Hangin' Out w/ Steve Behar

I was asked by a democratic political group from Milwaukee, Wisc. to meet with an attorney/candidate for City Council in Bayside, Queens (whom they so thoroughly support). The job entailed meeting the candidate, Steve Behar (District 19), at a Bayside diner where he eats breakfast every day at 9am, then proceeding to photograph him interacting with friends, locals, and neighborhood business owners. The photos were to be used in a forthcoming newsletter for Behar's campaign, as well as for his website.





We ended up spending a few hours together, cruising the neighborhood where my mother grew up, talking about his campaign, hanging out at his brother's bagel shop, and expressing our distaste for Jerry Seinfeld. Steve has an incredibly strong grasp on local politics, which ties into the fact that he's been an active force in his community throughout the duration of his life (he's lived in District 19 since the age of 5, and his parents have lived in the same house for 38 years). It turns out that he's also quite down-to-earth (he's a big fan of Lily Allen and Nascar) and is a pleasure to work with.

The following are a few more images captured throughout the morning, along with a couple of shots I took for my own pleasure.


Because Steve represents the District 19 area, which
happens to be right on the water near the Throgs Neck Bridge,
we felt this would be an appropriate place to capture him in an
environment that defines the area he's been serving for
so many years.


Manning the counter at his brother's bagel shop






Bayside locals and their morning eats


Bagel-making at the bagel shop