By:Laurie Minsky
But now, after retiring from Riker's last year, Greene and his wife, Edina, have opened a photo studio in Baldwin, the fulfillment of a life's dream.
"I got into photography in high school. I was on the yearbook staff so I could meet girls," said Greene, 54. His plan worked. His wife, Edina, 50, who is an image stylist and make-up artist, assists him.
"It was quirky the way we met," said Edina. The two were working at the same agency, and Greene was scheduled for a shoot with a different stylist. That stylist cancelled, so Edina filled in for her. "And the rest is history," they said simultaneously. The couple has been married since 1996.
Greene said he uses the camera as a bridge to see how other
people live, and photography has helped him to see that everyone loves and hurts the same way. While Greene says he always connects with the subject he photographs, one of his favorite subjects was Sidney Portier, who opened many doors in the movie industry for black actors.
Greene, who has won a number of awards for his work, received a degree in photography from the Art Institute of Atlanta in 1976. After working as a photographer full-time for about five years, Greene it wasn't bringing in enough money, so he took a job as acorrections officer at Riker's Island.
"Corrections was definitely a down grade from photography," he said while giving the thumbs-down sign. Greene called it a "terrible job" but one that paid the bills.
Spending his days locked in with people who "hated his guts," Greene said he would often get depressed and carry those feelings home with him. While he worked at Riker's, a few celebrities passed through, including the rapper Tupac Shakur and the Rev. Al Sharpton, who undertook a very public hunger strike while at the jail.
During the 20 years he worked there, Greene had little time to practice his art until his retirement in October. Edina, who worked as an office administrator, retired two years ago, and the couple is thrilled they now have the time and the means to open their own studio.
Albums and photos of Greene's work hang throughout the couple's Baldwin home, including his favorites, black-and-white photos of expectant mothers. He also recently worked with the Guide Dog Foundation and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, photographing a race for charity.
In trying to build their business, the couple moved from Hempstead to Baldwin two years ago, into a bigger home to accommodate their studio. They are also in the process of getting a Web site (www.corneliusgreene.com) up and running.
Most of the couple's business so far has been through word of mouth. Edina says that their customers are not only satisfied with their pictures, but with the overall experience. She said many people come in scared and rigid, but at the end of the day, the customers leave confident and happy.
"Not everyone is comfortable in front of the camera and not everyone is comfortable in front of people, so I help them reach a certain place in their heads where they leave themselves behind and give me their all," she said.
