Between Sal and myself we have four incredible websites it took that many to start downloading all our images of the last 90 years trust me we’re not normal photographers this is one of the websites right here portraitsofnewyork.com there are seven categories this one here is Coney Island days I spent two years in that area to capture it pretty wild place there’s also another website just dedicated to Coney Island topnewyork.com I did a lot of portfolios under that pier
In 1995 my great uncle Sal passed away leaving me with A incredible Estate of photography and art I have thousands of his large format negatives I have been editing for over 20 years this is one negative that I pulled out I put it in front of my front living room window you could actually see my backyard in the background this image is from the late 40s I printed it up it’s amazing
So you have an idea how long Sal has been entertaining and photographing this photo was taken in 1939 the Chicago worlds fair he did a little piano playing and mind reading in some clubs Wayback in 1928 he worked for his fathers cousins clubs in Chicago the Otis beer tunnel and the Peacock lounge you can look up all the original ads in photos on this site to make the story believable and exciting Sal was booked way back then as the worlds youngest mind reader And clairvoyant he also played the piano and those clubs
In 1963 my grandfather Captain Tony took over the oldest bar in Key West Florida it was actually called that it was off-limits to all military personnel crazy prostitution and gambling upstairs a lot of smugglers criminals would hang out there four pool tables inside on the right a great stage for entertainment and drag shows my grandfather fell in love with it right away he was already a smuggler and he loves women and gambling I started working for him there in 1976 It was still pretty crazy
One of my favorite Keith photographs 1978 ninty pound bales of Columbian Carried out by the local sheriff with captain Tony T-shirts on a bunch of M-16s and the prisoners from the county jail helping to unload That weed was really amazing there is so many stories behind this photo
The guy on the left I saw him working the street for years and his new friend is so proud of the Beautiful woman he has with I guess love is blind he certainly is
Love this photo I took 3 o’clock in the morning Pennsylvania train station New Year’s there is couples all over the place that missed the train I like the cell phone in front of them
You have to love the guy Captain Tony he fleas Elizabeth New Jersey to hide out in key west because there was a contract out on him 40 years go bye he becomes a famous smuggler gambler womanizer and then becomes a mayor of Key West the city of Elizabeth flies him up to be the Grand marshal of their Columbus Day parade I was hired as the bodyguard and photographer