Paul Marotta

Now scheduling shoots for the remainder of the month

2009-10-16T10:39:00.005-04:00

If you're at all interested, go on over to my new web site and take the tour, especially the galleries:

http://www.perfectbokehphotography.com/

Study in Blue & White

2009-01-31T14:01:00.004-05:00

Or is it "White & Blue"?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/paulmarotta/

Barnegat Light

2008-10-12T21:42:00.006-04:00

Went out to Barnegat Light today to shoot, gorgeous weather and fantastic light, one pic here below and more posted on:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/paulmarotta/

New Jersey Motorsports Park Vintage Race

2008-09-23T20:19:00.001-04:00

Some fotos from last weekend at New Jersey Motorsports Park Vintage Races in Millville. More here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/paulmarotta/

Urban Youth Racing School Grand Prix in Philly

2008-09-09T09:09:00.006-04:00

Pictures are here from Sunday's terrific Urban Youth Racing School Philadelphia Grand Prix event.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/paulmarotta/

NJMP Rolex Grand Am Race photos

2008-08-31T18:24:00.004-04:00

Race was just a lot of fun today and some pics are here below, more are posted here

http://www.flickr.com/photos/paulmarotta/sets/72157607040421806/

NJMP Shelby SAAC 33 event DAYTONA!!!!!!!!!!

2008-08-18T21:11:00.004-04:00

Hi all, having trouble uploading fotos on blogspot tonight for some reason so pics are here now from the Shelby SAAC 33 event last weekend...cheers!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/paulmarotta/sets/

NJMP Shelby Event Sunbeam

2008-08-18T18:49:00.000-04:00

More Lightning

2008-08-10T20:39:00.002-04:00

Lightning Strike

2008-08-10T20:02:00.002-04:00

Shot this tonight as this weather front moved through the area...and I must say it was more than a little spooky as I could feel the air around me get charged as the lightning bolt hit...

New Jersey Motorsports Park SVRA 08 09 08 Batch 6

2008-08-09T19:35:00.004-04:00

New Jersey Motorsports Park SVRA 08 09 08 Batch 5

2008-08-09T19:13:00.005-04:00

When the big block American cars show up (Datsun aside) the noise and power is just tremendous. These bad boys just plain thunder, literally! And the Gulf (McLaren or Saleen ?) showed up to look pretty and pose...and it was a beauty, I don't think it touched the track today. And the BMW 2002 was a pretty terrific machine as well! Oh and that #971 Porsche....nice!

New Jersey Motorsports Park SVRA 08 09 08 Batch 4

2008-08-09T18:52:00.003-04:00

Lots of power in this group.

New Jersey Motorsports Park SVRA 08 09 08 Batch 3

2008-08-09T18:32:00.004-04:00

The Porsches in this group were just exquisite, especially the powder blue #18.

New Jersey Motorsports Park SVRA 08 09 08 Batch 2

2008-08-09T17:58:00.005-04:00

It's always a great thing when the Lola's show up at a vintage race, and the BonGrip was sweet, as were the others, and the mint Lotus was terrific!

New Jersey Motorsports Park SVRA 08 09 08 Batch 1

2008-08-09T17:26:00.005-04:00

Went out to New Jersey Motorsports Park today to the SVRA Vintage race and here's the first batch of about 4 or 5 more sets I'll post tonight. The Mini is terrific as are the Saabs!

My Car -- 1973 Porsche Carrera RS

2008-08-09T17:23:00.003-04:00

Don't I wish! This has to be probably my ideal dream car...some day...after the little one is done college? I was out at NJMP this morning and this sweet 1973 Porsche Carrera RS parked near me...(that's my Volvo---boring!!!!---off to the side!)

Philadelphia Chinatown Festival

2008-08-08T22:31:00.003-04:00

Thunder and Lightning

2008-07-27T15:06:00.004-04:00

Wow, have been wanting to do this for a while...a major storm just blew through Cherry Hill and I managed to catch a shot or two of the lightning!

It's still there, homlessness in Philadelphia

2008-07-27T10:19:00.003-04:00

I guess I had been looking forward to getting up and out early this morning to shoot more than I realized: I had a dream during the night which I had forgotten about until I got back from shooting early this morning. When I returned, soaking wet as the humidity was already pretty high, I plugged in the camera to download the pics onto my computer and only at that very instant did a remembrance of that dream return.

In that dream I had been handed someone’s camera to shoot for them and the tactile experience of handling that camera in my dream was very real. It turns out it was my very first 35mm film camera from some 35 years ago: an Exacta VX500. As I looked through the camera to shoot in the dream and pressed the shutter, I could feel it fire in my hands. The memory of that experience is still there for me, apparently very real today, as real as it was to me 35 years ago as a young photographer.

What is also still there is the reality of homelessness on the streets of Philadelphia today. There has been a lot of news lately about the soiling so to speak of Rittenhouse Square by the homeless in a recent article in the Inquirer titled “Homeless remain a problem in elegant Phila. Park.” There is even a poll in the Inquirer asking readers what they think should be done about the problem. Incidentally, it seems only a very small handful of people have voted. I’m not sure if that’s a statement about either lack of readership or a general apathy about the issue?

Well, when I was out and about this morning and not happy due to the lack of inspiration as well as the poor flat light, I did shoot a couple things…the piece of graffiti as well as this one individual fast asleep on the sidewalk near the Kimmel Center, both pictured below. It seems to me that no amount of waking people up early from the park by police so that strollers can enjoy a nice walk to work is going to solve the underlying issue for these people, many of whom suffer mental illness, addiction and/or just plain bad luck.

Where is the social program that gets them into rehabilitation and perhaps into a home or environment where they can be treated? They have no money, they have in many cases no ability to earn money to pay for treatment, sometimes they have blown their money on drugs and alcohol which is a separate problem unto itself, and sometimes they’re just plain violent…all of which require programs and treatment.

I know, some say they decline treatment and we they can’t be forced…at what point do we say, sorry, you need treatment and we’re here for you? Does a police car driving through the park setting off its siren at 6am to wake them up and move them out really solve the problem? Are we asking hard enough questions of ourselves as a society about how we might solve this “problem?”

Apathy and empathy are two different things. Apathy forces us to walk away and to want to make them walk away from us. Empathy forces us to think about what we’ve seen and forces that image to stay with us. And when that empathy is profound enough it can move us to want to take action, to do something positive and constructive. This “problem” is still here, what will we do?

New Jersey Motorsports Park: A Day at the SCCA SJR Club Races

2008-07-19T20:12:00.023-04:00

A good friend and colleague at work invited me to spend the day with him and his wife and friends at a day of SCCA club racing at the brand spanking new openned just this week New Jersey Motorsports Park in south Jersey, in Millville. Wow, man, these guys are serious, with all manner of vehicle showing up to flex their muscle...home brews and serious retired machines as well as whole seperate Mazda class. The weather was beautiful, the practice and qualifying sessions fast and furious, the company great, and the track itself is just spectacular. We'll be back for some pro races and vintage stock as well in August. Cheers!

http://www.njmp.com

Click on the images for a larger version and let me know what you think...

Philly Alley

2008-07-19T18:38:00.002-04:00

Rain

2008-07-07T19:37:00.002-04:00

B&W Conversions

2008-07-06T10:13:00.005-04:00

This was originally shot on Fuji Velvia 100 slide film on a trip to London a few years ago, scanned in, and today I've started working with converting a few things to B&W using the channel mixer feature on Photoshop.

Friendly Skies

2008-07-01T20:53:00.001-04:00