A Day in Dublin
October/07/2007 Ireland Journal
Although Jim and I have visited Ireland twice, this was our first trip to Dublin, so we were delighted to visit the studio of PPA board member Ronnie Norton, who, happily, I had gotten to know during my board service. It would have been fun to see Ronnie under any circumstances, but from my perspective as a portrait photographer, getting to see Ronnie's bustling commercial studio at work was a special treat. I made the photograph of Ronnie, below, in the studio's cheerful lunch room. I chose a spot in front of his portrait of super-star musician and humanitarian, Bono, as that image has particular meaning to me: At PPA's 2006 Imaging USA convention, Ronnie donated a print of this image to the PPA Charities' auction. It was purchased by Shannon Barry, of Marathon Press, whose office I have used for consultations during Marathon's Marketing Workshops. It can be rather disconcerting when talking to photographers to have them stare right past me into Bono's hypnotic gaze.
Because Ronnie's lovely wife, Pat, was in New York for a visit, we missed her at dinner at a wonderful old restaurant in a seaside community followed by a round of live music. Much of our dinner conversation centered around music, as Ronnie's has gained quite a following as a photographer of musicians, and he and I share an interest in folk music of many different kinds. In fact, Ronnie is quite an authority on blue grass music and even hosts a program that airs on CMRNASVILLE.net called Lonesome Highway. It plays on Friday afternoon from 4-6 and repeats on Sunday morning from 10-12. You can take a listen to Ronnie's show by clicking here. It's wonderful fun to hear an Irishman comment on a distinctly American music form. And it was wonderful fun to get to see a slice of Dublin through Ronnie's eyes!
Because Ronnie's lovely wife, Pat, was in New York for a visit, we missed her at dinner at a wonderful old restaurant in a seaside community followed by a round of live music. Much of our dinner conversation centered around music, as Ronnie's has gained quite a following as a photographer of musicians, and he and I share an interest in folk music of many different kinds. In fact, Ronnie is quite an authority on blue grass music and even hosts a program that airs on CMRNASVILLE.net called Lonesome Highway. It plays on Friday afternoon from 4-6 and repeats on Sunday morning from 10-12. You can take a listen to Ronnie's show by clicking here. It's wonderful fun to hear an Irishman comment on a distinctly American music form. And it was wonderful fun to get to see a slice of Dublin through Ronnie's eyes!