Seeking help with photography in New York before late June

[George Fowler h(317)726-1482 o(812)855-2829]

Here's a slightly off-the-wall request aimed at SEELangers located in or near
New York.

1995 is the centennial of the birth of the birth of Sergej Esenin, and an
Academic Polnoe sobranie sochinenij is being prepared in Moscow. My wife Maria
Pavlovszky, herself a "Eseninoved", has been asked by one of the compilers to
obtain copies of three archival items housed at the Dance Collection of the NY
Public Library: the marriage certificate from Esenin's marriage to the dancer
Isadora Duncan, and two letters by Esenin, written in English. She's been in
touch with the NY Public Library, and has full information on where they are,
how to get access to them for photography, and so forth.
     The problem is that she is expected to hire a free-lance photographer to
take the pictures. There is obviously no money available for this purpose from
Russia (!), and there are other fees involved as well: $100 and up for them to
bring out the items, possible publication fees, and so forth. Maria is anxious
to keep costs down, since she's simply going to pay them out of pocket (and
here's an effort I support 100%!). Anyway, now I've arrived at the point. Is
there a Russianist or fellow traveler in or around New York who is also an
amateur photographer, confident enough of his/her abilities to take these
photos for her, and content with reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses such
as film, development, and perhaps transportation? As compensation of some sort,
I assume a photographic credit can be acknowledged in the edition. The Dance
Collection confirms that amateurs are admitted to take photos of archival
materials.
     If anyone has any suggestions here (e.g., the name of a Russian
photographer in NY who happens to be crazy about Esenin!!), please send them to
me soon. These photos should be taken well before the Dance Collection closes
for the summer on June 26 (and arranging it requires advance notice), and
developed in time for Maria to take them to Russia around July 10. There are
additional details anyone would need to know before doing this, but I'll wait
until I hear from a volunteer.
     George Fowler