Back in the game!

So spring is starring us in the face and the summer season is upon us. Back when I owned my picture framing/gallery and one hour photo/photo studio, I was immersed in art. I loved all aspects of it and I really loved shooting and framing my own work. It went from a thing I saw to a tangible picture you could hang on the wall. Certainly I had enough to shoot around here (East End of Long Island) and always loved being around nature. Lately, I have not been shooting very much, nor showing very much, mostly work related stuff (CCE Marine Program) and shooting documentaries. I enjoy these things as well, but I had an ah-ha moment.  I recently visited my cousin in NYC. He is from Hawaii, one of my favorite places. He had come to NY for business and was in the area. One of his stops was Art Expo and he had an extra ticket. I used to go all the time and enjoyed it very much.  Winter is holding on but something about hanging out in the city and going to the expo, I developed a case of spring fever and when that happens I want to get out and shoot. To top it off, the artwork and the artists at the expo was such an inspiration. Justin, my cousin also had worked for Peter Lik one of the world's best landscape photographers and he had introduced me to his work, so I visited his gallery in Soho, again I was inspired. Here it is the "ah-ha" - 20 years later, 20 lbs heaver and I realize "I can do this" again! How about that! Not all that grand, but a good feeling. So, the first thing I did today is get back involved with the East End Photographers group and get involved with a show and continue to be inspired. Well, I'll keep you posted on my progress and invite you to my next show. 

Back to School?

Hey guys, It's that time again, back to school. Although I have not had to worry about me personally going back for about 26 years now, but I worry about my 3 sons getting back to school, college for that matter. They are scattered all across the Country, two down south and one in New Jersey. One wants to follow in my footsteps, well not exactly, but he wants do produce films, and he is good at it. He did some interesting stuff in High School. Now with all the changes in digital photography, it seems that the two worlds of movie and still images are merging together. I have experienced this first hand with my Canon 5D, what a camera. I haven't pushed it to it's full potential. but I have shot quit a bit of stuff both stills and video/film. What do we call it now a days? Anyway, the video aspect is great, but you really need all the gadgets that go along with shooting with this camera. A viewfinder, some kind of grip where you can hold it steady would be a good start to shooting really good moving images. Probably the thing I'm most impressed with, is the depth of field it produces, what a look! With minimal effort you can get a very professional "film" look to your work. I'm hoping to do more with the 5D and produce a short with it soon, I'll keep you posted. I may need to go back to school to learn more about this new technology before I start!

Rory

My buddy Joe C

My first recollection of Joe was the image you see to the left. "Hey you dirty dog" he would announce early in the morning with a gruff radio voice. That was one of his many Joe-isums. But, yes that's Joe in his boxers coming out to bring his kids to the bus stop, which was at the end of my driveway. Armed with a cup of java and a cheep cigar. This is how our relationship started, Joe was a unique individual and his personality just made you want to like him actually love him. We all called him the mayor of Pacific street and that easily carried beyond to Love Lane and to all of Mattituck. Joe did not have a full time job because he was on disability, he had a stroke and almost died. His recovery was tremendous but it left him with short term memory loss and some other issues that kept him from running his construction company. Mostly Joe was normal and could function on that level and we became good friends.  Our families grew together and soon we started doing more things together. Joe loved parties and they were never small. Why you ask? Joe would invite everybody, the guy in the mail room, all his kids friend's parents would be invited. Joe was a people person, he would make friends with the guy walking down the street... "HEY WE'RE HAVING A PARTY TONIGHT WHY DON'T YOU STOP BY". Poor Janet (Joe's wife who would do most of the cooking and work to prepare) would never know how many people would show up. So Janet would just prepare for lot's of people, she loved it and was a very good host and cook too. Beyond the epic parties, Joe was always around, most of the time I knew him he was working on his house. When ever I was home he seem to just show up ("like a bad penny" another Joe-isum) I would turn around and Joe was standing there, he took great delight in scaring me or trying to scare me. We always seemed to have a good time together and some of the best times I remember with Joe was just sitting outside my backyard or his backyard having coffee together and talking.  Soon I learned he had Hepatitis C and would need some kind of treatment for it. The treatment was almost as bad as chemo but Joe handled it like a trouper. That was the same year we went to Disney together. Both our families drove down to Florida together and stayed in their time share. We had a blast, but Joe was reacting to the treatment and couldn't always come with us so he stayed behind on some of the days he was tired. In spite of that it was a trip to remember. The trip was in March and by that summer he was doing much better and he was put on a list for a liver transplant. The parties continued and we also took ballroom dancing. We also came up with a themed movie night and the first one was "Rocky Horror Picture Show" There's Joe on the right side of me. We had a blast. Then the news came, Joe went in for a check up for his "Hep C" and the Doctor found he had Cancer in his liver. I thought "Not again" At this point Joe was only 53 years old, he can't have Cancer. The worst of it all he was taken off the transplant list. Joe didn't skip a beat, it didn't seem to get him down. He got thorough the "Hep C" treatment, he was ready to treat the Cancer. They put him on a new type of treatment and at first it was iffy, but he rallied back and was his regular self. It didn't even seem like he had anything wrong with him. It was almost Spring and a very nice day, I was working and I felt the need to call Joe: "Hey buddy, how you feeling?" "Not great"

