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Prospect Park, October (top)
Somewhere above the NY harbor (bottom)
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There are still many people who really need our help after Hurricane Sandy.  It is becoming clear that the struggle is just beginning for many people.

Here is a partial list of things you can do to help.

Or perhaps a donation to the Red Cross for Disaster Relief?

And if you are in Brooklyn, then Mociun and Pilgrim Surf Supply are collecting mens, womens and childrens clothing and shoes, bedding, towels, undergarments, and socks. They will be delivering these to the community out in the Rockaways on Saturday and Sunday. Bring items to one of the following locations:
++ MOCIUN – 224 Wythe Ave at the corner of N4th
++ Pilgrim Surf + Supply – 68 N. 3rd Street at the Corner of Wythe Ave
++ Thousands of Picnics – 171 S. 4th Street

November 1

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A preview of some new work that I’m editing today.  More soon.

(taken in Los Angeles, October 2012)

NYC

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. . . . . .

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It’s been a difficult week for people in NY (and NJ, and many other places along the east coast). I’m safe and I was lucky to avoid the flooding and widespread power outages from hurricane Sandy that hit adjacent neighborhoods in NY. Most of downtown Manhattan is still without power, and subway tunnels, underground parking garages, shops, homes and restaurants are flooded.  Getting to Manhattan from Brooklyn is nearly impossible right now (aside from walking), but that’s not really a bad deal.  I have friends who are walking from apartments downtown to midtown so they can charge their cell phones, check the news, shower, and eat a hot meal. Everyone I know is safe, thankfully. But life in NY is tough right now for many, many people.

I saw a photo on Instagram yesterday of the Rockaway beach boardwalk (pictured above in photos 2, 3, 4 and 5).  It’s completely washed away, except for the concrete supports.  The scene has been repeated all along the east coast (the NJ shoreline is especially bad).  It’s shocking and surreal.

I couldn’t post anything else here without taking a minute to acknowledge the storm and the damage it has caused to the city I live in.  NY, hang in there.

Edible Gardens LA / Lauri Kranz

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. . . . .
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Hurricane Sandy is on its way to New York, but while I still have power and an internet connection at home, I thought I’d share some new commissioned work with you…
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While I was in Los Angeles recently, Lauri Kranz commissioned me to shoot a few portraits and photographs of her work. Lauri is the woman behind Edible Gardens LA.  In her own words, “Edible Gardens LA builds, plants and sustains organic vegetable gardens. Lauri Kranz teaches gardening at local schools and with her company Edible Gardens LA, helps chefs, families and anyone with an interest in having a home garden grow lush gardens full of organic vegetables.”

We visited 2 of her gardens that afternoon — a garden in Bel Air with the most incredible views, and another beautiful and lush garden perched in the Hollywood hills. The second garden also had a separate greenhouse where Lauri was cultivating orchids and other plants (she told me that the orchids were struggling, but I was amazed by everything in the greenhouse – as you can see, it’s pretty amazing).  Many gardens in LA had been decimated by 2 months of intense heat waves, but these gardens were still hanging in there when I photographed them – I was impressed!

You can read a great article about Lauri, her projects and clients on the LA Times Blog HERE.  And if you’re interested in working with Lauri, her website contains contact information.

Big thanks to Lauri for a great day of shooting and for hiring me to capture her work.

On Judith Turner and Abstraction

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. . . . .
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The top 3 photos are mine.

The rest of the photos are from Judith Turner Photographs Five Architects, published in 1980 by Rizzoli

I recently picked up a copy of this book at Bright Lyons in Brooklyn (one of my favorite shops). I’ve been looking through it repeatedly over the last couple of months and I’m really obsessed.

Judith Turner’s architectural photography is atypical in its abstraction; rather than showing you wide-angle views of soaring ceilings and double-height windows, she focuses on the details in the designs. Turner trained as a designer and it’s apparent that she understands the ideas and intentions behind the architectural designs she photographs. In this book, she photographs the Kislevitz Residence (Gwathmey & Siegel), House VI/Frank Residence (Eisenman), The Cooper Union Renovation (Hejduk/Bruder/Aviles), the Benacerraf House Addition (Graves), and the Bronx Developmental Center (Meier).

