Larry and Jim, Gay Americans

Happy Thanksgiving!

Some shots from the Outer Banks of North Carolina near Nags Head where Nick and I joined some family for Thanksgiving this year. We all rented a house for the week to enjoy the holiday from neutral ground. We explored the area yesterday and took in some sights including Jockey's Ridge State Park, the largest sand dunes on the east coast. Very cool. I hope that everyone is enjoying a great holiday this year.

Sebastian Junger

I saw on my facebook page this morning that my friend Reid Callanan, the director of the Santa Fe Photo Workshops, is organizing a fundraising event with Reza and Sebastian Junger on December 4th in Santa Fe to benefit Photo Teens, a really great cause. Information for the event is located on the workshops site, linked here. It all reminded me that I had photographed Sebastian a while back for Manhattan File, which was such a great magazine, soon after his book A Perfect Storm had been made into a movie. We shot this at the bar in his restaurant, The Half King, on West 23rd Street, near Tenth Avenue in Chelsea, NYC, which is still such a great place to eat and hang out if you're ever in the neighborhood.

John, Gay American

Brian, Gay American

Maine and Massachusetts Visit

Last week I went up to Maine and Massachusetts for some some more Gay America shoots and really enjoyed my time up there. I met and photographed some very interesting guys including a psychic medium, a high school principal, a retired air traffic controller, a substance abuse counselor, a real estate broker and amazing photo-realistic portrait artist. The medium also did my reading, which proved to be a wonderful experience. I was a bit of a skeptic before, but am amazed at the details this guy gave me about my life, surroundings and loved ones. My grandmother came through loud and clear and had lot of messages for me. There were other relatives that came to talk too, but she was by far the most vocal. I also have lived over 50 previous lives, am intensely connected to Rome and am a bit of a psychic myself. My book will be published in 2009/10 and is one of three major projects that will also published in my life. As far as spirit guides, I have six photographers, a couple of philosophers and a Native American warrior with me at all times. I found it really fascinating , would definitely do it again and recommend it to anyone. It's amazing who this project puts me in touch with and it all is so very cool. Some shots along the way from the Androscoggin River.

Bob Barletta, RIP

Some recent events have made me think of those loved ones that have passed on and I wanted to share this shot of my partner Nick with his father, Bob, who died earlier this year after a long and tough battle with Alzheimer's. I took this snapshot at a small celebration last year for my partner Nick's 46th birthday at his parents house, which is around the corner from our weekend place. I know that he is in good company on the other side and is patiently awaiting the reunion with his wife Edith, who still has a lot of life left in her before she joins him. He was 90 in this picture, if you can believe, and definitely passed along his good looking genes to Nick. RIP Bob, you were a wonderful man and are greatly missed by us all.

© Norman Jean Roy Group Shot

Here's a shot from famed photographer Norman Jean Roy of the students that took his workshop last year in Santa Fe, myself included, second from the left. To watch him in action and create this out of practically nothing was great. You can see more of his work regularly in Vanity Fair and other Condé Nast publications.

Nutopia Group Show

NUTOPIA - THE SHOWNIGHT

K & M Studios Gallery
385 Broadway, 3rd Floor

Thursday, November 6th – ONE NIGHT ONLY!!
7.30 pm – 10.00 pm - BYOB

Participating Photographers:

Andreas Laszlo Konrath, Mike McGregor, Andrew Hetherington, Pari Dukovic, Glenn Glasser, Steven Laxton, Mauricio Quintero, Grace Doherty, Cailla Quinn, Sara Macel, Wesley Belknap Rose, Jami Saunders, Heather Courtney, Nick Rapaz, Jason Robinette, Scott Pasfield, Jennifer Trausch & Platon


"Nutopia has no land, no boundaries, no passports, only people." John Lennon

You are invited to the one-night-only inaugural group exhibition of the Nutopia Forum. Conceived by the famed photographer Platon, the Nutopia Forum is a collective of young photographers who meet regularly to discuss their photography and share new work. In the spirit of 17th-century French salons, the Nutopia Forum creates a democratic environment for photography to be discussed and celebrated in all forms and genres.

In order to maintain the intimacy of a small social gathering, the Nutopia Forum meetings operate on an invitation-only basis. The ShowNight will be the first time we open our doors to the general public to view our work as a collective. Bring friends & countrymen along with a healthy supply of booze & good spirits for an evening of photography & debaucheries.

Spread the word & the love.

www.nutopiaforum.com
www.nutopiaforum.blogspot.com

Jim and Nile, Gay Americans

Here's another shot that I just love from my Gay America project of a couple in Palm Springs, CA and their story.

