Brooklynites on Bloomberg

Months after The Brooklynites media blitz, we've been mentioned on Bloomberg's list of Brooklyn books. Laurie Munchnick writes-

``The Brooklynites,'' by Seth Kushner and Anthony LaSala, features photos of people, not rooms, and makes a good case for the borough's vitality. There are famous faces here, and people notable for their roles in the neighborhood -- the owners of Peter Luger Steakhouse; the sea lion trainer from Coney Island's aquarium -- as well as an assortment of grandmothers, deli workers, writers and musicians.

Each portrait is accompanied by a quote from its subject, like novelist Jonathan Lethem, who says Brooklyn is ``a mongrel place of sorts. It mixes old and modern in a haphazard way. It represents a tiny microcosm of the world -- a functional utopia.''

Or as printer Mike Smollar puts it, ``Brooklyn is Brooklyn. There's no place like it in the world. And when you travel to other places in the world you realize that. They got nothin'.'' (PowerHouse Books, $35.)

Check it out the full article here-

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601088&sid=aIz3Kxr2UXnw&refer=muse

Also, I was interviewed by Charlie Pellett, host of "Bloomberg New York". Listen to me weighing in on Brooklyn's cache, the Atlantic Yards and Marty Markowitz's possible run for mayor on Monday between 7-8PM ET.
Bloomberg Radio can be heard on XM channel 129 or SIRIUS channel 130, on plain, old radio In New York City, tune to 1130 on the AM dial, or on Bloomberg. com.

Graphic Novelists Day 6 - part 2

Yesterday brought me back to Gowanus to shoot artist Leland Purvis, who was quite the spry subject. His extremely clever online strip Vulcan & Vishnu provided me with inspiration for the shot below.

Graphic Novelists Day 6 - part 1

Today I had the pleasure of working with cartoonist Jason Little, who's wonderful book Shutterbug Follies is a must read. In keeping with the concept of shooting each subject in an environment which relates to his work, I shot Jason in the darkroom at my high school, Abraham Lincoln (thanks, Carlos!). The enlargers in the background, are the very ones I first learned to print on, back in 1988.

Graphic Novelists Day 5

Earlier today, Martin and I met artist Michel Fiffe at the fascinating place where he works when he's not making comics. After experiencing a bout a visual overload from all of the puppets, Dave McKean-esq masks and dragons, I managed to have a successful session with Michel.
Check out Michel's wild online comic Panorama.

Graphic Novelists Day 4

Moving along on the project, I shot artist Tim Hamilton today with his dogs in Ft. Greene Park.


I think this is a good time to discuss the locations of these portraits. My concept is to photograph each artist in a place that somehow pertains to their work. Tim, for example, did an online comic called Pet Sitter, which takes place in Ft. Greene Park and features dogs. Simon Fraser did a comic called Lily Mackenzie, which has a retro sci-fi look, as most of his work does, so we decided to have him on the boardwalk in Coney Island with the rocket behind him. So, as you see, none of the locations are arbitrary. I have a feeling that picking the right locale for each subject might end up being the most challenging part of this project.

New Agent

I've had several different reps over the years, and for a variety of reasons, none of them ever worked out. Recently though, I've entered into a partnership with my old and trusted friend, Jason Smollar. Jason will be acting as my very own Ari Gold, as he represents me primarily for advertising work. I believe Jason's law degree and industry connections make him a good and qualified representative for me and I very much look forward to working with him. He can be reached at jason@sethkushner.com.

NYC Graphic Novelists Day 3

The project is moving along quickly. I had a great session with Bob Fingerman yesterday. I also started reading his book Beg the Question last night and it's great - thanks for the book, Bob!

NYC Graphic Novelists Day 2

Lots of buzz has started to generate on the comic books sites about my new project. Today I moved forward by shooting two more subjects. I shot Mike Cavallaro in Gowanus and Simon Fraser in Coney Island. Both are great guys and supremely talented artists. Check out a preview of the shoot as well as some behind-the-scenes shots taken by my good buddy and collaborator, Martin Cuevas.



More soon....

New Project

Today I started production on my new project, tentatively called NYC Graphic Novelists. Anyone who knows me knows that my first love is comic books, so this project will be about the creators behind them. I plan to include 30 of the most important independent graphic novelists in NYC and create a series of portraits of them. Additionally, I will be filming interviews with them for a film and collecting pieces of their original work to go beside their portraits in a book and in an exhibition.

The first session went great. I started with Dean Haspiel, who has generously agreed to advise me on this project. Dean is someone whose work I've admired for years, so I'm thrilled to be working with him. Check out some of his books - American Splendor, Billy Dogma, The Quitter and The Alcoholic. We did the shoot on the rooftop of the Gowanus building which houses his studio, Deep Six.

I'll be posting more images and info on this project soon.