About Panache Photos

Partners-in-Crime -- Vickie Feldman & Brian Gerstel

Panache Photos was officially born in April of 1999, although we had been collaborating on photography and photo greeting cards for some time beforehand. Why did we choose "Panache" Photos? We chose it because we are both big fans of Cyrano de Bergerac, and we wanted a name for our business that would communicate the style that is associated with Cyrano. (In French, "panache" is the white plume which de Bergerac and other musketeers wore on their hats. The plume -- and the word -- came to symbolize a musketeer's daring, flourish, and purity of spirit.)

This photo business really got its start in the early '90s, and it was born out of Vickie Feldman's desire to do something in the visual arts. (There is a decidedly artsy streak in the Feldman family -- Vickie's father, the late Joseph Feldman, was one of the best-known sign-makers in Philadelphia. Joe Feldman's Ajax Sign Company was responsible for the famous Levis' Hot Dogs sign, the Pat's "King of Steaks" sign, and the Miles Fisher's Restaurant sign, to name just a few.) Vickie had been interested in films and in filmmaking for years, and she had also always enjoyed taking still pictures. However, she had thought once upon a time of actually going into filmmaking, and when that didn't happen, her frustration led her to try her hand at selling still photography. She started out selling photo enlargements at neighborhood flea markets. Then, in 1995, Brian Gerstel entered the picture. Brian had done video work with his father back in upstate New York, but he had never really been interested in still photography. After a couple of years hanging around Vickie, however, he was bitten by the "shutterbug."

Although Brian is a computer "techie," the original designer of the "Vickie M. Feldman Photography" website, as it was called, was a gentleman named Robert J. Moran. Mr. Moran saw Vickie's work at a neighborhood flea market, and he offered to create a website for her in exchange for the use of her photos on his site. When Mr. Moran moved to Florida, however, Brian redesigned Vickie's website and took over the maintenance of it. Panache Photos now features some of Brian's photographs as well as Vickie's photos.

Our website features scenic/landscape photos, and many of our shots highlight the positive aspects of the city where we live -- Philadelphia. Philly is Vickie's home town, and Brian is now an "adopted" Philadelphian. In the summer, though, Vickie & Brian usually head to upstate New York for a little while to visit Brian's family, and the result has been the many Finger Lakes photos (and other upstate New York shots) you will find on this site. Particularly featured is Keuka Lake, the only Y-shaped Finger Lake. Our site also includes pictures taken during our honeymoon (yes, we are married) in Great Britain, as well as photos taken on trips (never long enough) to Cape May, New Jersey. You will also find shots of the West Coast (San Francisco in particular) from a trip we took a little while back.

Our ambitions for our website include adding sections for still lifes and for more "artsy" photos. We also plan to expand the Philadelphia, Great Britain, and West Coast sections of this site. Keep your eyes peeled for these developments! Thank you very much for visiting our site. Please come often, and please also tell your friends and family about Panache Photos. Thank you again.

Our clients have included:

Borders Book Shop
The Boston Globe
CIGNA Corporation
City Hall Tours Office
Colleen's Restaurant
Friends of Philadelphia Parks
National Liberty Museum
National Park Service
Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau Gift Shop
Philadelphia Newspapers, Inc.
Philadelphian Pharmacy
Portner Stationers
Savett, Frutkin, Podell, and Ryan, P.C.
Willis Insurance Brokerage