Here's a portrait of Scott Ritter, made in the few minutes we had together before he went on-stage at the Huntington Cinema Arts Center to speak about his new book, Target Iran. Ritter, I'm sure many of you recall, was an authority during his tenure as a United Nations' Weapons Inspector - particularly when he was the Chief Inspector in Iraq with UNSCOM after the first Gulf War. He's still an authority now, though his credentials have changed from U.N. inspector to author and speaker. His opposition to many of the Bush Administration's policies has made his TV appearances extremely controversial depending on your politics, so if you're interested in learning more about Mr. Ritter and what he has to say, I'll recc his book, which you can find by clicking on the link above.

For his portrait, I felt a scarlet color would be appropriate for the seriousness of this man's mood and message. There's open space for text to be added later, of course, but too, this man often stands alone - so I wanted to illustrate that as well. The lighting was crafted in my studio before the on-location shoot, and while arguably minimal, I hoped to sculpt just Ritter's personality , which if you've met him - or even just seen him speak on the news - you'd know projects as friendly, educated, and earnest - yet with the utmost gravity of a man who almost knows too much.

I recently had an opportunity to spend a few days in Pennsylvania, where my lenses joined forces with quite a few other Long Island photographers from NWPLI as we sought out some scenic waterfalls in the Bushkill area.

The weather was near perfect, offering cool nights and mild afternoons to hike the miles of trails and man-made paths that snaked their way through the rocky region, allowing view after spectacular view of the many creeks and streams. All of the waters head towards the Delaware River, twisting through the stone faces of the hills and moutains to bring the main falls' 100-foot -tall roar to life with mist and foam. Nutshell? Pretty damn cool.

The falls in Bushkill were first opened to the public in 1904, when the Peters family - whose decendants still own and operate the area - built a swinging bridge over the main falls. There are actually eight sets of waterfalls in the Buskill portion of the trails, making the area one of the most unique places to visit in the Poconos.

With 30lbs. of camera gear on my back - and over 1,000 steps to area inclines and staircases, I was pretty well beat up by the end of the weekend. But, the shots shown here made it worth the while for me, and certainly reminded me that with the cool weather coming? I have to make an effort to excercise some more. . .might just avoid steps and stairs for a bit, though...