Suspect Photography

March 25th we lost a lion of the photographic world, beloved by all who worked with him during his illustrious career, and a great sharer of vast knowledge, Photographer Mel DiGiacomo has shot his last photo.

If you are unfamiliar with Mel, A great place to start is watch the 3 minute highlight reel that the talented Kelly Mena directed and edited for B&H Photo 8 years ago.

I met Mel while I was producing educational content for B&H Photo Event Space and Depth of Field conferences, platforming him many times. His wisdom was infectious, his sense of humor legendary, but it was his seemingly effortless ability to capture photographs that really amazed me. Mel was an inspiration to work with, and I reflect fondly when he came to teach on the many stages we invited him to. I am deeply grateful that we recorded his wisdom so that all may learn and enjoy the many lessons of the great Melchior DiGiacomo.

Mel’s B&H Video Library Click on the Image to link to the video on YouTube

Everyone has Mel stories and I’ll share one that stands out for me. When he’d drive in from NJ to NYC to conduct presentations or review sessions, he’d drive his big Cadillac across the river. I’d have to meet him on the street and get him parked which could be a few blocks away. As we walked to the B&H Super Store he kept his Canon EOS 5D MK III and 24mm in his hands casually snapping away at what ever drew his eye. Arms extended, shooting from hip and shoulder Mel just banged out gorgeous B&W street shots effortlessly, sometimes stopping to talk to a stranger or engage with a coffee counter person. The only thing that excedded Mel’s lust for life and image making that was his wit and sense of humor. Mel was loved by all those who came in his circle.

Mel was important member of the pro tennis world. He covered the US Open for decades and was the only non tennis player admitted into the hall of fame! I asked fellow a photographer who I knew worked with Mel, Chris Nicholson (one of the four founders of National Parks at Nigh) about some Mel stories to share.

“My very first experience with Mel was from a distance. Part of my first job with Tennis magazine was managing the photo library. Part of that responsibility was sorting and filing a gigantic batch of Mel’s photos that he let us keep on hand. I learned a lot about how to shoot sports in a different way by seeing thousands of his images as a young adult. That definitely influenced my growth as a sports photographer.

The first time I ever met Mel in person was at a tennis tournament in New Jersey. I was in awe shooting next to him and a few other photographers I respected, what we might call the old guard of tennis photographers, the people who were there when tennis started getting big in the late 60s, and who documented the sport as it grew through the boom in the 70s and into the 80s and 90s. Most sports photographers, including tennis photographers, sit at the sideline with a long lens and shoot repeatedly, looking for the best few photos they can manage to capture out of a few hundred frames by the end of the match. Mel, on the other hand, sat at the side of the court with a rangefinder, picking it up only every few minutes or so to snap one artistic wide-angle black-and-white. It was a good lesson, that there is more than one way to work, particularly if you want to make art out of a common commercial genre. He was shooting with a rangefinder one-handed, mind you.” -Chris Nicolson

When news spread about Mel’s passing there was a great outpouring of love from the local NY Metro area photographers on social media. Mel lives on in his images, memories and those golden Youtube videos above.

God Speed Mel and thank you for being the unabashed and talented you.

Lastly, I’d like to share my favorite Mel joke,

“What’s the difference between a Pizza Pie and a Professional Photographer?”

The Pizza Pie can feed a family of four”

Mel DiGiacomo 1938-2024

Additional Reading:

This is taken from the Eastern Tennis Hall of Fame when Mel was inducted in 2015.

MEL DIGIACOMO​

Mel DiGiacomo has been a staple at the US Open for the last 44 years.

Whether it is down on the court, in the stands or directly alongside the players, DiGiacomo is there with his camera in hand. In addition to the US Open, DiGiacomo has traveled the world to photograph a variety of sports and events.

The North Bergen, N.J. native currently lives in Harrington Park, N.J.. where he has proudly resided for the last 40 years. “It’s remarkable that Harrington Park, a 4,800 person town, has two residents in the Eastern Tennis Hall of Fame,” DiGiacomo said. “Neil Amdur, the former Sports Editor for The New York Times and me.”

DiGiacomo began his career at CBS as an usher and worked his way up to Production Supervisor for “60 Minutes.” After working for CBS for ten years, he decided to become a photographer when he was 27 years old. “My friend photographed my semi-pro football practices on the weekends and I always made fun of his photos,” DiGiacomo said. One day, he joked if you’re so good, get a camera,’ so I bought one, put it together and told him that’s what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.”

A year later, DiGiacomo moved to England to photograph rugby, then moved back to the United States and photographed hockey at Madison Square Garden. “A publisher hired me to make a hockey book,” DiGiacomo said. *Gene Scott, Founder of Tennis Week magazine, saw it and wanted the same thing, only for tennis.” DiGiacomo didn’t play tennis and, at the time, had never seen a tennis match. As someone who was familiar photographing football, DiGiacomo began shooting tennis matches with a football lens. The different lens gave him a now perspective on the game, which made him take photos in a way no one else did.

“In those days, you could get close to the players,” DiGiacomo said. “I used to shoot everything in black and white and in a very photo-journalist style, which was another thing people hadn’t been doing.”

DiGiacomo’s photos have been featured in several publications including Sports Illustrated, Tennis Magazine, Newsweek and Lite Magazine. His new style of shooting and vivacious personality greatly influenced his fellow photographers. “He’s a wonderful person to be around because he is so friendly.” Bob Litwin, a close friend of DiGiacomo’s said. “Even with really famous people he becomes a friend, not just a photographer.”

Throughout DiGiacomo’s time at the Virginia Slims Circuit and US Open, he interacted with several professional players, writers and fans including Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Jimmy Connors, Arthur Ashe, Martina Navratilova and Mary Carillo. Outside of sports, DiGiacomo photographed a number of weddings, specifically tennis weddings. The first wedding he shot was Jeanie Brinkman’s, the Director of the Virginia Slims Circuit.

“I didn’t think too much of it,” DiGiacomo said. “Then, 20 years later, I was asked to shoot Jimmy Connors’ Manager Karen Scott’$ wedding, and more stemmed from there.” Pam Shriver, a former professional player, Richard Evans, a longtime tennis writer and Gone Scott each requested DiGiacomo for their big day.

DiGiacomo values all of his work, but is most proud of the impact he has made in Antigua photographing the tennis tournament at Curtain Bluff. In his first year shooting there, he noticed the ball boys and girls had bare feet, so he followed them home to their village, Old Road. “I ended up doing a book that had nothing to do with tennis, but also had everything to do with tennis,” DiGiacomo said. *I was down there for tennis, but I went into the village to document their stories.”

The proceeds from DiGiacomo’s photographs go into the “Old Road Fund” to benefit the children in the village. When the fund earns enough money. it goes toward helping the children attend college. DiGincomo has always supported tennis and the people he has met through tennis. He raised both of his children to become tennis players because he values being part of the tennis community and enjoys that tennis is a sport his kids, who are now adults, can play for years to come.

“I owe a lot to tennis because it changed my life,” DiGiacomo said. “It has given me so much, my family too.”

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