DAD - he can be your best friend, supportive and fun loving, or even someone who has simply taught you much of what you know. He is someone you look up to, someone you know who will always be…
What To Get For Dad
Are You Living?
As a professional photographer, it is my responsibility to capture the moments my clients will cherish for a lifetime. To do this, I need to make sure they are filled with the energy it takes to create those special moments. This past summer, I was honored as the featured photographer for KDHamptons, and I was asked about how I get children to photograph well. Now of course, there’s a secret recipe I use to help my subjects #getlucilled, but the truth is...
What About The Children?
Reopening Studio 54? Will it really happen?
Is Studio 54 going to reopen again? Can that tantalizing time be repeated?
Mark Fleischman does it again.
This autumn, Mark made his authorial debut with the release of his new book, Inside Studio 54. A book filled with some of the most incredible memories in the 80’s New York party scene, it serves as the perfect ode to a time of sex drugs and rock and roll. It was a time when anyone who was someone could be found at Studio 54. “Calvin Klein, Bianca Jagger, Andy Warhol, and Halston,” are just a few names you could expect to come across on any of those glorious nights at studio.
Lucille Khornak stops for a photo with Mark Fleischman, author of Inside Studio 54.
Mark outdid himself in celebrating the debut of Inside Studio 54! It felt just like the good old days, walking into Dream on West 18th. Of course, you had to have your name on the ever exclusive list in order to get past the bouncer and get in line for the elevator that took you to the top floor(unlike Mark on that serendipitous night in 1977). A flashback to the old days of Studio 54: a line to get inside, growing as the minutes went by.
Getting off the elevator I could see the floor was packed. It was a mix of the older crowd, a school reunion from the Studio 54 days, and the new young generation, yearning to experience the vibe of those days.
The music was blaring. Erotic girls were dancing. The terrace was filled with everyone taking photos with their iPhones, selfies and ‘ussies’ -a true sign of the times,- the glistening city as their backdrop for the night. As the place got more and more crowded, the dancing started; it was the upbeat sound of the 80's that electrified the crowd.
My first book, Fashion: 2001, held its opening night party at Studio 54. It was definitely a night to be remembered. If it had been the days of Instagram and Snapchat, the behind the scenes would not have been so secretive; what happened at Studio 54 will remain a whisper.
Mark Fleischman with his wife, Mimi Fleischman celebrating the debut of their book, Inside Studio 54.
Lost in the sweet memory of what may go down in history as one of the most iconic clubs of NYC, I can’t help but wonder if the days of Studio 54 could ever be recreated. Certainly with the instant nature of today’s technology, protecting the otherworldly experience that used to be would prove quite a challenge! Retro music, old friends, and new friends gathered to support Mark Fleischman, and the unique flavor of what once emanated from Studio during opening night.
When I last spoke with Mark, I asked him: “So, is this the beginning of a new Studio 54 all over again?" Mark simply replied, "I know I could do it, but I am not going to do it!"
Studio 54 will forever mark it’s place in history as the club where celebrities gathered with the fabulous people of everyday life to dance the night away. It engraved in stone the standard of the “sex, drugs and rock & roll” experience. Think you can truly handle being Inside Studio 54?
Inside Studio 54 by Mark Fleischman with Denise Chatman and Mini Fleischman
How Digital Photography Changed the Photography Business
The invention of the digital camera has had an incredible impact on the field of photography, revolutionizing how professional photographers operate their businesses and opening up the realm of photography to millions of interested amateur photographers. Such an incredible change has transformed photography from an exclusive art form reserved for trained artists into something that is accessible to everyone. In this day and age, everyone owns a camera – it is actually difficult not to – as they come conveniently built into our cell phones, laptops, tablets etc – ready to snap a photo with the simple push of a button. What did the switch to digital mean for professional photographers in the business? I took a moment to reflect on how the invention of the digital camera has shaped my business into what it is today.
Before digital, I had an assistant and a secretary. I had the same cameras for years. Today, I have ten people that work in our Long Island City studio to help process clients' work. I have to buy new cameras every two years as there are only so many clicks on a digital camera. We have to keep up with the monitors, calibrate them for the color and continuously buy new software as everything gets upgraded. As you can see, digital photography became a more costly endeavor.
Behind the scenes of my photography business, there is a lot of work that goes into ensuring that each client's portraits are top-of-the-line in quality and unlike any other. Though this work is time-consuming it is carried out promptly with expert precision and attention to detail, and only the best is presented to my clients. As technological advancements are made, the same cameras cannot be used throughout the years. They must be upgraded to keep the business up-to-date with the newest alterations in equipment. In this way, digital photography requires many additional costs which are all fundamental in the process of producing luxury photographs.
There are many positive aspects of digital photography as well. With digital, there are a seemingly infinite number of alterations that can be done to the file. Imperfections can be corrected, wrinkles can be softened and the best shot of each person can be combined into one flawless picture in which everyone looks their best. A team of graphic designers at my studio in New York City are skilled in making sure that every edit looks natural and seamless. I have several professional photo retouchers, a color correction specialist, designers that create the holiday cards and prestige photo books, and a tech person to back up the extensive archive of files and manage the network of computers that is necessary for running the business.
Since the film is not used in digital photography, more photographs can be taken at once without worrying about wasting film, making the quest for the perfect photo substantially easier. The raw, unedited pictures from each photo shoot are considered to be the 'negatives. Theses are very large files that we immediately back up. We make a smaller file for clients to view during the selection process as large files take too long to open up.
These are viewed as the unfinished product and are not given to clients since they have not yet met standards of the Lucille Khornak brand perfection. Because I appreciate our clients and feel honored to be a part of preserving their happiest memories, we only want to give our clients the best. Photographs of this quality are works of art – they are made to be framed, used in a design for a gallery wall in the home or put into prestige books to pass on in your family for decades.
What continues to keep successful photography businesses alive and flourishing regardless of the changing tides of technology is a strong dedication to a level of quality that cannot be imitated and the sheer skill of an experienced artist with a trained eye.