By focusing on the details and the light, shapes, forms, and materials, Turner reveals more about these places than other photographers might – she is distilling the essence of a design and telling a story about a space through the details and the way the light moves through it.  As John Hejduk says in the intro, “She understands that it is impossible to see architecture in its full complexity at once. Architecture is made up of details, fragments, fabrications. And the very idea behind it can be captured in a fragment, in a detail.”

I think her work appeals to me because I try to do the same thing with my photography (whether the subject is architectural or an interior, or simply a photo taken while traveling to a new place). It’s about distilling the essence of a place/person/experience into a photograph – or at least the essence as experienced by the photographer.  It’s a way of communicating what I see.  I love how Turner shows us these places and communicates her experience of them.

The top 3 photos in this post are my own photographs, taken in Los Angeles earlier this month. I was shooting some photos at the Vitsoe apartment (more on this soon) and I was drawn to create abstract photos similar to Turner’s work. That top photo is one of my recent favorites; I’m printing it large to hang in my living room (is it egotistical to prominently hang your own photos in your home? Oh well).

Anyway, you should look for this book if you’re interested; it’s no longer in print but I’m sure there are copies on Ebay and in used bookshops.  It’s a gem.

In Los Angeles, part 3

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When I was in Los Angeles, I was able to spend a few days at the Echo Park cabin again. So great.

(Today’s Studio Mix: Paul Blow.  That Jolie Holland version of “Wandering Aengus” is incredible!)

In Los Angeles, part 2

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Seven things I want to share:

1. Leaves: I am consistently moved and entertained by Jeremy’s writing on his blog, Leaves. A recent favorite is “yes there were yellow leaves” – I’ve read it 3 times already.
2. Studio Music: I am currently editing a huge batch of photos from LA so that means 10 hours in front of my computer each day. To keep myself occupied, I’ve been listening to Studio Music, mixes from an amazing group of artists who have diverse, wonderful taste in music. 2 favorites so far are Emmet Byrne and Landon Metz. I want to listen to them all (and I just might do so by the time I finish editing photos)
3. Ceramics Class by Ye Rin Mok: Ye Rin is one of my favorite photographers and her new zine features photographs from her ceramics class – I just received this in the mail last week and I’ve been looking at it every day since.
4. Jasanský & Polák: Czech photographer duo whose work is really inspiring to me (via Mary). I especially like the series 94-96 Abstraction and 2010 Color Photography
   
5. Ed Panar, Golden Palms: my friend Matthieu introduced me to this book and it’s on my wishlist now, especially after visiting & photographing Los Angeles this year.
6. LDBA Art School: my friend Sara Moffat is incredibly talented and has amazing energy – and she’s just started L’Ecole Des Beaux Arts (LDBA), which is a hardware, housewares and artist supply store that also offers skill-based classes taught by artists and tradespeople in the NY area and beyond. The next step for LDBA is fundraising via Kickstarter – go here to learn more and support her, I really think this is a wonderful idea and she has an incredible roster of people teaching classes in return for your pledge of support. (side note: I will be teaching an analogue film photography course for people who pledge $95 or more – do it!).
7. New restaurants: 2 new spots opened up in my neighborhood and they are both delicious: The Wallace and Brooklyn Sandwich Society (even though it has a terrible name…).

In Los Angeles, part 1

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Randomly:

When I landed in Los Angeles on Oct. 1, it was 103 degrees F during the day.

When I was younger, the thought of celebrating Christmas in a sunny and warm place deeply unsettled me.

When I wake up in the morning in Los Angeles, it often looks like it will be an overcast and cloudy day; by 11:00 a.m., the sun has burned through and it’s shining. My friend told me this would happen. You wonder if this makes it an optimistic kind of place to live.

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(I just picked up my film – lots more from California soon)
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Fragments

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Abstractions.
And I made a little video yesterday morning that goes along with these images, sort of.
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A Feeling for the Disappearing Moment

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. . . . . . . . . .
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All of the photos above were taken in various places in Maine, August 2012.

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