I was so happy to hear that Graeme McDowell from sunny ‘Norn Irn’ won the US Open this past weekend. It reminded me of a cool shoot I did with him back in 2004 for The Observer Sports Magazine (UK). We spent an afternoon on a Scottsdale, Arizona golf course, just shooting around making pictures, and he was awesome to work with. No publicists, no handlers, just me and him having a laugh. I still can’t play golf though. I guess i never picked up any tips. Anyway, good for you Graeme. I’ve always been keeping an eye on your progress.

‘LosAngopolis’ part 26; an iPhone journey thru the city of angels

‘LosAngopolis’ part 25; an iPhone journey thru the city of angels

‘LosAngopolis’ part 23; an iPhone journey thru the city of angels

‘LosAngopolis’ part 21; an iPhone journey thru the city of angels

NEW WORK: in this week’s issue of People magazine, a story i shot last year on private investigator moms! This was about a four day shoot in the San Francisco area. All the investigative team were great to work with, and i even got to be a part of their cover, being that i was with them during a ‘covert op’! It was just like out of a Hitchcock-ian movie, running the streets of San Fran, hiding cameras etc., then watching the incriminating footage from the night before. I could start to like this work.

After watching the Saints miraculously win the Super Bowl this past weekend, I began to think about my first trip down to New Orleans, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. I was initially covering evacuees in Houston for People magazine, but once that assignment was over, myself and staff writer Ken Lee decided to make the dicey drive through Louisiana (mainly because ken needed his car back, after it had been stranded at New Orleans airport for the best part of a week). So we stocked the car with four or five cans of gasoline, food and a couple of empty bottles as an emergency bathroom ( you can’t stop once your crossing the swamp). I was fortunate to hook up with a unit of the 82nd Airborne as they patrolled the city, including the Superdome. It was a remarkable sight. There were signs posted outside noting that ecoli was present, which made the experts at the time certain that the building would have to be demolished! I’m happy to say that prophecy did not come true. But the experience of walking this desolate empty space, with just the sound of dripping water, was eerily reminiscant of a scene from a Ridley Scott movie. I just stood there, thinking that this was the sight of so many past great Super Bowls, and every Saints home game, and just a few days ago, the scariest place on Earth. What a remarkable recovery for a team that a short time ago was homeless, just like it’s residents.

here’s one more iphone photo combo, from a recent trip to the big apple. What’s not to love about the iphone for pure spontaneous photography. except of course the file size etc. But what i like is that it really simplifies things. Your stuck with the one lens and such limitations which i think is a good thing. Need a zoom lens on your iphone? It’s those two extremities below the waist. Walk!
clockwise from top left:
5th Ave.- This guy just looks perfect for a hurried, impatient business-on-his-mind New Yorker.
Empire State Building- what a beautiful day for a meeting, this was right after leaving the offices of ESPN magazine
‘Man with sink’ 5th Ave.- say no more!
Yankee Stadium bleachers- the reaction when a lone Red Sox fan decided to make his home in the bleachers. Oh yeah, and the Red Sox weren’t even playing that day. Forgetaboutit!

A selection of some of my favourites of my iphone series when out and about in LA. For those who follow me on twitter (http://twitter.com/gallagherphoto) you may have seen these before, but they still look good, particularly as a set. I think so anyway. Ok, i’ll do more.