Changing my flickr layout

For the last few months I stopped using flickr. The reason for that….I had the new website. But the problem was I was always shooting and didn’t always want to bother my web designer with all the new photos. Plus I didn’t feel like blogging everyday when I just want to put a new photo or two up. So I basically deleted all the portraits and fashion photos that were up there and added all the everyday photos. So now I have the website for all the major stuff, the blog for the event or special occasion shots and the flickr account for the day to day stuff. So hopefully now I can organize my photos a little better. Now if I can get myself to write on this blog every week I would be a happy camper.

Allison Parris show

Yesterday I shot two different fashion shows. One was okay, crowds weren’t that big and I wasn’t really impressed with the clothing. It looked bland and simple, it felt like the designer didn’t put any effort into the clothing and I didn’t put any effort in posting any of the photos.

The second show I was impressed with. It was for Allison Parris For this show the house was packed and filled to capacity. I liked the clothing and the style of it. It had a mixture of the simplicity of the 50’s with the modern styling of today. Plus I got access backstage so I can’t complain.

For more of her work goto: www.allisonparris.com

August

The last month has been pretty good in an artistic and creative way. But business, that’s a whole different story. Lets just say it wasn’t one of my best months. It also has been a slow one writing on this blog. Maybe I have been lazy or just….yea, just lazy.

I did a few photo shoots. Two of them on the High Line and on the second one I started to get issues with the volunteers while the security guard kept looking at the model with a huge smile on his face. He would always walk by and check out the model.

The third shoot was for Macenstein website. It’s all about Mac and beautiful women. I got to shoot the beautiful woman. The shoot was interesting cause I basically used natural light and a flash to soften up the model. The shots came out great and some of the fans of the site loved while some complained cause there wasn’t enough skin.  But I thought they came out classy and fit her personality perfect. But you can be of the judge of that since I’m adding the site onto the blog. http://macenstein.com/default/2009/08/macensteins-mac-chick-of-the-month-august-2009-valeria-tignini/

The other important event of the month, the new website is up. Brain definitely did a great job on it. I was ecstatic and overjoyed. Finally I had a professional website. The other one was just put together from scratch with the servers help. But wow, now I can hopefully get more work.

My own personal work has been slow. I have not been doing that many walks around the city shooting. It feels like I’ve been shooting the same thing over and over again. I definitely need to get out of here for awhile.

Well I hope this month I’ll write once a week and not once a month.

Pork Tenderloin, with a cheese sauce wrapped with bacon and a salsa verde.

Last week at my brother’s place, I committed a very horrendous crime.  It was a crime so horrendous that most rabbis would kill me for but secretly love me for.  I committed pork on pork crime. And let me say this, it was delicious. It was so good for you that its so bad for your heart.

I made pork tenderloin stuffed with a cheese sauce and wrapped with bacon and to top it off I made a salsa verde. This was my first time making it as well and I’ll make it again even though it’s really bad for me.

The cheese sauce was a combo of goat cheese and blue cheese mixed with olive oil, garlic, basil, rosemary, salt and a pinch of smoked paprika all blended together.

I serried the tenderloin for a few min on each side and then just slowly grilled it for about 10 min each side and that’s it.

The salsa was a mixture of tomatillos, jalapeño peppers, onions, cilantro, garlic, lime juice and salt. Blend that together in a blender and you have a salsa verde.

Bubble Fight

You can tell when it’s summer when the weirdo’s come out to play. And on Friday I was at Times Square to shoot the bubble fight and did they come out. It was actually pretty interesting to see all types of people come out and just have fun in the middle of Times Square. Its even better to see the looks on the tourists faces as they wonder what the hell is going on.
But at the same time you had kids just enjoying the day with their parents and blowing bubbles at each other while the grown ups were just messing around.

Coney Island Shoot

Two weeks ago I did a shoot in Coney Island. I shot with a new model and worked with a new make up artist and I have to say I was extremely happy with the way the photos came out.
We didn’t start shooting until 5:30 in the afternoon. I was afraid I wasn’t going to have enough light. Thank god I had an assistant to help me reflect some light onto the model.

