Recently, from June 24th and running through Sptember 3rd, thirty-two designers participated in a public art exhibition entitled ” Sidewalk Catwalk “

The exhibition ran from Times Square to Herald Square along a pedestrian mall on Broadway.It reminded me of a fashion version of the ” Cow Parade ” of a decade ago all over Manhattan.

The project, organized by the Fashion Center Business Improvement District, required each designer to design a mannequin in their signature style while using material that would hold up to the elements. Not only did they hold up, but as far as I know nothing was stolen either!

Among the designers who participated were Tommy Hilfiger, Kenneth Cole, Isaac Mizrahi, Jason Wu, Michael Kors, and Diane von Furstenberg. The fashion show smack dab in the middle of N.Y.’s garment district was an instant hit especially with the tourists. As I was taking pictures for my website , I was constantly stopping to take picture of tourists with their own cameras so everyone could be in the picture.

I had a ball taking these pictures. I hope you enjoy them.

Just a quick note to let you know I just redesigned my website www.adornthewalls.com.

It’s more streamlined and has about half the pictures as before. Many pictures are still there as well as many that are new.

I will continue to delete and add pictures based upon hits, comments, sales, etc.

This is a fun avocation for me as well as a passion. As always your thoughts and suggestions are welcome.

If you are like me, you love photography and being in the field taking pictures as often as you can. But the more you take pictures ( specifically digital ) the more you become frustrated and annoyed at two common problems. One, not being able to see your LCD in daylight and two, your camera strap constantly falling off your shoulder.

I had seen advertisements for the Hoodman Loupe in the photography magazines to which I subscribe , but because I am cynical and skeptical and because I am cheap ( let’s say value conscious ), I never really looked into it. One day I decided to e-mail the company to make sure I could return the Hoodman if I was not happy with it. They assured me I could return it for a full refund. So I ordered it.

When it came I wasn’t too happy with it because I normally have a pair of glasses hanging around my neck and that is where you wear the Hoodman. So I had to carry my glasses elsewhere. The second problem I had was finding a way to use it so it was comfortable and second nature to me. After using it a few times I found that comfort zone.

Until someone designs a LCD screen that can be seen clearly in daylight the Hoodman Loupe is the best thing to view your pictures. Just place the loupe over the LCD screen ( It’s made for all the most popular DSLR’s ) which blocks out the light allowing you to look through the eyepiece to see the screen. The eye piece has a + / – 3 diopter adjustment so you can adjust it for your eyesight and see the screen clearly and sharp. After using it, I don’t know how I got along without it. My pictures are definitely better because I can make immediate adjustments based upon what I see whether I am using the histogram or the LCD screen.

Recently, I was on vacation visiting Grand Teton, Glacier, and Yellowstone National Parks ( pictures to be on my website shortly ). If I had a supply of Hoodmans in my car trunk I could have easily sold 10 to 15 of them. Other photographers saw the Hoodman hanging around my neck and asked what it was. I took it off and let them use it and voila another sale. Everybody went wild over it and wanted to know how to get one.

So there you have it. This blog and my website is not about endorsing products but when you find something that works and solves a problem you have to let people know about it. Try it. If you don’t like it, you can return it. I doubt you will. The website address is www.hoodmanusa.com. You have to order on the web. To my knowledge it is not available in retail stores.

The second outstanding product addresses the camera strap falling off your shoulder. It is called Upstrap because it will keep your strap UP.

Many years ago, I took a course with Jay Maisel, outstanding professional photographer. I have a lot of respect for Jay, so when I saw he was endorsing the Upstrap I decided to look into it. As with the Hoodman, I e-mailed the company to make sure I could return it for a full refund if I was not happy with it. They assured me I could.

On the Upstrap website ( www.upstrap-pro.com ) there are a variety of testimonials about the Upstrap. Michael Reichman of Toronto said “…. The best damn strap in the world. Period. End of story. “ I agree. The damn strap won’t fall off your shoulder. Michael’s right. Enough said.

The key part of the Upstrap is a thick and very pliant polymer pad with little nubs all over it. It is meant to distribute weight over a larger surface area than a thin strap and grab onto fabric aggressively so that it stays put. And it does !

Just like the Hoodman Loupe you have nothing to lose and everything to gain with the Upstrap.