We were both products of what we call the ignorant generation; the one that could not even discuss SEX, much less sexual orientation. We both are products of very rural areas; KS and MT. Both followed the dictates of societal mores and married and had children. Jim, the furry one, was married for 27 years. Me, Nile, for 21. Yes, we have pretty cool relationships with our respective families. Jim's is a bit more proactive. We both survived one previous post-marriage relationship. Each disastrous in their own way. It will be 13 years this December for us as mates and CA registered partners for over 8. As gay men, our joint philosophy has been that we neither flaunt it nor apologize for it. Our life hope is that by example we touch folks' lives in a way that they may reach an acceptance and understanding of what the reality of being a gay man is really like, and that accepting Diversity really is just fine. We're pretty plain, low key men. lolol

Fall Colors

Nick and I went up to VT last weekend and bathed in the orange glow at the house. Played with my chainsaw, lawnmower and camera. Happy man. Here's a composite shot of two images taken at sunset from the back deck. One of the mountainside and one of the sky, merged to form a shot that looks like I'm peering through some low flying clouds...kind of.

Nutopia Magazine #10

I am honored and excited to be featured in the latest issue of Nutopia, an online and printed magazine of photographers and artists gathered by the photographer Platon. My adscapes and me are happy to be included. Check it out, Issue #10. Takes a while to load though... At a recent gathering, I met two great photographers whose sites are linked on the Nutopia blog, Andrew Hetherington and Steven Laxton. Andrew also has an interesting blog at whatsthejackanory.com. All good stuff.

Gays Across America

I just posted a new portfolio on my site of portraits that I have been working hard at over the last 7 months. It's of out and proud gay men from around the country that have shared their stories with me and allowed me into their worlds at home. I have done about 80 shoots so far in 43 states. The stories are so amazing and varied and need to be shared. I hope to finish shooting by the end of the year and have it made into a kick ass book next year. Here's a shot of Robert from North Dakota in his back yard. The portfolio is at http://www.scottpasfield.com and titled 'gay america'.
Thanks for checking it out. :o)Here's Robert and his initial email...

You talked about finding out gay men in Fargo willing to be photographed.

I am 44, actually live in Leonard, ND which is a small town about 35 miles out of Fargo, maybe 200 homes. I moved up to ND in Jan of '89 and liked it and have stayed. I lived in Grand Forks until the flood of 97 and then moved to Fargo, and about 4.5 years ago bought the house I live in.

I know we need a wider exposure than what most of the media shows of GBT folks. From kids who are out to the folks one might think to the range of Lesbians and Gay Men found here. What Fargo could use are bill boards.

But, I am out, have been for a bit. Came out to myself in 1992 or 3, and then to my folks 5 years ago, yea, but I am sure that's not too uncommon a story.

I am a 330 pound, long beared bear. Lot's of gray in the beard, and I am out at work and anywhere. I had a partner for 4 years that recently left and my company even had him covered for insurance. I am not what most folks think of when they think of a gay man. But there are a lot of us, and we are all around.

Traveling Man

Wow, I am one tired pup, writing this post from my lovely Days Inn motel room near the AZ border in southern CA. I have driven about 2800 miles in the last week and a half, starting in Los Angeles and looping through San Francisco, Reno, Salt Lake, Vegas, Phoenix and Tuscon and many places in between. More great guys and stories for the book with two more shoots and 500 miles to log in before returning to NYC and Nick on Friday. I am so psyched that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, with only seven mores states to visit and almost all will be new places for me, including the Northwest, Alaska and Hawaii. Here are a few snaps from the highway of the vast western landscape that I have driven through on this trip. I LOVE it out here. God's country for sure.

Sunbury Moonscapes

Took Jeanne and Scott's golf cart down to the water after dinner on Saturday night to this old mansion's remains and tried to do some of my moonscapes, taking advantage of the full moon rising over the bay at that sweet magic hour. Here's the two I like best shot under a live oak dripping with Spanish moss and a couple of boats passing by.

Sunbury, Georgia Coast

I wanted to share some of the beauty of the Georgia coast and the peaceful little area of Sunbury where I find myself this weekend. My step sister Jeanne and her husband Scott live here, spending a lot of time fishing, crabbing, shrimping and sharing the bounty of the sea with the local manatees and dolphins. Amazing to say the least. We took their golf cart to a neighbor's house last night for a crab feast and traveled down the oldest road in Georgia to get there. Here's a shot of the moss covered trees along that road and the delicious crabs we ate before they were cooked. Good eatin' ya'll.

Chris Fry, RIP

On July 15th, I had the privilege of photographing Chris Fry, in Mission, Kansas on July 15th for my project. He was a very nice guy, whom I had found online and asked about whether he might have interest in being a part of the book. Happily, he agreed and we set up a shoot when I was passing through town. Here's what he wrote me about himself.

Not really sure what to write. I work at KU Med Center as a respiratory therapist. I'm a quiet reserved person, put my all into something or someone that I like. Try to do right by others. May have found that special someone to spend my life with earlier this month. Like the outdoors and hanging with friends. Spend part of my life in the navy. Seen a good amount of the world. Well I hope I've answered your questions. Chris

Unbelievably, he was killed in a motorcycle accident last week, all too young. My heart and prayers go out to his family and boyfriend Kevin during this difficult time.

