What was I up to? Just because I have a picture doesn’t mean I remember a lot about it.
I think I had just scored a very profitable photographic bit of freelance and had bought a “super-wide” camera lens to shoot it with.
The gig was shooting a background image for one of those oddball holographic comic covers. Yes, a daylight hologram on a Spider-Man cover—four of them I think. The people who were preparing this cover needed a wild point of view of hanging out over the street.
Who else would they call? I should see if I can take pictures of a hologram before I spill all the secrets here…
During this period of time I always checked into the Punisher offices. This old building was 387 Park Ave South. You can see the new thermally efficient windows they put in (didn’t work, could get cold as CoVid vaccine in the winter). At left is Don Daley Ruler Of All Things Punisher, in the middle Kevin Kobasik, Assistant Editor Of All Things Punisher. That’s me on the right, trying not to drop my camera rig.
This then is one of those unusual viewpoints.
Oh, right—a selfie-stick. What’s the commotion? Well, this was 1994 and selfies as they have come to be known were two decades off.
I am holding a “monopod” which is merely a tripod with only one leg. But I had to modify my motor drive so that I could trigger the camera remotely. And Nikon wanted a hatful of twenty-dollar bills for their little attachment. I had enough junk around the apartment to make such a remote shutter trip.
I present a morbid, but possible view of a freelancer jumping right out of a window in protest of some kind. Or being thrown out– though that’s more DeFalco’s style.
My old eyes long to see a larger version of this image–also the image that you eventually captured which was used on the cover of the comic–and if you needed money for equipment, I’m sure that if we had known that we would all have chipped in and bought you whatver you needed as you were our staff photographer and when you were not shooting stats, you were shooting us–and a few of us definitely deserved to be shot. Thank you, ERB.
Look like you invented the selfie stick!
I did!