***** Professor Bop as in jazz bop / rebop / or simply bebop. *****
I am a traveling photographer based in New England, USA, who's been on this planet more than three-quarters of a century. I began taking pictures in 1960 using a Polaroid Land camera. By the time I was able to afford an SLR I chose the Pentax K1000, a very popular camera in the 70s. Back then I was doing black and white photos only and using a darkroom to develop and print. When I sold a series of shots to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, I decided I was good enough to upgrade to a Canon Elan SLR.
When digital photography arrived I stuck with the Canon brand until I started having problems with the company's lack of support. That prompted me to find another brand and, after much investigation, I settled on Olympus. Today I shoot with the Olympus and OM brands of Micro four-thirds mirrorless cameras and lenses.
Some will say I'm "old school." Good! I like real photography, authenticity and photographic skill developed through years of experience. While there are times when I will dabble in all the digital techniques meant to enhance an image I am more interested in how to improve my own photographic skills. I know my way around a real camera and I know how to take a damn good shot. On a shoot I'll often take hundreds of shots and, happily, choose one if I'm fortunate enough. In this way I practice my craft, shooting from various angles, manipulating camera settings for available light which changes frequently. I learned that from a friend who shot film for Life Magazine. I'm not a big fan of phone cameras, although, in a pinch, I'll use one. Most often the results are highly manipulated to showcase one's lack of competency in the realm of photography.
The Equipment:
Micro Four-Thirds Cameras:
OM-1, Mark II 4/3 camera
Olympus E-M1 Mark II Micro 4/3 camera
Olympus E-M1 Micro 4/3 camera
Olympus PEN E-P1 Micro 4/3 camera
Micro Four-Thirds Prime Lenses:
Olympus 75mm F1.8 Pro Micro 4/3 Prime lens with lens hood
Olympus M.Zuiko 12mm f/2.0 Prime lens
Olympus M.Zuiko ED 30mm f3.5 Macro Prime lens
Olympus M.Zuiko 25mm F1.8 Prime lens with lens hood
Micro Four-Thirds Zoom Lenses:
Olympus M.12-40mm F2.8 Pro Micro 4/3 lens
Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm f4.0 Pro lens
Olympus 12-200mm Micro 4/3 lens F3.5-6.3 Micro Four Thirds lens
Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 Micro Four Thirds lens
Olympus M.Zuiko 75-300mm F/4.8-6.7 Micro 4/3 lens
Panasonic Lumix G X Vario 35-100mm f/2.8
Panasonic Leica DG Vario 8-18mm 2.8-4.0 Micro 4/3 wide angle lens
Olympus Digital 40-150mm f4-5.6 Micro 4/3 Thirds lens (silver)
Olympus 14-42mm 3.5-5.6 Micro 4/3 kit lens
Cameras and Lenses I've Used in the Past:
Olympus E-5 camera
Olympus E-510 camera
Olympus E-300 camera
Olympus XZ-1 camera
Sigma 30mm f1.4 prime lens, used with Olympus MMF3 adaptor
Ricoh Rikenon P 50mm F1.7 prime lens, used with Pentax K Mount plus adaptor
Olympus Zuiko 14-35mm f2.0 lens (Review by Robin Wong: robinwong.blogspot.com/2016/07/flirting-with-legendary-ol...)
Olympus Zuiko 100-400mm 2.8-3.5 lens
Olympus Zuiko 35-100mm f2.0 lens
Olympus Zuiko 50-200mm f2.8-3.5 lens
Olympus Zuiko 40-150mm 3.5-4.5 lens
Olympus Zuiko 14-54mm f2.8-3.5 lens
Olympus Zuiko 14-45mm f3.5-5.6 lens
Olympus Zuiko 50mm Macro f2.0 prime lens
Olympus Zuiko 11-22mm f2.8-3.5 Wide Angle lens
Focal MC 2X Converter
Olympus FL-35 flash
Olympus FL-50 flash
Canon SD-400 camera
Pentax Optio W80 camera
Groups I am an admin. for include:
PROFESSOR BOP
There's a cat in Harlem town
Got a new craze goin' down
Oop be dop la heel ya bop
Called Professor Bop
Wears a tam and big bow tie
Flashy clothes that catch your eye
Oop be dop la kloog a mop
He's Professor Bop
He's the latest thing
Derived from swing
La pop a hool ya koo
See him everywhere
Hear him on the air
He can do it so can you
Take a song like Audl Lang Syne
Then you add a bebop line
Oop be dop la kloog a mop
Like Professor Bop
- - Babs Gonzales
MILES DAVIS WAS A JAZZMAN
Miles Davis was a jazzman
A razzamatazz man
Leader of the band
With a trumpet in his hand
Miles Davis
Miles Davis.
Miles Davis was
A looming lyrical man
Soft and sassy,
Bold and brassy,
A bebop hipster
Sharp as a tack
So clean,
So cool.
Boppin' the blues at Birdland
with his big bop band
Bebop
Doo Bop
Strictly Rebop
On the corner
On Green Dolphin Street
Down on 52nd Street
and the uptown Harlem beat
There was Miles
Steamin'... workin'... cookin'... relaxin'
The musings of Miles were often
kind of blue
Like a blue haze on quiet nights
A bluesette at starlight
A blue mood heard round about midnight
Miles Davis was all blues.
A muted Miles melody
Is a soft soothing lullaby
in any language.
From his sketches of Spain
to the girls of Kilimanjaro
and the images of Nefertiti
Miles was the man with the horn
From whom the cool was born.
