Liz Weiner

Liz Weiner is best-friends with Linda Schwartz. They have a lot in common. They're both teachers and they both love swimming. In fact, they’ve been swimming together for nearly 20 years, typically early  Saturday mornings. Liz used to coach swimmers at the YMCA and she’s quite proficient in the water. Out of the water, she works hard as an elementary school teacher, and is dedicated to her students who struggle with various forms of developmental learning issues.

As far as the photo shoot went, I hadn’t been in a modern day classroom in a long time. I thought I would be greeted by a traditional green blackboard and some old school chairs. Instead, to my surprise, this school in South Los Angeles was ultra modern and updated.  Truth be told, we had to move quite a bit of furniture, and even the American flag, to make the picture look as traditional as it does.   

Linda Schwartz

Hair. Shave it, wax it, dry it, dye it, it’s always an issue. Not just for swimmers. But, probably especially for swimmers looking to keep the hair (on top of their head) in good shape, it’s even more of an issue. Well, it is for me anyway. Chlorine wreaks havoc on my hair. Drying, cracking, fading color, and then of course the endless products I buy to combat all of the above barely help my dehydrated, sagging curls.

What happened to the enduring sun kissed blonde/ greenish hair of my youth? How I miss thee.

Judy, Katie and a Bottle of "Sun In." 1988

This is from 1988. I was in Hawaii with my friend Katie. This is what a bottle of “Sun In” and a little chlorine can do to your hair.  Can you say straw?  

The first time I met Linda Schwartz was in the locker room at The Plunge, she was outgoing and I was incoming.  She’s a petite woman who was drying her soaking wet hair, which was pressed flat against her scalp. 

Linda Schwartz sans fabu Hair 

 She was talking to another woman, who as it turned out, was planning her 80^th birthday party.  They two were talking about it being a costume party and I believe someone was planning on going as a stripper or maybe it was someone hired a stripper? Either way, the conversation caught my attention. 

The three of us started talking. This soon to be 80 year old who looked to be about 55 impressed me.  Screw the dry hair; swimming will reverse the aging process everywhere else.

By the time we had finished our conversation, Linda, had finished drying her hair (she was fast) and in the process metamorphosed her entire appearance. She transformed her lanky, moist hair into the most amazing, luscious puff of grey shoulder length elegance I had seen in a long time.  I was shocked at how her hair transformed her appearance.  I knew then she had to be photographed.

Linda Schwartz and her secret hair 

I got to know her over the course of a few weeks. I learned that she was a retired school teacher and swims with her best friend of 20 years, Liz Weiner, and they swim very early in the morning. I guess getting up early all those years stays with you. Personally, I think she’s probably tougher than I am because it’s COLD at 7am, but there’s Linda, unrecognizable in her swim regalia swimming for an hour.   She’s in amazing shape and besides the swimming she’s an avid hiker and walker.

Linda is so striking in person, I told her, and I thought she should take up modeling. She laughed and told me it was a life long dream.

I just may have to cast her in a project.

Trois Nageuses Françaises Part Deux (finally)

When I first saw these lovely ladies at the pool, I was intrigued by the fact that they were French, and because they always swam together.  It was never just one or two of them, but always the trio. I was curious about their lives and who they were. 

(Carine, Géraldine and Armelle)

They never arrive at  the pool with a ton of equipment, just the essentials:  nice bikinis and the ability to swim breaststroke. They pretty much adhere to the European approach to swimming, but without the zigging and zagging. (In most European pools, the concept of circle swimming is woefully non-exisistent.)  No, they fit right in. Except they are far more slinky than most of the women at the pool, which, I suppose, is directly related to being French.  (All those baguettes, bottles of wine and chunks of cheese make the pounds just fly right off--if you're French.)

After a few weeks of seeing them come and go, I decided I had to approach them. When I finally had an opportunity tell them about my project they agreed to be part of it. Armelle, Géraldine and Carine all met here in the US through the French ex-pat community. They are all busy moms, raising many kids. I think between them there are 9 kids, and of course, the various stray family members who come to stay with them. Setting up the second shoot wasn’t not easy. Between the holidays, travel, families and schedules it took  a few months.