We shot two looks in two different locations. But by the time it was over we had 4 different locations in Coney Island with 3 different looks and two looks combined into 1(we added a few accessories to change the look).
But Coney is starting to get sketchy again; well it always has, but not as much in recent years. You have more little punks running around and harassing everyone. Hell I almost got into a fight cause of some little punk was wasted and high. All he wanted to do is bother me, my crew and get his gang hand signs into the shot.
I could tell it was time to leave cause my model was getting a little scared and you can tell that from the shots. I think the best time to shoot there is early in the morning when there is hardly anyone there.

Bread burning before Passover

On Wednesday all the Hasidic Jews were out burning bread right before Passover. It’s a tradition that is longer and older than I can remember. I have never photographed this before and I thought I had the perfect opportunity to do so. Plus I got to play with my new camera.
I walked over to Borough Park where it’s filled with nothing but Beards running around.  I found one burning but it was being hosed off by the FDNY; who were there just to make sure the kids didn’t run into the fire and start praying to god.
There was one bon fire after another. Some were being done on the lawns with just a bottle of gas a piece of bread; guess who won that fight, while others were being done on the street with piles of bread and paper.
I got funny looks from kids in the neighborhood who have never seen a photographer or were just curious why I was in their neighborhood photographing an event that is yearly and dear to them.  Others would just ask me the most annoying questions.

US Open

This weekend I was up in Vermont to shoot the US Open. This weekend was a first for many things. For one, I was on a snowy mountain, which I have never been on. I got vertigo from just looking down. I had to slide down the mountain with my camera up in the air cause I had no snow shoes to help me down. I also got to ride on a snow mobile, god bless those machines. Helped me get up and down the mountain even though I was holding onto my dear life.

But what really mattered was the pictures. The first day was amazing. The weather was perfect and the shots came out amazing. Plus I got to play with my new camera; Canon 5D. So much better than 20D.  I was on the half pipe all day. The only thing I had missing was a zoom lens. I had to shoot with my 24-70 2.8f. I really could have used a 70-200 for that day and the next.

The next day the conditions were horrible. It was completely overcast plus there was a quick snow shower which stopped the whole event for an hour. To top it off it was the day of the slope style. We were positioned in the worst spots where you really needed a good zoom lens which I didn’t have.

So here are some pictures of the event. Let me know what you think.

The Farm on Adderly

Yesterday I went back to the old hood to try out another restaurant that had been open for about a year.  I read the reviews on The Farm but I wanted to try it out for myself. All I heard was how good the food is and how fresh the ingredients are. So I hope on two trains; plus I had to walk cause of construction on the Q line,  and met up with a friend of mine for brunch.

Let me say this, all the reviews were right. The food was amazing, inexpensive and worth the wait on line. I had a new version of the benedict. This was with smoked troit, on a potato lattca with a poached egg and hollandace sauce. It was a perfect balance of flavors. Ive had this with smoked salmon but with never smoked trout. By the end of the meal, my whole plate was clean.

Totally recommend this place.

Pomme de Terre

Yesterday I met up with a friend of mine for brunch. I decided to try out this new place in my old neighborhood. Before I go into the brunch, let me give you a little lesson about my old hood. Back in the day( 80’s and 90’s) Ditmas Park wasn’t the most safest or cleanest neighborhood in the area. You had crack house past Ocean Avenue, terrorist living next door to Hasdic Jews,  gangbangers mingling with the Russian mob, and to top it off the 70th precinct  covered my neighborhood; remember them…the plunger boys.

But now its all changed. The neighborhood changed, more families are moving into the neighborhood. Restaruants are opening up, hipsters are moving in and the rent is slowly moving up.

So the place we went to was called Pomme de Terre and its right across the street from my old elementary school. Its a small french bistro restaurant that serves steak and frittes. The place was packed and had a good vibe to it. I ordered the steak and eggs;  had to keep it to the basics. Let me say this, the food was good. I ordered the steak medium rare and it came out the way I liked it. It also came with a potato pie which was amazing. Plus you get a complimentry mimoso. For all this I paid 12 dollars. I would definitly go back and this time try their dinner menu or go back for brunch.