Modified for Milk Made

Milk Made, the online culture journal of Milk Studios New York, ran my new fashion story ‘Modified’ recently. Rigid, cold, calculated, girls designed and programmed to wear. It was great fun to produce and couldn’t have done without my fantastic creative tam of Colleen Runne, Charlie Taylor and Susan Alexandra. As well as some assisting help from Kaia Balcos. Thanks guys!

Wu Tang – Front and Centre

Wu Tang Clan (Method Man, Ghostface Killah and Raekwon to be exact) played a rather hyper show for the opening of New York Fashion Week at Milk Studios last week. After a fairly fun evening of myself and a friend running from showroom to showroom upstairs armed with a radio slaved flash and camera (he held the flash a few feet away I held true camera – confusing the fashionistas) snapping some fairly candid pics of the beautiful people, we headed downstairs, consumed much of the free booze, before pushing to the front and centre of the low stage for what was obviously going to be a raucous gig. The three Wu Tang fellows took to the stage with typical swagger, and flanked by the usual number of hip hop show hangers-on, numbering about  twenty people who ranged from guys that were obviously friends of the guys, snapping pics and videos, through to an odd few in suits smiling sheepishly and whipping out an iPhone to shoot cute girls. This number doubled toward the end to the point where Method Man looked perplexed with an expression that seemed to say ‘Who on this stage is actually part of this show?”. Driving home the cream of the Wu Tang’s crop of killer bee tracks, it was a sweaty gig with an enormous crush, pushing fans on stage and over the speakers. But no one came for an orderly sing-song, so by the time the last rhyme had been had, all involved were hoarse in the throat from rhyming – band and fans alike. The group left the stage, a few hangers-on seemed to have picked up some groupies for later and it was out into the late night chill with ringing ears.

Ghosts of Aviation Past

Recently I was on that Vutton campaign shoot, the one with the girls driving an old car, wearing driver hats and all that. However it was the location, an old airfield waaaaaay out in Brooklyn, that interested me more. Found at the end of Flatbush Ave, Floyd Bennett Airfield was New York’s first municipal airport opened in 1930. It is no longer used for commercial flight, but the NYPD has a heliport there. Now housing examples of historic aircraft, some of the hangers themselves are in a state of disrepair while others are used for commercial use, but thankfully repurposed, leaving the original structures intact for prosperity. The hangers here however are the ones that are closed off to the public due to safety, but last I was out there on another shoot, the structural damage was being fixed. It’s landmark status means the area will remain unchanged. In a  city like New York that is literally demolishing entire neighborhoods of architectural past (like Hell’s Kitchen making way for the disgusting steel and glass complex neighborhood of the pretentiously named ‘Hudson Yards’, or the historic Williamsburg Industrial waterfront area down to Greenpoint being shunted aside for condo towers of filing cabinets), it is nice to see a piece of history remain for future generations to enjoy.

Black Taffy for Milk Made

It was a few months ago but I was pretty happy with this editorial I shot for Milk Made, the vibrant art / fashion / photo / culture website based out of New York’s Milk Studios (the place that gave me my first job in New York as an Equipment Room tech. Bless them.). I teamed up with some good friends who also happened to kick ass at what they do; Eloise Cheung from Walter Schupher on the hair, Yinna Wang on the makeup and Justin Min who I worked alongside during my stint at The Dirty Durty Diary Magazine on the styling. It was all about being young, full of beans and full of color. I think the girls did pretty well. You can also see the story on Milk Made.

Welcome to Cadillac Jacks

Cadillac Jacks is in Sun Valley, CA. Although from the road it looks like a fully functional diner that is just closed for a few minutes but upon closer inspection, it reveals itself as a very well looked after Hollywood shooting location (and also for parties). The location was actually a real diner from the 1950 through until the 1980s, but is now tended by the owners of the neighboring Pink Hotel (also opened in the 1950s and looking pretty much like it did when it opened). Complete with functioning neon signs our front and around back, and with the Pink Motel, you feel like you’re a greaser that’s dropped in on a cross country trek needing to kick up your chuck taylor heels. It’s authenticity all the more real by the lack of crass condo towers or strip malls, abundantly adorned by an interstate railroad and stretch of high tension towers. We used the diner as a location on a recent fashion story complete with muscle cars. I just got lost in the nostalgia and felt a little ‘Jimmy Dean’ for the day…

Hangin’ with Mr Saget

I had the pleasure of shooting Bob Saget a little while back for the DDD magazine. The thing with Bob was that I was only accustomed to his squeaky clean role as the father on 80s sitcom Full House, so when I did a little YouTube-ing for the standup comedy this man was now famous for, I was quite blown away ny not only his razor sharp with, but his filthy mouth. And he didn’t disappoint on the day. Full of humor, he was very personable and one of the best, most relaxed subjects I have photographed. We almost forgot to take the actual photos given the fantastic conversations, and had I not had to return to another shoot that day, no doubt I would have had a great “me and Saget started drinking at lunch time and all of a sudden it was 5am!”. Great fun…