(beautiful children not taking directing but having fun)

We met at Armelle’s back yard one Sunday. I think the ladies were concerned that the kids would not sit still, but there’s only one great way to photograph kids--let them be kids.  They ran around, jumped, posed, and were delightful, beautiful children. When they were finally tired from all the excitement, we got down to business of taking the pictures and I had the opportunity to capture some really nice moments with the kids as well as my lovely French friends. 

(a quite moment with a little beauty)

(a natural model)

(Carine & daughters)  

(Armelle & daughter) 

(Géraldine & daughter)  

Daniel Dobbs Part 2

I finally had the chance to shoot Fire Inspector, Daniel Dobbs’ second portrait.  I had been anticipating how much fun that would be, because in the course of getting to know Daniel it was evident that he would give me 100 percent no matter what, plus, there was going to be fire! So some planning and permission asking had to happen. We had to also plan around Daniel’s athletic and work endeavors, which included two marathons, one in Japan and the other the LA marathon. This took some time. 

My guardian angel with all things City related, Christine Byers, who works as the Public Art & Historic Preservation Coordinator in Culver City, paved the way for me to get permission, thus we were allowed to shoot at the Culver City fire training facility. So, I took Christine with me to scout the location. At first, the compound looked like a giant, empty concrete yard, except for the crushed car turned upside down, the burned three-story building, several fire trucks and various firefighting contraptions, plus rows of hoses neatly stacked against a wall. We knew right away this was a serious place for serious business. I wiped out my iphone right away and started snapping. 

 (Scout pics of the compound)

This is one of the buildings, which is set ablaze to train future fireman. When I stuck my head in the door, the smell of smoke was all consuming. Simply put, they torch the building and then send in the guys. Daunting? Yes.  The interior is charred because of the many fire drills, I noticed this had created an amazing, graphic, carbonized effect on the walls.  I knew it would make a truly  interesting texture and pattern

( Portrait inside the building with Daniel)

We all know that twelve-year old boys want to be firemen, but it takes a certain kind of personality to want to make this dream come true. Daniel summed it up succinctly, (reminded me why I, too, love these guys). “You have to put yourself second.” It’s as simple, and as complicated as that.  And, I suppose, living in the backdrop of LA, where self-absorption is often a passport to fame, it made me appreciate even more what these men and women do for a living.

So, onto the other eye candy: The Fire Engines. 

(Daniel on the compound)

No doubt things of absolute beauty. I love how amazingly functional and graphic they are. The clean lines of all the valves and gauges appeal to my personal aesthetic—let it be said, I like Fire Engine Chic.

(Jim Van Cleave)

Up close the Engine is a work of art. And, lucky for me, the very wonderful and informative Jim Van Cleave, the on duty Engineer whose job it is to know manage every single one of those cool looking valves, was standing right in front of us. Both Christine and I pounced. We started peppering him with so many questions he wasn’t sure we were serious. I think he was surprised that we were genuinely interested in how things worked. He walked us around the entire engine, sharing all the minute details of how everything works.  I liked throwing out different scenarios like, “What happens if you get to a location and there’s no water?” Or, “ How to get pool water out of the pool to help with a fire?”  And so on. Of course, he had the answers to everything. It’s all very well thought out and actually quite mathematical.  Finally, we had to let him go when a call came in  and we returned to our scouting business. 

It’s been a real treat getting to know Daniel and some of his colleagues at the Culver City Fire Station. I know he’s going to get a lot of grief from the boys over his swimming pose, but that takes guts. And any time they want to “man up”, I’ll take their picture too! Culver City Fire Fighters Calendar anyone?

(Official finished portrait of Daniel Dobbs)

Renee AKA Il Volpe

The fox can jump. Here's Renee,  Il Volpe (The Fox) doing what comes naturally for him on a beautiful day at the pool.  

Life Saver

No pool would be complete without Lifeguards. I’ve come to know all the ones that work at The Plunge.  They’re all a great group of people and because we’re always friendly and joking it’s easy to forget that they’re there to save your life if something happens. 

This is Bridget.  She is a bad ass, no doubt and she can certainly save your life. She's usually smiling and laughing, but I wanted to see the more focus, serious side of her and she gave it to me in a flash.  Personally,  I find it comforting that she’s studying pre med! She’s also incredibly warm and friendly and a total pro. 

