MY FIRST PROFESSIONAL PHOTOSHOOT
My first professional job was for The Source Magazine back in 1992. It was right when House of Pain’s first hit single, Jump Around, was dropping — a track that went on to become one of the most played songs in history. You still hear it everywhere.
I didn’t have much gear back then — just an umbrella, a portable battery-powered flash, and a long hot-shoe cable that let me move the light off the camera. That simple setup turned into a kind of portable studio.
We shot underneath the tunnels in Central Park, with those beautiful arched ceilings. To give the photo its signature texture, I used Kodak Lens Cleaner tissue paper — this fibrous paper I’d place on top of the negative before printing. The fibers created that gritty, artistic look you see in the final image.
When I brought the photos to The Source, they loved them. That became my first published picture
When I look at this spread, it takes me right back. I see how young I was — and how limited my resources were. I only had two or three rolls of film to work with, so every frame counted. You can literally trace my thought process through the contact sheet — every couple of frames I’d switch from landscape to portrait, trying new angles, chasing something that felt right.
The first few shots were outside the tunnel, then I moved back inside, still searching for the right rhythm and variety for The Source. I had 36 exposures per roll, and I was determined to make every one of them different. You can even see where the flash failed on a few shots — that’s how it was back then, learning as I went.
When I look at this spread, it takes me right back. I see how young I was — and how limited my resources were. I only had two or three rolls of film to work with, so every frame counted. You can literally trace my thought process through the contact sheet — every couple of frames I’d switch from landscape to portrait, trying new angles, chasing something that felt right.
The first few shots were outside the tunnel, then I moved back inside, still searching for the right rhythm and variety for The Source. I had 36 exposures per roll, and I was determined to make every one of them different. You can even see where the flash failed on a few shots — that’s how it was back then, learning as I went.
