My friend Drew Goren took the photo above of his daughter, Nina, in 2004. Drew and I spent a few years working together at a magazine in New York City. He was one of the most gifted photographers I’ve ever known, and I picked his brain endlessly about his pictures – how he took them, what kind of film and exposure he used, how he got his pictures to look so amazing, and so forth. I learned more from Drew in a few short years than I had in an entire lifetime of trying to take a decent picture. Most of all, Drew was a wonderful friend to me. He offered to send me on photo shoots in New York to build a portfolio and gain some confidence. He scanned over 40 of my slides so I could build this blog.
One time, Drew told me that the drug store, Walgreens, made an 800 speed color film that was amazing for portraits. I laughed -- are you serious? drug store film? A week later, a box of Walgreen’s 800 showed up in my mailbox. And, of course, he was right; my favorite picture of my son was taken with a roll of that film.
Drew and I talked endlessly about politics, photography, and music. We shared many beers, and a few good shots. We even yelled at each other a few times and laughed afterwards. I like to think that we were a good team -- friends that managed to do a few cool things for a less than perfect music magazine.
Drew passed away this week. He was just 33. He was an amazing soul, an inspirational father, and I will miss him greatly. Thank you for everything, my friend.
If you have some time, please visit his website: subwaysleeper.
1 comment:
I found this little tribute while doing a 'Drew' search. Thanks for sharing your beautiful memories of my big brother...i (and many around me who loved Drew as well) gain a lot of strength in reading about and being around all things Drew. Cheers Drew, we do miss you so.
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