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For Work Rates and Licensing: 888 754 6613   John@DallasPhelps.com  
 
I am a freelance photo video creator based in New York. This portfolio site will give you some idea of the scope of my work, including candid/portrait publicity photos, journalistic photo/video footage, product photography, event coverage, and location property shots, together with examples of the different ways that each has been commercially used, such as online photo layouts, site galleries, slideshows as well as more advanced online/broadcast video 'moviette' productions with custom sound. I am expecting to have all the galleries and the new video section installed fairly soon...
Occupy Times Square ended up being quite a crush as many people flooded into the area in the early evening. There was lots of slogan shouting and some scattered protest singing and a few good photographic moments to be had with the famous neon screens of Times Square acting as the backdrop.
Developing a PSA video re music education in schools with Jazzman Willie Gee. Shooting spots in Central Park and visuals of Carnegie Hall, Julliard, Lincoln Center, and notable Village venues.
Have begun editing the new video promo for New York Theatre Intensives Class of 2012. Shot both stills and video thru July/Aug covering all aspects of the 2011 Summer Conservatory program; classes and performances together with interviews with students, teachers and guest speakers etc.
Lincoln Center has had an electronic facelift. The black granite fountain is just one of the stars of the show. One of the high points is seeing the waters shoot vertically 40 ft with very little collateral spray. It can be quite hypnotizing, after a while you realize you've been watching dancing waters for 20 minutes and still you don't want to leave.
Working on a bunch of cover shots for the various photo features and neighborhood galleries for the upcoming coffee table book site What About New York, set to launch during the Fall.
One of the unique things about New York City from a photographer's point of view is that, no matter where you find yourself in ther city, East Side, West Side, Midtown, Downtown etc, you will always find moments to capture. These two furry guys were seen in Chelsea, cruising in the Hummer with their driver.
The High Line has become many west siders new favorite place to just get away from it all. Whether it's just retreating with a book at one of the quiet nooks along the way, exploring the unique wildflower gardens, joining a passing band procession, or just soaking up the afternoon sun and catching up on some people watching, the High Line is a must do experience for anyone visiting the city.
Just a very quick snapshot session for OSHO Japaneze Restaurant in Poughkeepsie. Jay needed some new staff pics for his web site so we had a very rapid frame and shoot for about 10 minutes.
It was an exciting surprise to realize that the place I was shooting on East 75th St last week was Richard Avedon's photo studio. There were still labels on some of the filing cupboards with some of the high profile clients, Elizabeth Taylor and such.
I take lots of food shots and it's always a nice surprise to see how great some of the shots taken with the little pocket camera like the LX5 turn out. For just covert, shooting from the hip, an LX5 and a Canon sx230 can, in most cases cover most of the bases for web use imagery, from low light interiors, to stabilized zoom, to full 1080p video with clear stereo sound
Spent a couple of hours on Wed covering the Occupy Wall Street protest, very high energy, obviously historic. Shot lots of stills and video and will be posting galleries early next week. The crowds were absolutely massive and just kept coming, very definite echoes of the 60s, the stage is set, where are the headline acts?
MCCNY: A Year in the Life is a long form video that will involve documenting all aspects of the church in 2011-12, the incredible music performances, the humanitarian work, the political challenges etc. I expect it will take me well into next year to capture all the first round footage.
In the 10 years since 9/11 I hadn't taken any shots of the Tribute in Light beams that shoot skyward. Finally on the 10th anniversary I went over to the Promenade at Brooklyn Heights and shot a bunch of color and B&W. The low clouds added another dimension to the scene.
Family members, friends, council members and congressmen turned out on a sunny day in Harlem for the street naming ceremony honoring Phil Reed. 111th st at 1st Avenue is now Philip Reed Way.
Of all the New York City parades, the West Indian Parade is by far the most spectacularly colorful with endless elaborate costumes and high energy revellers. With around 2 million people lining the route it is an unreal opportunity to capture some unique imagery.
The city is exploding with color. Spring flowers are blooming in the parks, the sidewalk flowerdens, the brownstone gardens. Some of the blooms are very short lived so I'm hitting the street to get as much of it as I can and hopefully will end up with a few nice galleries of color...
It's that time of day when there's lights in the sky, the lights of the traffic, the lights of the neon and when it's all happening in Times Square then it's time to light up the cameras.
You know, it seems that the Easter Parade just ain't what it used to be, but if you hang out long enough and walk the route a few times, you'll eventually still find some gems, but it has lost a lot of the grandeur of old.
On a trip to Asbury Park last Summer I happened across the Sandblast Festival, part of which is a dance floor on the sand that gets filled with a sea of muscular, tanned hunks dancing their asses off. It's a hell of a visual and as luck would have it I only had a point n shoot camera in my pocket. Will be returning this year with the bigs guns to capture stills and video.
Just got back from my third trip to Australia this year. Lots of rural sunrise up inland from the Sunshine Coast in Southern Queensland. It's a whole different world away from the West Village, kinda a Crockadile Dundee in Reverse thing. I'll be posting a gallery of all this stuff very soon.
Was walking into Central Park up by Columbus Circle when all of a sudden I was hit by this huge wall of animated red... red t-shirts and red caps. I'll have to check the viseo to see if their name was posted but they sounded great and were singing sweetly to the delight of the crowd,

Mega Aussie Rock Concert Promoter Michaell Chugg was in town for the day, en route from London to Toronto, so I was able to grab him for an hour of very casual im promptu pics to promote his upcoming bio.We started in the Meat Packing district, scaled a small portion of the HiLine, then hot the Chelsea Mkt and finally the Apple Store.


