Old archive portrait

Found this in the archives of two of my oldest friends. Probably sometime in the late 80’s. Jim, my brother from another mother, and I were going on a bike ride through Pennypack Park in Northeast Philadelphia.

At the last minute, Jim tells me that this girl he’s been dating is coming along with us. Ok. No biggie. So we go to meet up with Ana. Walking up to us with her bike is this stunningly beautiful woman. I think, boy Jimmy hit the jackpot! Then we start riding. Ana says we’re going to fast. She can not keep up. I’m thinking, “why in the world did we bring a woman along?”Slowly but surely I’m getting annoyed. Then we come to a big hill in Pennypack. Ana is having a hard time. I get more annoyed. A girl. On one of our extended bike rides. WTF?! 
Jim and I would sometimes do late night bike rides from Bensalem to the Art museum in Philadelphia then come home and watch Letterman. A short 18 mile ride at a quick clip was nothing to us. So, to have a woman (sounds really stupid now) come along and slow us down to me was unthinkable. I also, had never been in love with a woman at that point in my life. I believe Jim was in love with Ana at first sight. 
So, Ana wants to take a break and we find a 7-11 in the Fox Chase area. We had already ridden really far, and she was still with us. I start thinking she might not be that bad. At 7-11, Ana gets me a drink and some snacks. We then shared some laughs and have been the best of friends ever since. She is like a sister to me.They are both and have always been family to me. The type of people in my life that I may not speak with for months of even years, but if I pick up the phone to chat with either of them, it is as though I spoke with them yesterday. I can maybe think of only 5 or 6 people in my life that I can say that about. 
We might not be family by blood, but most certainly are in the most important area that matters, and that my friends is love.

Dreaming Of Affordable Housing

In 1992, I spent a few days working on a story about the lack of affordable housing in the Philadelphia suburbs of Bucks County. The other day I read a post on Facebook about how a community came together to help place a family into an affordable home since they were about to lose their residence and it was so close to Christmas. I made the following images in June of 1992. Seems to me that there was a problem way back then that still exists to this day and folks need housing 365 days a year. Not just because it’s Christmas. It’s great that people banded together to help that family, but don;t forget that there are another 364 days a year that people in the Philadelphia region go homeless. So much more needs top be done.

Here are some of the images.

Gwen Thomas, 24, combs her 4 year old daughter Dionna's hair the George Washington Motor Lodge Tuesday June 23, 1992 in Bensalem, Pennsylvania. (WILLIAM THOMAS CAIN / For The Philadelphia Inquirer) (William Thomas Cain/Cain Images)

Gwen Thomas, 24, combs her 4 year old daughter Dionna’s hair the George Washington Motor Lodge Tuesday June 23, 1992 in Bensalem, Pennsylvania. (WILLIAM THOMAS CAIN / For The Philadelphia Inquirer) (William Thomas Cain/Cain Images)

 

4 year old Dionna Thomas looks out the door at the George Washington Motor Lodge, where she and her mother are living Tuesday June 23, 1992 in Bensalem, Pennsylvania. (WILLIAM THOMAS CAIN / For The Philadelphia Inquirer) (William Thomas Cain/Cain Images)

4 year old Dionna Thomas looks out the door at the George Washington Motor Lodge, where she and her mother are living Tuesday June 23, 1992 in Bensalem, Pennsylvania. (WILLIAM THOMAS CAIN / For The Philadelphia Inquirer) (William Thomas Cain/Cain Images)

 

Stevie Nicole Painter, 3, clings to her mother Debbie's leg as her she holds son Brandon, 7 months at the George Washington Motor Lodge, where they are living Tuesday June 23, 1992 in Bensalem, Pennsylvania. (WILLIAM THOMAS CAIN / For The Philadelphia Inquirer) (William Thomas Cain/Cain Images)

Stevie Nicole Painter, 3, clings to her mother Debbie’s leg as her she holds son Brandon, 7 months at the George Washington Motor Lodge, where they are living Tuesday June 23, 1992 in Bensalem, Pennsylvania. (WILLIAM THOMAS CAIN / For The Philadelphia Inquirer) (William Thomas Cain/Cain Images)

And here is a few clip from the Inquirer, 1992.

The day I met the Berenstains and found we shared the same education and a mutual friend

Back in 2001, on this date as a matter of fact, I had the coolest assignment to photograph Jan and Stan Berenstain, creators of the “Berenstain Bears” childrens’ books.

I was even able to have stuffed versions of Sister Bear, Pappa Bear, Momma Bear, and Brother Bear in the image for fun.
What was supposed to be a 30 minute shoot turned into a 3 hour gab fest. We got to chatting and I mentioned that I had actually studied illustration and painting at University of the Arts, and it turned out that they had gone to the Philadelphia Museum School of Art with my old high school art instructor, Ed Smith. If not for Ed Smith, i may not have been accepted to the school. He wrote me a hell of a recommendation when I applied and also helped me receive a partial scholarship. They told me old stories about their days with Smitty at college and what the school, which eventually became Philadelphia College of Art and inevitably The University of the Arts of today. What a day. What glorious people. Sadly, the Berenstains have both passed on, but their son continues the family business.
As for Smitty. Well, he’s still around. Probably making someone laugh, listening to the Grateful Dead and sketching.

