These photographs and the essay below come from “Respecting My Elders,” a book of color portraits by my friend Ellen Wallenstein. The book contains images of 30 artists, musicians, and writers, all over the age of 80. Among them are Edward Albee, Lois Dodd, Milton Glaser, Francine du Plessix Gray, Wolf Kahn, Richard Howard, and Dr. Billy Taylor. Each portrait is accompanied by a quote, and a set of catalogue notes in the back describes each person’s accomplishments and the photographer’s experience shooting the pictures.