DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY (DP)
I have been working professionally since 1981 when I started at WPVI-TV in Philadelphia working on news magazines and documentaries. While editing and lugging a Nagra recorder I learned from Ken Basmajian, one of the best DPs in the area. He owned an Arri SR with prime lenses and was one of the first to take Garrett Brown’s Steadicam course.
Ken was generous with his knowledge and skills and taught me more about lighting and composition than all my college classes. Back at the station he would review his footage and explain the visual relationships he created to tell the story. He had a way of creating depth and dimension on the 2-D screen. I still remember the day he asked me to pull focus during a shoot in New York City! He began asking my opinion about what we were shooting. It was certainly not because he needed inspiration, but to see how my eye was progressing as a budding DP.
DP Demo
There are links for my old 4:3 documentary and news magazine demos that I feel are still relevant in a 16:9 HD world on the Contact page.
-Me with deck on my shoulder keeping up with Ken.
But events set me on a freelance career. On my own, I often found myself looking through the lens not happy with what I was seeing. At those times, I would ask myself, “What would Ken do here?”, and soon I would see the tweak in composition or lighting the shot needed.
I now consider myself a versatile DP for broadcast and corporate clients, from lighting product shots (or celebrities) to the “hunt” of shooting a true documentary. And, of course, Steadicam. I co-own BetaWorks, Inc., a field production company for over 20 years. Yes, we’ve been around so long our name is now considered “vintage”. But with that comes experience in all styles of shooting and lighting to benefit your production.
I have won a few awards over the years: Tellys, CINE Golden Eagle, NY Festivals Gold Medal, Mid-Atlantic Emmy and AIME are some. Most are for videography, but a few were for producing and directing which I believe go together with good shooting.
Clients include all broadcast networks and cable channels, Dateline, 20/20, GMA, CBS Sunday Morning, Oprah, HBO; corporate clients like BMS, SAP, McDonalds, Cigna, Ortho and ad and PR agencies.