Dentist Cares For HIV Patients

This is from an unpublished photo essay I worked on in 1989 at the Infectious Disease Clinic at Temple University. I spent a few days following around Dr. Michael Glick, who had started the IDC a year earlier. No one in the Philadelphia region was offering dental care to HIV patients at the time. Click and his staff were the only ones doing so that I had found at that time. Here are some archive images, from way back then.

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Long Before Teen Mom on MTV

Long before Teen Mom hit MTV screens, way back in 1989, while working for the Philadelphia Inquirer I spent a few days at William Tennent High School in Warminster, Pennsylvania making pictures of a program geared to keep Teen Moms in school. The school, and mostly, Centennial School District, set up a day care program so young women that had children while in high school could keep on attending school and get their diploma. It was pretty simple. The girls would drop of their child before classes started, then go to school. They could come back to visit the children any time during the day. Then would pick them up after school and in some cases, actually do their homework in the day care while waiting for the bus ride home.

Here are some of the images from the package I did in 1989. Images were shot with Tri-X film and probably pushed to 1600 ISO in most interiors with Nikon F3’s as camera of choice.

A teen mom does her homework while her daughter has a snack.

 

Teen mom and her daughter leave for school as her mother says good bye.

Teen mom and her daughter play during lunch break.

A group of teen moms share a laugh in the lunch room.

During lunch, a teen mom sets her daughters hair.

A young boy and girl play in the day care area of the high school.

Diaper changing time for a young child of a teen mom.

Teen mom drops off her daughter at day care at the school.

Lunch time in day care.

While her daughter is in day care, a teen mom chats in class with a friend.

A teen mom pours milk into her daughters cereal before leaving for school.

A child kisses her teen mom goodbye after being dropped off for day care.

Teen mom and daughter arrive for school.

Teen mom has a snack with her daughter.

Eastern Polar Bear Plunge Raises Money For Special Olympics in Bensalem, Pennsylvania


A group of plungers run into the 32 degree Delaware River during the eighth annual Eastern Polar Bear Plunge to benefit Special Olympics Pennsylvania (SOPA) Saturday January 30, 2016 at Neshaminy State Park in Bensalem, Pennsylvania. (Photo by William Thomas Cain) (William Thomas Cain/Cain Images)

A group of plungers run into the 32 degree Delaware River during the eighth annual Eastern Polar Bear Plunge to benefit Special Olympics Pennsylvania (SOPA) Saturday January 30, 2016 at Neshaminy State Park in Bensalem, Pennsylvania. (Photo by William Thomas Cain)

A group of plungers exit the 32 degree Delaware River during the eighth annual Eastern Polar Bear Plunge to benefit Special Olympics Pennsylvania (SOPA) Saturday January 30, 2016 at Neshaminy State Park in Bensalem, Pennsylvania. (Photo by William Thomas Cain) (William Thomas Cain/Cain Images)

A group of plungers exit the 32 degree Delaware River during the eighth annual Eastern Polar Bear Plunge to benefit Special Olympics Pennsylvania (SOPA) Saturday January 30, 2016 at Neshaminy State Park in Bensalem, Pennsylvania. (Photo by William Thomas Cain)

Judy Misoyianis of Vincenttown, New Jersey and Dennis Hart of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania dressed as Baby Boomers exit the 32 degree Delaware River during the eighth annual Eastern Polar Bear Plunge to benefit Special Olympics Pennsylvania (SOPA) Saturday January 30, 2016 at Neshaminy State Park in Bensalem, Pennsylvania. (Photo by William Thomas Cain) (William Thomas Cain/Cain Images)

Judy Misoyianis of Vincenttown, New Jersey and Dennis Hart of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania dressed as Baby Boomers exit the 32 degree Delaware River during the eighth annual Eastern Polar Bear Plunge to benefit Special Olympics Pennsylvania (SOPA) Saturday January 30, 2016 at Neshaminy State Park in Bensalem, Pennsylvania. (Photo by William Thomas Cain)

From left, Amber Kenney, Karli Krug and Adam Bockius exit the 32 degree Delaware River during the eighth annual Eastern Polar Bear Plunge to benefit Special Olympics Pennsylvania (SOPA) Saturday January 30, 2016 at Neshaminy State Park in Bensalem, Pennsylvania. (Photo by William Thomas Cain) (William Thomas Cain/Cain Images)

From left, Amber Kenney, Karli Krug and Adam Bockius exit the 32 degree Delaware River during the eighth annual Eastern Polar Bear Plunge to benefit Special Olympics Pennsylvania (SOPA) Saturday January 30, 2016 at Neshaminy State Park in Bensalem, Pennsylvania. (Photo by William Thomas Cain)

600 souls braved 32 degree water temperatures to plunge into  the Delaware River and raise money for Special Olympics on Saturday at Neshaminy State Park in Bensalem.

