British Invasion, Part II

November, 1985, I think it was. I'd decided to go into business as a photographer, transitioning from apprentice to journeyman.

I'd been assisting Alan Kaplan, a brilliant photographer, but he basically kicked me out of his studio because he thought I was ready to make my move and he also thought I was too comfortable there to take the risk. So... Alan gave me the boot. Good thing too, because he was 100% right (told ya he's brilliant).

At the time, Alan was represented by Sam Bernstein and Tony Andriulli and they'd taken a liking to me so.... I'll bet you're thinking they offered to rep me.... wrong! But they saw a guy with a new studio and no clients and they'd just picked-up a Londoner by the name of Frank Herholdt. Frank, was going to shoot jobs here in the US, but Frank didn't really know his way around so Sam thought that I should be Frank's producer.

I really didn't want to be Frank's producer, but when Frank was in my position in London he really didn't want to be Art Kane's producer. But Frank did produce Art's shoots and so I produced Frank's shoots.

And I like Frank, we got on quite well and it was a good gig. And Frank came with Keith Taylor, an assistant who became Frank's printer and then opened his own lab in London. Anyway, Keith and I got on quite well, too, and I introduced him to New York by getting him sick as a dog drinking shots of tequilla and hot sauce (alternately... and there are as many brands of hot sauce as there are brands of tequilla) in some of New York's trendiest bars.

Okay, let's cut to the chase: Keith fell in love and moved to Minneapolis, where he's lived for the past eleven years and, though a fine phtographer in his own right, prospers as a custom printer for some of the midwest's greatest talents.

So it was with some surprise that, after all this time, I got an e-mail from Keith a couple of weeks ago inviting me to a gallery opening in New York. He'd done some really, really beautiful dichromate pigment prints for Cy DeCosse and I have to tell you: I was as impressed by the prints as I was by the photographs. Keith was as much the star of the show as Cy.

Cy DeCosse, New Works. Printed by Keith Taylor. John Stevenson Gallery, 338 West 23rd Street, New York. Through June 30th.