I typically shoot at the pool after-hours and there has to be a lifeguard on watch.  I’m sure the last thing they want to do is hang around and wait for me to take my portraits. Bridget is pretty much with me most weekends when I shoot the swimmers. She waits patiently and is always  great about letting me wait for the light to get sweet.  She moves the lane lines and ropes (eternal nightmare for the guards) and is always-easy going all the while keeping her eyes on us.  Sometimes, she even let’s me take a swim with no one in the pool, which is pure joy for me. 

The Man Behind The Photographer

Today is my 11^th wedding anniversary. I mention this because my trusty assistant, grip, stand-in, and all time cheerleader on this self-funded project, is my wonderful husband, Bill.   

I could never do this project without him.  Not only do I rely on his physical support but all the incredible emotional support he has given me to continue to work on this very personal project.  He was there the moment the idea popped into my head to do this project and been there on every step of this journey. As evidence shows below!

He schleps gear everywhere with me, stands in front of blazing lights, in sweltering heat, freezing temperatures, or in cold water.  He drags 100 feet extension cords to dark, unsightly locations late into the night, and waits with me when I’m working late. He'll hold lights for  me while all the blood drains from his arm and arise at the crack of dawn to accompany me on a shoot.  He’ll sit in for any subject on any location and does it all with love and a few grunts, but mainly love. He brings me water and snacks and makes sure I don't tweak my back, although he has many times lugging gear. 

He has been there from the beginning, he is my best friend and I love him with all my guts and I couldn’t do this project without him.   

 Happy Anniversary, my Scoop. I love you. 

Secret Life of Swimmers Featured in Blog!

This is a cool art blog which is featuring The Secret Life of Swimmers this month:

Click here to see the images!

http://www.lipsticktracez.com/gallery/feature/111/1

Yummy Daniel

This is Daniel. This is his first portrait, which he kindly agreed to let me shoot today.

Let’s talk about all the yum factors for a moment.

First I’ll start with the weather. It’s January 15^th and it was about 82 degrees outside.

Secondly, I swam two miles in the glorious sunshine before I took his picture, that was also pretty yummy. 

Let’s see what else am I missing….?  

Oh, Daniel can save your life. Seriously, if you don’t have a heart attack by looking at him, he can save your life. He’s the Culver City Fire Inspector and he had just completed a 21 mile run earlier in the morning to prepare for an upcoming marathon in Japan next month. I’ll have to wait until he gets back to take his second portrait, but, it’s worth the wait because we’re going to have flames.

Yeah, he’s pretty yummy too.  And, he’s a really nice guy to boot. We spent a good thirty minutes talking about his job as a firefighter and it's clear he loves his job. 

 I’m not the only one who thought he was yummy. This is Liz. I had just taken her portrait and she was getting ready to leave. Interesting that she chose to cross right behind Daniel.   Hmm… she looks focused on something… 

 More soon with the delightful Daniel.

Barry Shore

Happy New Year!  I’ve been remiss in my entries because of the holiday madness (always a good excuse) and a back injury, a real excuse. This is me, being horizontal, over Christmas with my two dogs at my husband’s art studio, so I do have proof!

 All photographers seem to have bad backs; myself included, which is why I swim. It keeps everything working and is great for your core strength.  But I’m better now, and not complaining because I’m about to introduce you to someone who really experienced a truly life-changing event.

 Barry Shore is one of the most animated, upbeat, positive people I’ve met at the pool.  Always smiling, always happy to see you. A typical greeting is yelled from a backstroke, “Hello Beautiful Person!” Everyone is beautiful to Barry. He swims religiously. And that truly makes sense once you get to know him.  He’s truly a deeply religious person.  You could describe his features as biblical. But, Barry has always been deeply religious, even before his life changed, in what must have felt like an instant.

Imagine waking up tomorrow morning and not being able to move. Literally, you’re body is totally paralyzed. That’s exactly what happened to Barry Shore five years ago. He went to sleep one night feeling a little tired, but otherwise himself. The next day he awoke as usual, anticipating a full day of meetings and work. He may have been able to open his eyes that fateful morning, but that’s all he could do. He simply could not move his body, he couldn’t even get out of bed.   Something was seriously wrong. 

