Last year I was commissioned by Jon Cooke to photograph renowned cartoonist Michael Kaluta for Comic Book Creator Magazine. Since the feature has been put on hold, I thought I woild share these photos.
I went into this shoot without a plan, but knowing I would do something on the artist at his home. I had been informed Kaluta's Upper West Side apartment was "filled with cool stuff", but I was not prepared by what I would find; antique toy ray guns, aviator goggles, old airplane instrument panels, art supplies (of course!) and the man himself. Kaluta was gregarious and inviting as I walked him through my various photo ideas, which was basically having him pose in different fascinating spots in his apartment.
The photos, inspired as always by Arnold Newman's (my one time employer - long story!) environmental portraits would certainly fit right at home with my long series of comic book creator photos in my book, Leaping Tall Buildings: The Origins of American Comics. Perhaps one day, Chris Irving and I will do a new edition of the book and include folks I've covered after the publication, like Kaluta, Bryan Lee O'Malley, Robert Kirkman and more. For now, thanks to John Cooke for allowing me to continue my series in the pages of his magazine. Also, thanks to Gregory Benton for tagging along the day of the shoot and lending a helping hand.
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