They helped raise $120,000 during Pennsylvania Special Olympics’ Eighth Annual Eastern Polar Bear Plunge.

For $50 per person, a person could take a dip in the freezing river for a good cause.

Participants waded and splashed their way out into the water and around a banana rescue boat while high-fiving officers as they exited the frigid water.

Members of trevose fire company wore white wedding gowns into the water.

Hot chocolate and coffee was served by duke donuts, a sponsor of the event.

Sandy & Don – Wedding Photography – Peddler’s Village Lahaska, Pennsylvania

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of photographing Sandy & Don’s wedding at Peddler’s Village in Lahaska, Pennsylvania. Click the link to see the beautiful images we captured that day.
http://cainimages.photoshelter.com/gallery/Sandy-Don-Lahaska-Pa/G0000UOrH20irlWM/
sandyblogpost


Family Portrait Photo Shoot Norristown, Pennsylvania Elmwood Park Zoo

I made some nice images the other day of a little guy at the Elmwood Park Zoo in Norristown, Pennsylvania for his mom.
Full gallery @ http://cainimages.photoshelter.com/gallery/Lowenstein/G0000U_7XFv.EaBc


Family Portrait Photography Shoots

Over the course of a few days last week I had a few photo shoots.
Here’s some of the images.
Click the links to see the galleries.


Family Portrait Photo Session Avalon, New Jersey

Shot this little one on the beach in Avalon last week. Other pictures from the family shoot can be seen in the full gallery @ http://cainimages.photoshelter.com/gallery/Pizzillo/G0000XprAXA0Vxn8


Das Family Portrait Photo Session Newtown, Pennsylvania Photographer

Can you tell if this was lit by natural or artificial light?

Allot of times photography is about finding the light. Sure a good subject helps, but the right light can make an image pop. That was the case when I photographed the Das family in Tyler State Park in newtown, Pennsylvana recently. For the first 10-15 minutes of the shoot I walked around with the couple placing them in various nooks and crannies of the park until I found the perfect spot. My goal was to make the couple look as though I had lit them with studio strobes. I believe that’s what I achieved in the image below.

Full gallery @ http://cainimages.photoshelter.com/gallery/Das/G0000.9.LAJ7sVEs

Defelice Family Portrait Photo Shoot Newtown Pennsylvania Photographer

Met and photographed a lovely couple and their adorable daughter. I met the Defelice family at Tyler State Park in Newtown, Pennsylvania for a photo shoot. While the weather was excruciatingly humid, the baby and the family was cool. This enabled me to make some cute pix in the park. Check them out @ http://cainimages.photoshelter.com/gallery/Defelice/G00009NMIkFlIpzQ

Hammond Family Portrait Session Hatfield Pennsylvania Photographer

Photographed the Hammond family in a gorgeous park in Hatfield. What a pleasant experience.
Happy children and happy parents always make for good imagery.
Here are some of the pix.

Full gallery @ http://cainimages.photoshelter.com/gallery/Hammond/G0000rFRaeveVT_A

Frascella Portrait Photo Shoot Newtown, Pennsylvania Photographer

Originally married 5 years ago, the Frascella family had been photographed at the formal gardens on the campus of Bucks County Community College. The photographer they hired had a problem with a disc, so the couple had no images from their portrait session as well as other gaping holes in their wedding photographey coverage from the day.

On Thursday in between thunderstorms, I was able to squeeze in a photo shoot with them at the college. I had them walk through the gardens and act like I wasn’t there and just enjoy each other’s company, eventually while dodging rain drops. There are some really nice moments that show their personalities as well as love for each other.
This may fill some of the gaps, but the original photographer should have attempted to try to help them out a bit more then saying, “sorry, we had a problem.”

See the gallery @ http://cainimages.photoshelter.com/gallery/Frascella/G0000RncSVE69iPE/

Rooney On Location Portrait Shoot Yardley, Pennsylvania

Made some nice images of the Rooney boys. They were two of the most pleasant munchkins I have photographed in a while. Check out some of the images. Gallery @ http://cainimages.photoshelter.com/gallery/Rooney/G00007gqFmos0_Cc/


Infante Engagement Session Rittenhouse Square Philadelphia, Pa.

I photographed an engagement session in Rittenhouse Square a few weeks ago. Great couple. Great images. Beautiful Light!
Full shoot available @ http://cainimages.photoshelter.com/gallery/Infante/G0000jxT3n1aer64/

Also check out my wedding photography site @  http://www.loveweddingphotos.com