ZacharyBK Photo Blog

It struck me quite convincingly leading up to and certainly during the 2010 Boston Marathon that training for and running a ‘Boston’ (or any other marathon for that matter) is very painful.  This became quite apparent when my sister, much to her disappointment, came down with an injury and had to drop out of the race weeks before it began.  Her pain even prior to the race was much different than that experienced by the thousands of runners on Marathon Monday in Boston.  All of the runners experienced varying levels of discomfort as they navigated the 26.2 miles of what can only be pure hell.

Most of the runners below are elite, top-level athletes, at the top of their respective careers.  You see Ryan Hall, the top American finisher, whose pain can only be known by realizing that he failed for the 2nd year in a row to finish first.  Even Erkesso, the woman’s top finisher, looks uneasy as she repeatedly looked over her shoulder for the nearest competitor.

I don’t think that I’ll ever even pretend to be a marathoner, but I will always respect those that are.  Great job to all who ran and finished Boston, we’ll see you in NY, Abby!

Three weeks ago while having coffee with Bren Bataclan he excitedly told me that he had a new idea to display his work.  We discussed the idea for a few minutes, but it hardly took me two seconds to agree to take photos for his first line of T-Shirts.  I think that if you take a look at the photos below you’ll agree, Bren has a fantastic product on his hands that will surely fly off his shelf.   Bren, thanks so much for setting up the shoot and allowing me to be part of it!

Sometimes there is inspiration that comes from some of the most common places.  Today it came via a plate of balsamic vinegar backlit through a kitchen window.  I hope that you enjoy the photo!

Tech Specs: 50mm f/1.4 iso 800 shutter 1/640

My friend and I went to Tory Row in Harvard Square for the first time to grab some brunch.  It happened to be Halloween and this is my impression of Ghosts on the Wall.

I had the great fortune to spend some time with a great friend, Jason Reuben (like the sandwich), who is now living in LA working on his next tech startup.  We had a lot of fun ducking in and out of cupcake stores and night clubs to get the shots that you see here.

It’s rare to come across someone as enthusiastic about their work as Bren Bataclan is.  October marks the 6 year point since Bren’s first appearance at Cambridge Open Studios.  Since then Smile Boston Project has been helping to make people smile all throughout the world by leaving free paintings for people to take, each with a sign saying:

“Everything will be all right

this painting is yours to take for free!“

When I asked Bren how many paintings he had left, he commented that “they are all serialized… but somehow I lost count.”  I hope that you enjoy the shots of Bren and if you see him around the streets of Cambridge feel free to say “hi” and SMILE!

Bren light painting some of his most popular characters

Sunil recently graduated from HBS  and I had the great fortune of getting to spend some time with my friend before he headed out of town for San Fran.  I hope you like the photos as much as he did!  Best of luck with you business, Sunil!

My friend Ece has spent the past 4 years in Boston going to school at Babson, and sadly it’s her time to return to her home of Istanbul, Turkey.  Fortunately we had a chance to get together before she left to take some shots.  We were able to take advantage of a variety of spots and landmarks in and around Harvard Square and MIT.  We especially had fun at the Stata Center at MIT.

I had the privilege today to attend  Make Music Cambridge today in Harvard Square.  There were many great musicians and some dedicated crowds that braved the drizzly Boston weather to make the event a great success.  I want to personally recognize my friend Alexis Berthier for organizing yet another great music festival in Harvard Square.  The first images are of a wildly talented Berklee College of Music student Silvina Moreno.  She was joined inside of the entry way at The Coop by her classmate Eddie.   Also, for the first time, there is a video shot with my Nikon D90 of Silvina and Eddie performing.  The remainder of the images here are of a variety of musicians throughout the event.

I had a great opportunity to take some marketing shots of some marketing professionals from Wellesley Hlls Group.   John and Mike have written a new book.  I wish them the best of luck, hopefully these photos help!