Gamma Liaison Picture Agency Tear Sheets
I felt really lucky to be able to work for the Paris-based Gamma Liaison Picture Agency in the 1980s. I wasn't even close to their main photographer in Washington (Dirck Halstead and Michael Evans were) and I only got noticed by Gamma because Dirck threw me an assignment or two if he didn't want to do it. But, soon they were willing to take my photos and even give me an original assignment or two.
But, they did a good job moving some of my stuff. Here are some of the tear sheets from that time, that also include the tabloid stories I did for the National Enquirer when I was on assignment through Gamma before going to work as an editor there in 1985.
These are by no means the entire body of my work during the period - I did dozens of feature stories like these. Unfortunately, as was the case with most journeyman photographers like me who worked for European agencies, I could never be certain to get the photographs back, they made dozens of duplicates that people could rip off for free, I rarely got tear sheets of the stories when they ran, and almost never got a credit line. But, at least I was published! Certainly that kept me coming back time and again for more punishment.
RPW
But, they did a good job moving some of my stuff. Here are some of the tear sheets from that time, that also include the tabloid stories I did for the National Enquirer when I was on assignment through Gamma before going to work as an editor there in 1985.
These are by no means the entire body of my work during the period - I did dozens of feature stories like these. Unfortunately, as was the case with most journeyman photographers like me who worked for European agencies, I could never be certain to get the photographs back, they made dozens of duplicates that people could rip off for free, I rarely got tear sheets of the stories when they ran, and almost never got a credit line. But, at least I was published! Certainly that kept me coming back time and again for more punishment.
RPW
This story was interesting, AND dangerous to do. Gamma hired me to photograph a Mob-owned restaurant in Palm Beach for a story someone in Europe was doing on how the Mob laundered money from illegal activities. I was so afraid of anyone learning who found the restaurant and made the photo, that I pulled a gag and had them credit the photo to "Ima Tortelinni" because I wanted to throw them off the scent, but, at the same time, poke a little fun. I have no idea if European magazine bought the gag. But, I am sure that the New York Post did...the printed the photo credit!!
|
I even managed to get my written story published in Grit magazine because it carried the famous Gamma Liaison tag.
|