Nothing really special just some photos Sal and I have taken in key west back in the 70s and early 80s key west the way it was
One of my claims the fame is convincing 1700 exotic dancers to sign a release to be published in our magazines it took me over three years but I might have the world record I interviewed many of them and in there dressing rooms where it was quiet and I could take a couple photos of them If you go to the category on this website Keith’s works you’ll see about 150 spectacular beautiful girls also the mask section I did a lot of portfolios with Sal’s masks in the background all these photographs are over a span of 40 years
Over 30 years ago I was on a roll publishing hundreds of models exotic dancers and a bunch of postcards for the Jersey shore this is a great mix of some of the girls from the late 80s most of the portfolios were done at Terracina West Studios my homebase at the same time we opened up mentertainment studios I kicked ass in that studio all the way through 1993 my numbers of portfolios are off the chart I feel I could challenge most New York photographers in numbers
If you go to my digital library one of the largest in New York City you will see 65,000 different people I photographed in a 30 year period I actually edit it out to 65,000 out of 300,000 a lot of parties in events and some crazy soirées and then of course all the different intersections I photographed on for hours at a time I also have a bunch of other cool websites one I like with categories is portraitsofnewyork.com
In 1939 great uncle Sal took a trip to Cuba Tennessee Williams told him so many stories about it they were very good friends back then beside being a beautiful place it was a artist riders paradise sal had someone take his photo here in front of the Prada nightclub and hotel The funny thing is Tennessee always told Sal and Captain Tony Key West an Cuba with a perfect places to hide out in and that’s how my grandfather ended up hiding out in Key West in 1947 My grandfather was more drawn there for the gambling and beautiful young Cuban women
Everybody knows by now my grandfather captain Tony was connected back in the 30s and 40s and Elizabeth New Jersey kind of was a original Soprano he actually fled Elizabeth New Jersey in 1947 to hide out in key west ended up being a pretty good move for him another fun fact My grandfather’s father my great grandfather Luigi was in the mafia in Sicily at the turn of the century he fled two Elizabeth New Jersey 1910 his real last name was Costello not Terracina or Tarracino if you look at some of the original advertisements in Chicago on this site you will see the Otis beer tunnel and the Peacock lounge in Chicago they were operated by Mr. Frank Costello that’s why Sal was booked as the worlds youngest mind reader in the late 20s there Hell of a family connection the stories have been published in people magazine the New York Times my grandfather‘s book and his movie I am 65 years old now and ready to tell the real story with photo back up these guys here in the photo had a candy
Some frozen moments in New York City that I have taken in the 30 years on the streets, the pimp, The mother telling the son the girl is no good for him on the subway, The fucked up Heroin attic on the street, The porno star and-her manager that’s Amber Lynn by the way, That’s me and captain Morgan that dude can drink and then some pretty faces check out my portrait website over 65,000 people I myself have photographed in a 30 year period in New York City mia5.com The fascinating thing is I edited these 65,000 images out of 300,000 you can also go to my main website that is fine tuned with categories portraitsofnewyork.com
A little bit about me Keith Terracina the Photographer when I was 13 a young teenager my father took the whole family to Key West so I could finally meet this crazy grandfather of mine that I heard so much about he was always sending my dad photos of his adventures he even sent me shark jaws cannon balls even a old bayonet the week we spent there Was completely amazing he had a giant fishing boat a bar with super hot bartenders with see-through shirts and there was a rock ‘n’ roll band playing after that little vacation Key West was in my sites this photo right here 1975 was my first vacation there before I moved there I was 19 I ended up partying there for seven years this will be a chapter in the book the rise and fall of Keith West be very careful speeding in the fast lane with no seatbelts on
Anybody who knows me Or follows my work knows I spent 30 years in New York Photographing constantly morning noon and night One of my websites that I call my digital library has 65,000 photos on it I edited them out of 300,000 photos that I myself have taken I find tuned that site to my showcase site portraitsofnewyork.com you could see a category on there called Coney Island days it’s about the two years I live there and covered everything I also made a separate website just for that town topnewyork.com I photographed a lot of people and did a lot of portfolios under that pier check it out
Since I have been suspended on Facebook for 30 days I figure I’ll share some of my Photos that I have taken in the last 44 years of my life if you want to see 65,000 photos that I have taken and edited out of 300,000 go to my digital library mia5.com Or the fine tuned version portraitsofnewyork.com Very impressive if you asked me but I’m a bragger check it out for yourself