Hello Everyone,

Recently, the Star-Ledger, New Jersey’s largest newspaper, sponsored a contest which will result in a book being published entitled Great Destinations NJ.

They  awarded 8 prizes for July (one for each chapter of the book), 8 prizes for August, and 1 Grand Prize winner.

I am delighted to tell you I was one of the 8 winners for July. The ad in the Star-ledger is reproduced here for your viewing. The picture that won I titled ” The Lone Fan ” and you can find it in the Colors & Composition Gallery,  picture #13.

If you are one of the people who voted in the contest, thank you. If you would like to participate just follow the instructions on the home page of my website www.adornthewalls.com. The contest runs until8/31/08.

Best regards,
Allen

If you’ve ever lived in Jersey…you’ll appreciate this!!!
· New Jersey is a peninsula.
· Highlands, New Jersey has the highest elevation along the entire eastern seaboard, from Maine to Florida.
· New Jersey is the only state where all of its counties are classified as metropolitan areas.
· New Jersey has more race horses than Kentucky.
· New Jersey has more Cubans in Union City (1 sq mi.) than Havana, Cuba.
· New Jersey has the densest system of highways and railroads in the US.
· New Jersey has the highest cost of living.
· New Jersey has the highest cost of auto insurance.
· New Jersey has the highest property taxes in the nation.
· New Jersey has the most diners in the world and is sometimes referred to as the ‘Diner Capital of the World.’
· New Jersey is home to the original Mystery Pork Parts Club (no, not Spam): Taylor Ham or Pork Roll.
· Home to the less mysterious but the best Italian hot dogs and Italian sausage w/peppers and onions.
· North Jersey has the most shopping malls in one area in the world, with seven major shopping malls in a 25 square mile radius.
· The Passaic River was the site of the first submarine ride by inventor John P. Holland .
· New Jersey has 50+ resort cities & towns; some of the nation’s most famous: Asbury Park , Wildwood, Atlantic City, Seaside Heights, Long Branch, Cape May .
· 20 New Jersey has the most stringent testing along its coastline for water quality control than any other seaboard state in the entire country.
· New Jersey is a leading technology & industrial state and is the largest chemical producing state in the nation when you include pharmaceuticals.
· Jersey tomatoes are known the world over as being the best you can buy.
· New Jersey is the world leader in blueberry and cranberry production (and here you thought Massachusetts?)
· Here’s to New Jersey – the toast of the country! In 1642, the first brewery in America, opened in Hoboken.
· New Jersey rocks! The famous Les Paul invented the first solid body electric guitar in Mahwah, in 1940.
· New Jersey is a major seaport state with the largest seaport in the US, located in Elizabeth. Nearly 80 percent of what our nation imports comes through Elizabeth Seaport first.
· New Jersey is home to one of the nation’s busiest airports (in Newark), Liberty International
· George Washington slept there.
· Several important Revolutionary War battles were fought on New Jersey soil, led by General George Washington.
· The light bulb, phonograph (record player), and motion picture projector, were invented by Thomas Edison in his Menlo Park, NJ, laboratory.
· New Jersey also boasts the first town ever lit by incandescent bulbs.
· The first seaplane was built in Keyport, NJ.
· The first airmail (to Chicago) was started from Keyport, NJ.
· The first phonograph records were made in Camden, NJ
· New Jersey was home to the Miss America Pageant held in Atlantic City.
· The game Monopoly, played all over the world, named the streets on its playing board after the actual streets in Atlantic City.
· And, Atlantic City has the longest boardwalk in the world, not to mention salt water taffy.
· New Jersey has the largest petroleum containment area outside of the Middle East countries.
· The first Indian reservation was in New Jersey, in the Watchung Mountains
· New Jersey has the tallest water-tower in the world. (Union, NJ!!!)
· New Jersey had the first medical center, in Jersey City
· The Pulaski SkyWay, from Jersey City to Newark, was the first skyway highway.
· New Jersey built the first tunnel under a river, the Hudson (Holland Tunnel).
· The first baseball game was played in Hoboken, NJ, which is also the birthplace of Frank Sinatra.
· The first intercollegiate football game was played in New Brunswick in 1889 (Rutgers College played Princeton).
· The first drive-in movie theater was opened in Camden, NJ, (but they’re all gone now!).
· New Jersey is home to both of ‘NEW YORK’S’ pro football teams!
· The first radio station and broadcast was in Paterson, NJ.
· The first FM radio broadcast was made from Alpine, NJ, by Maj. Thomas Armstrong.
· All New Jersey natives: Sal Martorano, Jack Nicholson, Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, Jason Alexander, Queen Latifah, Susan Sarandon, Connie Francis. Shaq, Judy Blume, Aaron Burr, Joan Robertson, Ken Kross,Dionne Warwick, Sarah Vaughn, Budd Abbott, Lou Costello, Alan Ginsberg, Norman Mailer, Marilyn McCoo,Flip Wilson, Alexander Hamilton, Zack Braff, Whitney Houston, Eddie Money, Linda McElroy,Eileen Donnelly, Grover Cleveland, Woodrow Wilson, Walt Whitman, Jerry Lewis, Tom Cruise, Joyce Kilmer, Bruce Willis, Caesar Romero, Lauryn Hill, Ice-T, Nick Adams, Nathan Lane, Sandra Dee, Danny DeVito, Richard Conti, Joe Pesci, Joe Piscopo, Joe DePasquale, Robert Blake, John Forsythe, Meryl Streep, Loretta Swit, Norman Lloyd, Paul Simon, Jerry Herman, Gorden McCrae, Kevin Spacey, John Travolta, Phyllis Newman, Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Eva Marie Saint, Elisabeth Shue, Zebulon Pike, James Fennimore Cooper, Admiral Wm.Halsey Jr., Norman Schwarzkopf, Dave Thomas (Wendy’s), William Carlos Williams, Ray Liotta, Robert Wuhl, Bob Reyers, Paul Robeson, Ernie Kovacs, Joseph Macchia, Kelly Ripa, and, of course, Francis Albert Sinatra and ‘Uncle Floyd’ Vivino…..and my favorite– Dr. Ira Byock!!!

