflecting Immigrant Communities Through Photography 1982-2018 will present thirty-six years of Harvey Finkle’s photographs documenting the many immigrant communities that call Philadelphia home and is the biggest retrospective of his immigrant photographs to date. 
 
The proposed exhibition also comes at an important time when immigrant communities in the USA are experiencing backlash, and in the case of Asian and Pacific Islandercommunities, a rise in attacks and violence in the form of anti-Asian hate. It is also an important exhibition as Harvey is no longer able to photograph due to the onset of rapid macular degeneration, which forced him to give up the camera, despite this challenge, Harvey continues to work by organizing, distributing, printing, editing and showing his work while continuing to make photos with a digital printer. 
 
The exhibition will present over 80 photographs showcasing 17 immigrant communities living in North, South and West Philadelphia. The groups represented in the exhibition include Indonesians, Vietnamese, Hmong, Cambodian, Laotian, Indian, People from Burma, Bhutanese (Nepal), Mexican, Peruvian, Guatemalan, Liberians, Afghans, Lebanese, Ethiopians, people from Sierra Leone and Jamaicans. 
 

Below please find a link to our indieGoGo fundraiser. Your generous contribution no matter how small will assist us in readying the work for exhibition. Thank you in advance for your consideration. 
 
 
Sincerely yours,
David Acosta & Harvey Finkle.