Have been documenting the now completed restoration of 436 West 20th in Chelsea to its original landmark glory for Michael Bolla. The work entailed monthly photo shoots of all floors as well as this phorto rendering showing a preview of the building's new face with fire escapes removed.

   
Got a call from Geoff Brookins at EDS down in the Financial District for some no frills headshots for their new site... corporate casual was the theme so off with the ties and smile please.....
Lou and I are putting together a video introduction piece for Nora Preusser at Preusser Realty in Cold Spring. The piece will feature on camera spots with Nora with visuals of the Garrison/Cold Spring area, the rural life, the Main Street charm, the Husdon River etc. The finished video will be used as a mail out promo piece and will also be promoted via You Tube and Facebook etc
As well as the PSA for music education in schools, I am also developing content for one aimed at poverty in New York. Mostly shooting at the Sylvia Rivera pantry at MCCNY on 36th st and incorporating selected viuals from both the depressed and opulent parts of Manhattan.
Couldn't help but grab this shot as this unforunate homeless man trudged by in the snow with a shoppin cart filled with his possessions. I also couldn't help but notice the sign on the wall of the store he was passing, I felt it kinda added salt to the wound. See the Journalistic section for this and other new related pics.
Actress, playwright, author Susan Merson has returned to New York and has successfully launched New York Theatre Intensives. Students of acting, writing, directing come from all over to learn from the pros. Class of 2010 was a hit.

Gearing up to start shooting this years ensemble at work
When it comes to photo and video equipment, there is really only one place to go in NYC and that is B&H on 9th Ave, possibly the world's best store. They have pro audio gear as well and best of all, the guys that work there know their stuff.

Paul Burrell, known as the Royal Butler, as in Princess Di and the Queen of England, was recently in New York to promote the launch of his Royal Butler Wines label. Here's a few shotsfrom the event which was held at the Boscobel Mansion in Garrison on the Hudson.
One of those shots that you take now again and it just looks like a painting. I need to go thru the archive sometime and pull other examples, it would probably make for a nice gallery.
 
If you live in New York and would like a unique experience, a great place to take visitors from out of town, then check out SPINYC, it's kinda ping pong goes niteclub with a touch of gladator/boxing arena vibe. Susan Sarandon is one of the owners and I see it getting increasingly more popular each month. Check it out!
On the way up to a Catskill Mountains photo shoot for Upstate land developer Don Farley I took of bunch of snaps of the countryside...
Well we had our share of snow this past Winter and I got caught driving in a couple of the big storms. This was taken on the Westside Highway as we were all trying to get out of the city about an hour into the storm which was just about to turn blizzard.
Summer is upon us and all the out-of-towners will be descending upon everysquare inch of Manhattan and beyond. There will be lots of asking of directions and map reading. Caught these folks on the Brooklyn side of the Brooklyn Bridge, plotting their path to the next stop on a perfect day in NYC.
Guess what I saw in Washington Square Park the other day? Is that a naked woman covered in pop art, a 60s apparition come to life right in the middle of Manhattan. Took a bunch of stills and also some video and will eventually assemble a gallery of the event.
Just got back from a 3 day visit to London for some stills and video work for MessageLabs, New York . This was the second location for this series of client testimonial videos. The first round was in Sydney in March. Lou joins me for their domestic shoots in Boston, Chicago, LA and NYC .
After Boston it was Chicago for the day and then did a day in Los Angeles. Equipment for all locations was a Lowell portable light kit and a couple of 3CCD Panasonic mini DV camcorders. All the subjects were interviewed against a white wall to create a matching set of videos.
Was back in Australia early March to document a special performance of 70s music icons Brian Cadd and Russell Morris. The guys had asked me to capture some of the preparations, the rehearsals, the show, the backstage banter, and fan reactions to what was a very memorable event. (Photo by my sister Christine)
Having made 50+ flights across the Pacific , I have my share of stories when it comes to traveling with kids, and was expecting the worst when I noticed that I would be spending the next 14 hours with this little guy, but to my surprise he alternated between sleeping, eating and watching the on-demand TV channels
Had a few more shots in the Daily News yesterday, a feature they were doing on Newburgh, one of the river towns up along the Hudson, about 90 minutes north of Manhattan.
Here comes Halloween. Maybe finally this year I'll cover the parade, which I haven't done for 10 years or so, I generally just roam the streets and document what's happening on the sidelines.

Update: Make that 11 yrs now.
Just recorded video of the Martin Luther King Celebration at Rehoboth Temple in Harlem.

Had center balcony location and am looking forward to editing the footage as there's lot's of great visuals and music to go with it all...
   
 




For Work Rates and Licensing: 888 754 6613   John@DallasPhelps.com  
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