P&P Blogger Profile: Dave Beckerman
Dave Beckerman of Dave Beckerman Photography: New YorkI photograph what interests me in New York City.
Why do you blog?
I started to keep a “journal” online in 1999. I had two motivations: 1) I wanted to try and document what I was doing with photography in real-ish time. 2) I thought it was a good idea to keep people interested in my site since I wouldn’t be able to produce pictures fast enough or often enough to keep them coming back, so there was a commercial aspect to it. I don’t know if there was even blog software in those days – I just wrote sequentially in my html editor.
If you only had time to read three blogs a day, which ones would they be?
I really don’t read any blogs regularly.
How long have you been using Photoshop/been a photographer?
I’ve been a photographer for about 45 years. I’ve been using Photoshop for a very long time. Maybe since 1998 or so.
What type of camera(s) do you shoot with?
I have shot with just about everything (read that as money poorly spent). I now shoot with the Leica M3 or the M6. I shoot with Tri-X film. (Spent one year doing digital with Canon 20D but I like film better – at least for b&w).
Mac or PC?
PC.
What is your favorite piece of photo or computer equipment (other than your camera)?
That is easy: Epson 4800 printer. It is the most important piece of equipment in the house.
What piece of equipment would you most like to get but don’t have?
I’d love to get a larger (wider) printer, but I can’t find a place to put it.
What advice do you have for a novice creative professional/photographer?
For fine art photographers – don’t think of yourself as a novice or a professional. Don’t do anything different as an amateur or a professional. Just follow the obsession. If you’re not obsessed – then no advice will help anyway.
What inspires you to create?
At this point – it’s just a way of life. I don’t need inspiration. The camera is with me and if I see something interesting I raise it to my eye – and shoot.
What would be your most important piece of advice about life?
I am not qualified to give advice to anyone about life.
Where would you most like to live (other than where you live now)?
I can think of lots of places that would be better – but I’m stuck in New York for some mysterious reason.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
Watch television.
What talent would you most like to have?
That’s easy: something athletic. Maybe the ability to play baseball; any position. But I’m too old for that now anyway. So an athletic talent for a 55 year old guy: maybe ping pong.
From Inside the Actors Studio:
What is your favorite word? Damn
What is your least favorite word? Bosh.
What turns you on? Sexy women.
What turns you off? Too many commercials during baseball games. Too damned many.
What sound or noise do you love? My cat, purring
What sound or noise do you hate? My neighbor doing singing exercises; she can make my teeth rattle.
What is your favorite curse word? Freakin’ and all the most popular ones. I curse a lot.
What occupation other than your own would you like to attempt? Definitely lead guitar in a rock band.
What occupation would you not want to participate in? Toll collector; even on a really big highway.
If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates? I know you didn’t believe in me while you were alive – and I know that things just didn’t make any sense – but now – let’s sit down and I’ll explain it all to you.
*Note: If you would like to participate in the P&P Blogger Profile series, please email Jason with your blog's URL and he will send you a profile to fill out. Also, be sure to check out the P&P Weekly every Monday for news about this site and a roundup of what other Photoshop & Photography Blogroll members are posting.
