Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Going to NYC


(Me on the left, KMR on the right. )


So I had the opportunity to visit my good friend Kevin Reed this June and stick around his studio for a short week. It was also a chance to see the city, find out how things work there, and shoot a few models and stuff.

Now there are a few things that come to mind when I think about that trip: Angus Burgers at Mcd's, $15 drinks at the club, bars open until 4 or 5am, and Cokes costing way more than they do here! That, and it's amazing to shoot some of the talent out there, and amazing to do it at midnight to 3am!

It was also fun to stay where I did, which was this totally sweet out of a bad movie cheap hotel just a few blocks from his studio.


I was lucky in that he had some mats at the studio for some reason, and since both of us are cheap sometimes I slept on the floor - which was anything but flat - and we kept the tv and lights on because he was scared of bugs, I didn't care.

Now you may think that this would be gross, and that the bugs, and stuff - but here we are in the center of the city, blocks away from Times Square, and we're living straight out of some movie, gritty, dirty, and just hanging around, it was awesome!

Times Square was also totally sweet, and not because it was cool to see the lights really - but because it's a real place, in a real city, and not just something out of a tv show or movie!

And here is Kevin getting a hotdog!



So I was pretty much stuck around the area, not that I couldn't go out and do things, and I had time too, but it's hard to get out when we're doing shoots until 3am, out at the bar until 4:30-5am, and sleeping until noon or 1. Once up it was a matter of finding models, working on pictures, and bumming around.

I did manage to get out to Bryant Park my final day, which was awesome - although I have to admit the subways were more of a way for me to find myself than here, but it's still pretty sweet!


One thing that was different is that this city is always dirty, noisy, and busy. It really doesn't sleep, and there really is a sense of energy around that could keep a person up for a while - something is always going on!



The shoots were fun as well, and getting to work with talent in another city is also great!





I can't wait to get back over there, shoot more, and hopefully to do fashion week sometime!

=)


*All shots that look like film were taken with my Yashica T4, digital shots of the models with either my D2x, or Kevins Phase 1 P30+ back on a Mamiya setup.