I thought I saw Miles just the other day
I heard that trumpet cry, wail, sigh
In a silent way
Miles away
Miles in the sky
Miles Davis
© 1999 Professor Bop
Favorite Photographers: Gordon Parks, Dorthea Lange, O. Winston Link, Angel Rizzuto, Alfred Eisenstaedt, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Roy DeCarava, Francis Wolff, Brassai
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Showcase
- JoinedSeptember 2006
Most popular photos
Testimonials
A beautiful and stunning gallery of images from an extremely talented artist! Professor Bop, thanks for sharing your art with us.
Merci d'avoir distingué une de mes photos, ça m'a permis de découvrir votre riche galerie et ses multiples pépites, un vrai plaisir à la parcourir et une belle invitation à voir les multiples albums qui témoignent de votre regard aiguisé, avec de superbes compositions originales, une belle leçon de photographie!
YOUR SITE IS JUST BEAUTIFUL# OBSERVING ALL SKILL PARAMETERS# JUST GOOD
très belle galerie, éclectique, souvent surprenante, avec un brin d'érotisme; vraiment agréable à regarder
C'est un plaisir de parcourir votre galerie !
Ante todo, debo destacar su magnífica galería de fotos extraordinarias, donde el talento, es sobresaliente. Le agradezco mucho, la inclusión de mi foto en el magnífico grupo "Viñetas". Un cordial saludo, desde Uruguay.
Hello. Really nice gallery :) your B&W are wonderfull. Need more time to check all your stream, will be back here soon.
Man Prof Bop...what can I say? I knowingly cannot top some of these testimonials that rhyme or truly embody our friend Prof in a verbal jam that is reminiscent of an wildly uptempo yet urbanely cool Dizzy Gillespie song. However, I can truly express my gratitude to have this kind of person and photographer on flickr. W… Read more
Man Prof Bop...what can I say? I knowingly cannot top some of these testimonials that rhyme or truly embody our friend Prof in a verbal jam that is reminiscent of an wildly uptempo yet urbanely cool Dizzy Gillespie song. However, I can truly express my gratitude to have this kind of person and photographer on flickr. Without him, flickr would be as fun as it is. Everyday I go online and on my account I try to see what the Professor is cooking up for us on flickr. His eagle eye, his knack for street photography, his ability to capture the essence of a moment no matter how intense or mellow it is, and his rare and magnificent personality keeps me coming back. Whether the photograph be of a New England summer or a cloudless spring day in Washington Square Park, a cup of coffee or a water tower, his stream is captivating like no other. His eye, his vision of the world around us, the meticulous details of his view, are unparalleled and represent the pulse of the street. So here's to our bebop buddy Professor Bop and how he makes this website and photography in general a better place, the Professor is a flickr friend like no other. Thanks for being here Professor and I'm looking forward to all of your photos to come.
Read lessAlthough we wouldn't know each other if we were trapped in a phone booth, I feel like I could hang out with The Professor and the hours would fly by like mili-seconds....sort of like being up on top of the beat in a waaaaay uptempo jam. My wish during such a time would be to learn to open my eyes more and "see" as he … Read more
Although we wouldn't know each other if we were trapped in a phone booth, I feel like I could hang out with The Professor and the hours would fly by like mili-seconds....sort of like being up on top of the beat in a waaaaay uptempo jam. My wish during such a time would be to learn to open my eyes more and "see" as he does. The way he "sees" is amazing. For the true testimonial I can only suggest swimming in his photostream. That says volumes more than I can.
Read lessAs his title suggests; this teacher is no preacher and he don't give tests. As a learner he's no burner; when Bop is on the beat; streets come alive and people jump to their feet. With excitement. When the Professor tours the 'hood he's greeted with roses as he should; in the form of photographic subjects; Bop has the … Read more
As his title suggests; this teacher is no preacher and he don't give tests. As a learner he's no burner; when Bop is on the beat; streets come alive and people jump to their feet. With excitement. When the Professor tours the 'hood he's greeted with roses as he should; in the form of photographic subjects; Bop has the drop; seldom does he to take an image to the shop. Old school has never been so cool; the fine things in life he appreciates; even as some classic architecture depreciates; Bop don't miss a beat; he can spot chrome from down the street and legs from uptown. Hip to the scene; Bop is attuned to the music of life; his photostream is no dream; it is a beautiful and sometimes strange reality; the Professor is a jazzman with a camera; his photos are musical and lyrical and picante and true; a refreshing revision of any worldview. I call Craig my friend and i am better off for knowing him. His photos show the beauty hidden in plain sight. Check out his smooth phlow of photography you will be feelin; alright.
Read lessOpening up Flickr on any given day I look forward to seeing Prof. Bop's latest piece of creativity. He simply doesn't disappoint. The image(s) he "puts up" are testimony to his passion & talent. He's really a "WOW".
The Professor has a cool and articulate eye for the beat of the street. The camera is his horn. His improvisations result in a cool and elegant trip through a colorful world like a Miles solo. Blow on, brother!
A true Professor of capturing life as it stands still. Ever since I happened upon his photos I could only return for more. The Professor is a true photographer. There is no denying that he is an inspiration to us all. His ever constant praise is flattering and sincere. Thank you, Professor. I hope to see the wo… Read more
A true Professor of capturing life as it stands still. Ever since I happened upon his photos I could only return for more. The Professor is a true photographer. There is no denying that he is an inspiration to us all. His ever constant praise is flattering and sincere. Thank you, Professor. I hope to see the world as you have and still do.
Read lessProfessor Bop is one of those photographers that excels at whatever he turns his hand to. His candid street scenes are always involved, landscapes always beautiful, studies always engaging, it has been a pleasure to be one of his contacts. On top of all this, he is generous with his praise!
The Professor has made Flickr his new stomping ground. The images he has chosen to reflect his passion for photography and the culture around him are alive with color and a personal meaning. This will be a site to watch as time goes by.