10 SUBURBAN ESSEX MAGAZINE April 2009

It’s a transcendent moment during many Mother’s Day fundraisers by Suburban Essex’s senior photographer, Dan Epstein. In a sudden release of pent-up grief, or

with a few simple words, the subject, unprompted, will often reveal how breast cancer has touched her life.

“It often happens right after the shoot,” says Dan, who asks only for a donation in any amount to Susan G. Komen for the Cure breast cancer organization. “Suddenly she’ll tell me, ‘My best friend… she died two years ago’ or ‘Did I tell you about my aunt?”

Dan listens, his heart open with empathy, until her voice drifts off . � en he shares his own loss; his mother lost her battle to cancer in 1990. How often do these stories emerge? “Surprisingly often,” Dan says. Whether softened by time or heartbreakingly fresh, that loss is part of what brings many women and their families to Dan’s Montclair studio on Mother’s Day for the Vicinity Media Group-sponsored event.

With more than 20 years of experience and a degree from the School of Visual Arts, Dan is respected for the warmth, intimacy, and honesty of his photographs. He began as a fashion photographer but “that scene was not for me,” he admits.

He switched to shooting food ads until the morning he stared into the mirror as he was shaving, “And I decided that the face staring back at me should never shoot another blender.” And he hasn’t. � ough he still loves food photography, “If I had to do one thing, it’s people—because I like people.”

He began fundraising portraits on Father’s Day in 1995. “I realized that it had been fi ve years since my own father died,” he recalls, “and fi ve years since I became a father myself.” He he phoned a few friends, but so many showed up he didn’t take a breath all weekend.

Over the years Dan has been a regular contributor to Vicinity Media Group, taking a wide variety of photographs for inBiz, Suburban Essex, and Vicinity magazines. With his ability to capture the events in action—as well as the

emotions and the often unnoticed truth of the moment—Dan has been published in Time, Parade, TV Guide, and � e New York Times Magazine, among others.

� en in 2004 Dan began shooting Mother’s Day portraits, a profound tribute to his mother, who passed away within months of his father. All the money raised all goes to Susan G. Komen for the Cure; Dan gives freely of his time, talent, materials, and creativity.

And he gives of himself—perhaps why the subjects reveal their stories to the easygoing man behind the camera, who can coax laughter from the most sullen of 14 year olds, and evoke a world of feelings.

Of all the Mother’s Day stories, Dan recalls most vividly a woman who waited until after the portrait, then glanced at him and said simply, “My sister.” Dan met her eyes and replied: “My mother.”

“It was the most powerful moment I’d ever experi-enced in all the years I’ve done these portraits,” Dan says.

� is year Dan will off er his Mother’s Day portrait benefi t on Sunday, May 10 at his studio at 49 Church Street, Montclair. Reservations are required as spots fi ll up quickly. Call 973-783-5149 after May 1. To view his work, visit www.danepstein.com.

It’s no surprise that while he’s photographed the famous and the infamous, from Mike Wallace to Mike Tyson, Dan prefers to work with regular people. “My favorite subjects are families and people about to become families,” he says. Find out for yourself with an unforgettable Mother’s Day portrait.

Let Portraits Add Meaningto Mother’s Day

Evocative artworks capture families, feelings

Art of EssexBy Naomi Kenan

t’s a transcendent moment during many Mother’s Day senior photographer,

Dan Epstein. In a sudden release of pent-up grief, or with a few simple words, the subject, unprompted, will often reveal how breast cancer has touched her life.

“It often happens right after the shoot,” says Dan, who asks only for a donation in any amount to Susan G. Komen for the Cure breast cancer organization. “Suddenly

to Mother’s Day

capture families, feelings

Photographer Dan Epstein in his Montclair studio