Wyoming Grasslands

I survived another leg of the Gay America project and now clock in at 37 states complete. I flew home from Atlanta, where I return Sept 4th to continue shooting. I still have GA, FL and AL to do before bringing the car back to NY. The six shoots I did since Santa Fe were in Carlsbad NM, San Angelo, Pflugerville and Conroe TX, Loranger LA and Jackson MS. Amazing men, stories and photos. Can't wait to share. In the meantime, here is a shot of the grasslands in the eastern part of the scenic wonder we call Wyoming.

Northern Plains Summer Colors

On the latest road trip for my project, I had shoots in Minnesota, North and South Dakota, Iowa, Wyoming and Colorado. Spent some time up in a Buddhist retreat, a college town, a rural farmhouse, and lots of cool places in between. Some things that caught my eye were the farmland in western Wisconsin, a stand-alone gas pump south of Fargo (no store or attendant in sight) and a sunflower field in SD. I arrived in Santa Fe a few days ago to recharge my batteries, so to speak, and am heading off tomorrow morning for the final leg of this road trip back to NY through TX and then east.

Flint Hills, Kansas

As I prepare for the next trip for my project, I wanted to post a little something about the last journey, which started and ended in Milwaukee, but brought me to Des Moines IA, Omaha NE, Kansas City MO, Wichita KS, Tulsa OK, Little Rock AR, Jackson TN and finally Farmersville IL. One spot that really left me breathless was along a drive in Eastern Kansas through these amazingly large rounded grass covered hills known as the Flint Hills or Bluestem Pastures. As the sun was setting and the views from the highway amazing, I stopped quickly to try and capture the American heartland at its best, cows grazing and all. The resulting image is just OK, but you get the idea. I also turned around and took a shot of a truck whizzing by me on the highway, with the moon in the distance. Sweet. Interesting side note, Elton John apparently has purchased a lot of land in this area, at least according to the woman at the Kansas Welcome Center.

Happy Birthday Dom Deluise!

I have had this on my site for a while and saw that Dom is turning 75 today and wanted to send him birthday wishes. Happy birthday Dom! He was so funny on the Dinner for Five set in Los Angeles where I shot this before they started taping the show. He really wanted for me to try and get a shot of him with lots of smoke surrounding him and he tried his hardest, but it just didn't work out very well with my small lighting set up. So I asked him be all serious with his cigarette and ended up loving those shots best. He then sat down to dinner with host Jon Favreau, Richard Lewis, John Herzfeld, a director, and Peter Falk and they taped for a few hours, telling great stories from the industry, me lurking behind the cameras with my sound-proofed blimp taking stills for promotions. Memorable experiences to say the least.

The Adirondacks and Beyond

I headed out on another road trip for my project after checking in on VT last week and started by crossing into NY just under the Canadian Border. Then I drove through The Adirondack Park to my Uncle Gary's house in Verona Beach on Oneida Lake which took more than six hours. It amazes me how large NY is. I snapped this shot crossing a small bridge somewhere near Lake Placid in some pretty spectacular countryside. After spending the night at his lake cottage, I headed off to shoots in Buffalo, Detroit, Columbus, Indianapolis and Chicago before taking a break and flying back to NY from Milwaukee, which is where I will resume the project later this week.

VT House Upstairs

I swung by the VT house last week and wanted to show how the upstairs rooms turned out, places I love to spend time in when I'm there. In the kitchen, we put in a new fridge that finally opens all the way and is flush with the cabinets, which makes such a huge difference. The one that came with the house not only didn't work, but was standard sized and stuck out 6 more inches beyond the cabinets and was unable to open all the way, rendering it rather inefficient for its 35 year life. The new one's a Liebherr from Germany, a cheaper alternative to a Sub-Zeron, and such a cooler fridge, if you ask me. We also mirrored the backsplash which opens up the space even more and adds to the whole 70's vibe. My grandmother made the Rya shag rug on the floor, while the dining room table, wall hangings and the deer head were finds at my favorite Long Island thrift sale. It all came together quite nicely. I love it.

George Carlin RIP

I had the honor of photographing George Carlin a few years ago in Los Angeles. He was not the happiest guy when he realized that he had to sit down for portraits with me, but he did his best and even allowed me to get in super tight on the last shot. Here it is, that last frame, from the twenty images I took that evening. Rest in peace George, you'll be missed.

Gay American Road Trips

I started a new project in February finding and photographing inspirational OUT Gay American Men from every state with great stories or wisdom to share. It has been a truly amazing experience so far and I hope to finish by the end of this year and turn it into a book. I have done 17 states and embark tomorrow morning for my longest road trip to date, hoping to accomplish at least a dozen states before returning home. I will probably post a new portfolio of the men on my site next month. Here are a few snaps from my last road trip...my cousin Justin's son Jack in WV, the Giant Peachoid water tower in SC and some shots from my Aunt Debbie's farm in Kentucky.