August 26, 2020

Hi you guys. Welcome to the blog where I talk about the past.

When I was in hospital, I had nothing to do. I was pretty much paralized and I couldn’t watch TV, so I relied on my memory to keep me going. In the early ‘80’s I worked for a famous photographer in NYC. We traveled all over the world. Not only did I learn real world events, but I also made great contacts. I worked there for about two years. I also went to college for four years, in photography. I got a BFA in photography. The reason I’m telling you this is, if I were to do it all over again, I would go to college for two years and work for someone for like five years. The stuff you learn when you work for someone you admire is invaluable. You can’t get that in school. I still draw upon the things I learned from this guy. It’s funny, you learn what to do and what not to do. It was a great experience. Some events I’d have to take the fifth on, and some events I’m proud of. My friend here said that would make a good title for my book. ha ha ha.

My health assistant just made me my coffee and it’s a nice day, so I’ll talk to you guys later.

Love, B. Nice

P.S. The above photo is from the old days. I used to carry a camera with me all the time. This is one of those shots.

P.P.S. Here’s a link to the film work I’ve been doing. https://youtu.be/seMahBEpbpU

July 29, 2020

Hi you guys. Welcome to the blog where I talk about the past.

I go to therapy twice a week and there’s a girl there who reminds me of an australian girl I once knew. The girl at therapy also has an Australian boyfriend. I was talking to her and it brought up memories of Australia. Man, I miss that place. It made me homesick talking to her. The girl must be the same age as me when I was there. I lived on Australia for like ten years. The final years I was there I had an amazing penthouse. The views were incredible. They went from open ocean in the east to Sydney harbor in the west. The building was amazing. It was built into a cliff. One side was my deck. It was three floors up from the main road, and the back of the penthouse was 8 floors up from the side street. It was an awesome building. and thank god we didn’t get earthquakes in Australia. Anyway, coming to think of Australia, I really learned how to shoot with natural light there. The light there is harsh. The first time you processed your film (that dates me) the film looks really contrasty. There was tons of ultraviolet light there. I learned how to shoot backlit there and in open shade. It really made you appreciate the light we have in New York, and the light in Europe. There was a photographer I worked for in New York a long time ago. He told me to only look at your subject right before you start shooting, and he was right. You really have to look at what the light is doing to your subject. Anyway, it was a cool place to learn. I did like two magazine shoots a week. It was great. I miss the place.

I have deep roots in Australia because my grandparents owned land there. They owned a macadamia nut farm. That farm was in northern Australia, in Queensland. When I first got to Australia I lived in Carins for a while. I bought a car that would have made Starsky and Hutch proud. It was a total drug runners car. It had mag wheels, two tone paint, a V8 engine, a huge trunk. When I rolled up to my photoshoots, people always did a double take. Anyway, it was fun to drive, even though I got pulled over all the time.

I could go on and on with stories, but I won’t. I’ll talk to you guys next week. Love and miss you guys, Love, B. Nice

P.S. The opening photo was from an Australian Day Parade.

June 17, 2020

Hi everybody. Happy Father’s Day! I’m gonna dedicate this blog to my father. He’s no longer with us, but he’s always around. Anyway, I’ve got a pretty good Father’s Day story.

I’ve always wanted to do a specific project with my Dad. He had the idea of painting icebergs and having a show with me in this gallery in New York. My father was inspired by Frederick Church. I knew exactly where to go. I had been there before. Greenland.

We met with the gallery owner and he agreed to sponsor the trip. I set up the trip like I would one of my fashion shoots. We got up early in the morning (even though it was sunny all the time). We painted and photographed on a boat in the morning. We’d come back, have lunch and then go out in the afternoon on a hike or a helicopter ride. It was a great trip. It only lasted a week, but it was great. A friend of mine produced a documentary called “Meltdown.” Adam Hall shot the film. It was a great tribute to Dad.

We had a show called Meltdown with Pace Prints in New York 2008. It was a great show. At one point I was standing next to Dad. I said, “Hey Dad, look! There is Steve Jobs.” My Dad said, “Who’s that?”

I moved in with Dad and Mom in 2009. It was a great way to get to know my parents all over again. Eventually, after Mom died, Dad and I became roommates. We were the perfect odd couple. I couldn’t talk and he couldn’t hear. You should have seen us with the TV remote. We were like two chimps that found something shiny. It was never a dull moment. Other than painting and eating, we had a great time together. I’ll miss him.

Happy Father’s Day.

Love, B. Nice

Meltdown Exhibition:

http://www.artslant.com/ny/events/show/21143-meltdownthe-icebergs-of-greenland

Meltdown Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2D9a54lkiRo

January 22, 2020

Hi everybody. Welcome to the blog where I talk about the past.

I wasn’t sure if I was constantly tired or constantly jetlagged. Either way I was constantly tired. I remember, I would go to my parents’ house to basically sleep. I get there on Friday and sleep until Sunday. I was always tired.

If I described my lifestyle, you’d understand what I mean. I would basically be on a plane every week, going back and forth between Paris and New York. You know it’s bad when the flight attendant say's, “Hi Brian.” I guess that can only last so long.

I basically had two of everything. I would leave my bag at the laundrymat. They would do laundry fold and pack it. Then I’d come home, give them the old laundry in the bag and they’d give me the new one, and off I’d go. Needless to say, my wardrobe was mostly t-shirts and black pants.

You know what, I’m gonna keep it short this week, because I just had surgery again. and I’m a little tired. So, this is B. Nice signing out. Check out my other blog where I talk about the present.

November 13, 2019

I was shameless. I used to use the models as bait. For example, I was doing a book on dogs and their celebrity owners. I would send the girls over to talk to the talent to try to get them to do the photo. The models knew how to talk to the people more than I could. The times I did try, the celebrity told me to piss off. One time I was doing a portrait of a famous surfer. I sent the girl over to ask him to do the portrait and he said sure. If I went over, he would have told me to piss off. I guess she knew how to sell stuff.

It’s funny, you know, it makes me realize what we used to do. I never really thought about it. The client would give us an ugly dress and say “Here. Here’s an ungly dress. Take a nice photo of it and sell lots of them.” We would get a good model, good hair and make up, great location. The pictures were nice. I guess when you look at the photo, you think, “I could be like her in that nice location. That dress looks nice.” Then they get the dress in the mail and all their visions and fantasies are shattered. I guess we were magicians in a way.

One time (before 9/11) I sent the model over to ask the captain of an aircraft carrier If we could shoot on the deck with a bunch of sailors. He said, “Yeah, no problem.” He even gave us his cabin to do hair and makeup. It was a fun shoot. You could do stuff like that before 9/11.

I was more of a spontaneous photographer. I would see a situation and try to use it instead of setting up shots. You know, adapt to situations. If it worked, great. If it didn’t work, move on. I guess that’s where I am now. I have many other stories like the ones above. Anyway, this is B. Nice signing off. Don’t forget to check out my other blog where I talk about the present. Love, B. Nice