Barry spent that day, and the many months, that followed in the hospital. His paralysis was so intense he needed to be on a respirator.  Doctors initially could not figure out what was wrong. Such a sudden onset of complete paralysis was mystifying.  But eventually they determined he was suffering from Guillain-Barré Syndrome, a disorder in which the body's immune system attacks part of the peripheral nervous system. The first symptoms of this disorder include varying degrees of weakness or tingling sensations in the legs. And then it spreads through out the body. These symptoms can increase in intensity until the muscles cannot be used at all and the patient is almost totally paralyzed.

Which is what happened to Barry. While most patients can make a full recovery from paralysis, Barry did not.  Five years ago, Barry could not walk. He was in a wheel chair. His once strong, powerful body was wasting away. His physical therapist suggested he try getting in a pool to keep his circulation going.  He tried it. And his life was once again transformed. Movement came but not as quickly as the paralysis took over his life.  It took time, but very slowly he regained some mobility. At first it was only his fingers, but he was so inspired that he kept returning to the pool, finally regaining some use of his arms and, slowly, his legs, which had atrophied to a quarter of their size.   Through it all, Barry  was ever hopeful and willing to work very hard.

 Barry arrives at the pool walking with the aid of walker or a walking stick. He still has trouble moving, his nerves did not make a full recovery, but he is walking and not in a wheelchair. As he tells me all the time, “beats a wheelchair, kiddo!”  He has a full time health worker who has to wait three hours for him at the pool because Barry swims three hours a day, six days a week. Of course, he takes the Sabbath off. He swims rain or shine, wind, or snow, as the case was last week. He’s now up to three miles a day.  He swims mainly on his back with the aid of two floatation devices on his withered legs, but he is swimming. He listens to religious tapes and never stops moving.  Swimming has transformed his life. 

I went to the “Shul,” which is what Orthodox Jews refer to as Synagogue, where Barry spends a lot of his time studying the Torah. I was there to take his second portrait. Barry had arranged special permission for me, and my bare head, to enter the building and photograph him. It is customary that women are separated from the men when they worship. As a Jewish woman, I always found this annoying, but I’m not Orthodox and it’s their tradition.  Not surprisingly, when I met the Rabbi and I went to shake his hand,  he skillfully retracted it and with some floundering told me, “I..I don’t touch women.”  This left my hand suspended for what seemed like eternity, while my brain just processed the information. But, l recovered, and went about the business of setting up the lights in this house of worship whose ceilings were so low I quickly turned my embarrassment into problem solving.   

Trois Nageuses Françaises

Trois Nageuses Françaises

Here’s a little French tease for you. Today I shot three gorgeous swimmers who are all best friends and wonderful ladies.  They all happen to be French. 

You can tell, no?

Yes, they took their coats off, but you’ll have to check back after I finish their series to see their images which will hopefully be next week!   

After the shoot, I had the pool to myself! That was my dream come true. 

Nina Shorey

Eventually it will happen to you or someone you know.  A day will come when a pool somewhere will summon you and you will find yourself inexplicably drawn to the water and what it can do for you.

I can tell you, there are many reasons to swim. I see so many different kinds of swimmers at the pool enjoying themselves for various reasons. Some are professional athletes, some are even former Olympians. Some come for regular exercise and to socialize. And there are many who use the pool as therapy to overcome a serious injury. 

Even the greatest hydrophobic can overcome the terror of the water once you realize how magical it really is.

Skeptical? Meet Nina Shorey.

What if your only dream in life was to be a professional dancer. You worked steadily at the dream, and by the time you were twenty-eight, you were well on your way.  Let's also say you are also a single mother of a five year old.  

Then, one day, everything changed in an instant.   Your dream, along with your body would be shattered in seconds on a lonely stretch of highway in Nova Scotia.  A driver, hypnotic from the rotating sound of the tires on the pavement and sleepy from the warm sun shining down through the window, would drift asleep at the wheel of her car and careen directly into yours. You would be lucky to survive.  

This is exactly what happened to Nina Shorey 28 years ago.  

Nina’s journey to the pool was a long time coming. She arrived at the hospital, technically dead and spent four month in the hospital, and, as she told me, ‘had various parts cobbled back together.” There would be years of surgeries to follow.  Needless to say, her life took a very different turn.

She began working with a dance acquaintance who repaired vintage flutes. David Shorey was a musician and flute historian who would travel regularly to Europe. He worked at the Library of Congress, and he taught Nina how to handle and repair the instruments.