"Would you like me to pick up some lunch?" "Sure". He didn't sound good, We sat down outside like we usually did on a nice day and just talked, talked about what was happening we talked about his faith, his kids, his life, all that mattered to him. I get teary eyed thinking about that day because it was the last time we just sat down together and did what we usually do; hang out. I'll never forget that day. Two weeks later I had to say goodbye to my buddy Joe C. Cancer has hit really close to me and my family, at least with the Relay for life I can feel like I'm fighting back. Thank you all for supporting us with you donations and well wishes. I do hope we can help find a cure for Cancer, it really sucks! and I hate it. You can find my donation page at: Rory's donation page.  

I hope to see you at the Realy for life our Team is called "Hope's Angles"  God bless you all.

Rory

PS I save this chair for Joe and for me when I need to sit down and have a good conversation with him.

My dad has cancer???

I was in the kitchen when I got the phone call, yeah, I had to sit down. My dad said he had some bad news, my heart dropped to my stomach. You know the feeling when you get that kind of news. This news was coming from a man who was a strong man, a veteran. He was the guy I looked up to. I always tried to squeeze his hand with out it hurting, what a grip he had. My dad was also sober and smoke free for many years, he was my power of example I look up to him, he can't have cancer. Well we'll beat it dad, I said. He said, we are certainly going to try. He also said that he was grateful. I was like: Grateful? What are you talking about? Well Rory, back when I was in Korea a bullet just missed my head and ever since that day I have been counting my blessings. Each day has been a gift (yet another thing I could look up to him for). I started to understand what he meant, we both were taught to take each day as it comes and live it to the fullest and he intended to do just that. My dad fought the battle of cancer for 7 months. He has been gone for a little over 10 years and I still miss him. I honor my dad this weekend for his dedication to his country, but I honor him next weekend at the "relay for life walk" for his life and his toughest battle Cancer.  I miss you dad  :-(
Richard E. MacNish  

CANCER SUCKS

Please help to fight cancer and go to my donation
page by clicking this link: Rory MacNish donation page

My sister has cancer?

It was my worst birthday, I turned 20 and I found out my kid sister had cancer. I was scared, I didn't know what it was about and what she had to go through. It turned out she had to go through a lot, spinal taps, chemo, radiation treatments, stuff a 12 year old little girl shouldn't have to go through. So I was told that Tamee was going to North Shore Community Hospital. Turns out it was only miles from where I was going to college and I was able to visit her on a regular basis. What she had to go through man, what  a trouper. I don't think I could have gone through that even now. Her case was also one of those rare one's and her treatment was written up in the medical journals, again I was impressed at her and her recovery. Yes, she lost all her hair and needed a wig, it looked great, but to have a wig at 12 1/2 years old must have been hard too, but again Tamee handled it with grace and ease. I couldn't tell it was a wig, she was beautiful. From what Tamee talks about the Doctors and interns and Nurses were great. My heart also went out to my parents. At the time I could not even imagine what it was like to have a child let alone one with cancer, but now with adult children of my own and going through our own struggles, I can look back and know they were in pain too. Tamee's story is one of success and we are grateful to all the people involved in her remission (which is about 30 years). Tamee was also told she could not have children and she proved them wrong by having too real cool kids, Chris and Sean, my nephews. One more thought - "CANCER SUCKS" that is what I thought of when I was told Tamee (my sister a survivor), Richard (my dad died @ 67), Fritz (my neighbor, he was in his 20's when he passed), Liz, Don, Dicky, Joe, (cousins and friends). Please give to the Relay for life walk today, it will help people like me write more about survivor's like Tamee. To donate please go to:

My Relay for life page