· The Great Falls in Paterson, on the Passaic River, is the 2nd highest waterfall on the East Coast
of the US.
· You know you’re from Jersey when . .
1. You don’t think of fruit when people mention ‘The Oranges.’
2. You know that it’s called Great Adventure, not Six Flags.
3. A good, quick breakfast is a hard roll with butter.
4. You’ve known the way to Seaside Heights since you were seven.
5. You’ve eaten at a diner, when you were stoned or drunk, at 3 A.M.

· You know that the state isn’t one big oil refinery.
· At least three people in your family still love Bruce Springsteen, and you know the town Jon Bon Jovi is from.
· You know what a ‘jug handle’ is.
· You know that WaWa is a convenience store.
· You know that the state isn’t all farmland.
· You know that there are no ‘beaches’ in New Jersey–there’s the shore–and you don’t go ‘to the shore,’ you go ‘down the shore.’ And when you are there, you’re not ‘at the shore’; you are ‘down the shore.’
· You know how to properly negotiate a circle.
· You knew that the last sentence had to do with driving.
· You know that this is the only ‘New’ state that doesn’t require ‘New’ to identify it (try . . Mexico . . . York ..! . . Hampshire– doesn’t work, does it?).
· You know that a ‘White Castle’ is the name of BOTH a fast food chain AND a fast food sandwich.
· You consider putting mayo on a corned beef sandwich a sacrilege.
· You don’t think ‘What exit?’ is very funny.
· You know that people from the 609 area code are ‘a little different.’ They think they belong to Philadelphia.!
· You know that no respectable New Jerseyan goes to Princeton–that’s for out-of-staters.
· The Jets-Giants game has started fights at your school or local bar.
· You live within 20 minutes of at least three different malls.
· You refer to all highways and interstates by their numbers.
· Every year you have at least one kid in your class named Tony.
· You know the location of every clip shown in the Sopranos opening credits.
· You’ve gotten on the wrong highway trying to get out of the mall.
· You know that people from North Jersey go to Seaside Heights, and people from Central Jersey go to Belmar, and people from South Jersey go to Wildwood. It can be no other way.
· You weren’t raised in New Jersey–you were raised in either North Jersey, Central Jersey or South Jersey.
· You remember the stores Korvette’s, Two Guys, Rickel’s, Channel,Bamberger’s and Orbach’s.
· You also remember Palisades Amusement Park.