The first thing you notice about Nina, is her quick smile and many tattoos. The second thing you notice are the long scars running down the sides of her legs from the hip replacement surgeries she needed after being crushed in her car.  

Perhaps as a way to begin to understand and accept what happened to her, Nina became an astrologer. She told me the tattoos are astrological symbols she strategically placed on her body to bring certain energies to areas that still plague her with pain.  Each tattoo represents a surgery or a scar, and there are quite a few. The one on her solar plexus is meant to help heal her ongoing pain from the heart surgery she had so many years ago.

A second hip replacement surgery in 2004  resulted in the accidental damaging of her femoral nerve, and that’s what left her unable to walk for two years. But she could swim.  It turned out to be the one thing that enabled her to walk again.  

And this is what I mean about the magic of water. Now, she swims five days a week at the pool. I see her strutting out to the deck in her colorful bikinis, talking with her friends.

She lives happily as an antique flute restorer with her now-husband, David whom she married many years ago. Together they had another son. 

One more thing.  To this day, Nina doesn’t drive, preferring to ride her bike to the pool each day.

Nina Shorey

Antique Flute Restorer 

Jason Christopher

Jason hops out to the deck of the pool, smiling, proud and without the aid of his prosthetic leg or any crutches. As a personal trainer, and a natural athlete he has a strong sense of balance and endurance.   I knew as soon as I saw him, I was going to take his portrait.

When he was a young college student, on a basketball scholarship, he had a horrifying car accident. The car he was traveling in flipped over the freeway divider and landed him directly in the path of on coming traffic.

In order to save his life, the doctors had to amputate his leg. They tried to save it for eight days, then, they had to fight to save Jason. An infection was taking over. His choice; live with one leg, or die with both.

When I approached Jason with the idea of taking his portrait, he immediately agreed and, although I was a total stranger, we’ve become friends and I am grateful he trusted me enough to portray him the way I see him each day at the pool:

Strong, empowering, generous and full of life.

 After the accident, he had to come to terms with the fact that he would not become a professional basketball player.  I cannot even begin to imagine what this process must have been like for him.

At the end of our shoot we were at the gym where he trains his clients.  He had his LAKERS Jersey with him and asked me if I would take his portrait wearing the jersey.   I felt like this was a moment for him to experience what it would be like to be a well known b-ball player and I wanted him to look as powerful as I know he is.

I’m very honored that his pool portrait has been included as a finalist in National Geographic’s annual portrait contest.  You can vote for it here:

National Geographic Portrait Contest

Jason Christopher

Personal Trainer

Art Grusensky

This is what I imagine a Craigslist posting would say if a talent agent were trying to cast Art Grusensky as himself. 

Outgoing narcissist wanted for photography project. Must like Speedos, dogs and self very much. Use of hands while talking and ability to interrupt conversation with wildly animated, bodily gesticulation, and therefore disrupt photography session, a plus.  Ability to do embarrassing yoga positions in public and play the saxophone also a plus.  

But, luckily for me, I don’t need to post such a request, because I have already met the real Art G. and experienced him in all his glory.  

Art is not like unlike your neighborhood yellow Lab. He’s bold, agile and can materialize beside you, in an instant. He’s fond of loudly busting in on conversations and pontificating about his desires to travel to remote and distant lands. Currently, it seems that anything that ends in STAN, is on his list. Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and possibly Djibouti, for fun.  Much like a dog that wants to take possession of an unfamiliar leg, you’re happy to see him but equally happy to see him on his merry way.    

I believe Art is happiest when he’s talking about himself. It probably wouldn’t be a stretch to call Art a bit of a narcissist. (Can you be just "a bit of a narcissist?").  I feel comfortable writing that because I have a feeling that Art would proudly approve such a statement. 

The great thing about Art is that he is so comfortable with himself and he photographs very well, making him an ideal subject.  He is very much an extrovert and despite his navel gazing tendencies is fun to talk with. 

Art Grusensky

Pet Vet

What I didn’t know about Art when I first met him, was that he is a Vet and, as I personally witnessed, is amazing with people as well as pets.  But, as you can imagine, there’s more to Art than what you see in these pictures. Oh yes, he has his passions, his art,  and he's very happy to share his philosophy with you, as he did with me, in this video. 

Watch Video Here