Candid Portrait from the Frog & Onion

While in Bermuda, we visited the Frog & Onion Pub.  (Come on, I went to TCU.  What did you expect?)  It's named for it's two founders, one a Frenchman (frog) and one a Bermudan (onion).  I was walking around photographing while Lynn sat at the table.  As I walked back, I noticed her gazing out the window so, without even putting the camera up to my eye, I just took this shot.

Sometimes, I just like a photo because I like it.

For more, click here to visit Mark Oristano Photography.

Bright Ideas in Bermuda

You have to climb 180 steps to reach the top of the Gibbs Hill Lighthouse in Bermuda, but it's worth the climb.  Not only are there fascinating things to see about lighthouse technology, but when you get to the top, you can pretty much see all of Bermuda.  You have to brave walking out on to the little landing at the top of the light, which I did.  And it was windy.  But it was worth it.

I'll have lots more travel stuff up on my website soon, but for now, if you're in the market for a portrait, please visit Mark Oristano Photography by clicking right here!

Just Because I Like It

This is a shot of my friend, the great comic actor B.J. Cleveland.  It's from a PR photoshoot from WaterTower Theater.  He was working the mic, and went into this pose, and I just couldn't resist.

B.J. has been in any number of great productions lately, including an incredible turn as Max Biyalystock in THE PRODUCERS at Uptown Players.

Back on Stage

My favorite place to work as an actor, without question, Lyric Stage in Irving, Texas.  Stephen Jones musical theater is an amazing place, where they do classic American musicals (Oklahoma, West Side Story, The King & I) with full, 40-piece orchestras and the original Broadway scores.  The shows done on Broadway now aren't even done this way.
I'm getting back up at Lyric in June in the first show I ever saw, The Music Man.  I was 5-years old and went with my mother and older brother to the Majestic theater on Broadway. And when the curtain went up, and I saw the guys bouncing up and down on the train in the opening number, I knew I wanted to do what they were doing.  It took awhile, but starting in 1980, I did.  Start on stage, that is.
Here's a shot from the last show I did at Lyric...

You don't need to be told, do you?  It's 1776, and these are three of the finest musical performers I've ever shared a stage with.  David Coffee (Ben Franklin), Brian Gonzales (John Adams), and Bryant Martin (Thomas Jefferson).

Here's a way to get some more info on Lyric. Click here to visit the Lyric Stage website.  And come see The Music Man.  Cause you ain't heard 76 Trombones until you've heard it played by the full, Broadway band.

Liberty & Freedom

A side of the Statue of Liberty you don't often see, from the New Jersey cruise terminal.  Waiting for a cruise ship to leave, I got this shot of the Statue along with the new Freedom Tower on the site of the old World Trade Center, straining to get up to it's full height of 1,776 feet.

For more click here to visit Mark Oristano Photography

Peace, Hope, and Butterflies

This June 1st, Lizzie Cochran's annual fund raiser to fight childhood cancer, called "Peace, Hope, & Butterflies" takes place again at Flagpole Hill in Dallas.  The shot below is from last year's butterfly release.  This is my friend Cara Serber, whose daughter Libby was fighting cancer at the time.  The now 7-year old Libby is cancer free.

It's a great event to bring the kids too.  Lots of fun, games, music, food, etc.  For more information, visit the official website, the Miracle Players Foundation.
The goal this year is $100,000 for cancer research at Children's Medical Center, Dallas.  And don't think Lizzie can't do it.  Last year she raised $75,000, and I'm sure more arms have been twisted for this year's event.  I'll be there doing portraits, so I hope you'll come see us.

A New View of Liberty

We saw this view of the Statue of Liberty a few years ago when we sailed out of New York harbor on a cruise.

What's really cool is, we'll be seeing it again soon, for the very same reason.
The neat thing about this shot for me, though, is the strong backlighting, causing the statue itself to be solely a shadow.  It was, obviously, a gorgeous sunset over Jersey.
There's one more angle of the statue I want to take some day.  I'm not going to spoil it by saying what it is, though.