In the Gloaming

I've outsourced the cleaning of my house, after picking up some extra freelance work. Between the cleaning lady, and ordering groceries online I've been able to reclaim some time for my studio. However, so far the results have been mixed. Last weekend I was shooting something involving a mirror. Things were already not going well when suddenly the mirror exploded into shards under the pressure of the plastic clamp after an hour of shooting.. I gave up and went on a date.

Today I spent pretty much the entire day except for my morning run and eating lunch trying to make a good picture. It just didn't happen.. As the light was fading, I managed something more interesting. A test from that set above. (This post has been updated with an image from the contact sheet)

In other news, my first video interview for The Wall Street Journal is online. Taking the interview on set during our photo shoot was tremendous fun, relinquishing final creative control to the WSJ video team was not.

Report from behind the scenes..

Photo-editing has been interesting lately--a few weeks I had a shoot of bathing suit designer Malia Mills with four of her models, shot by Francois Dischinger. Which reminded me of why working in fashion can be so err..umm..time-consuming. Making small changes was like attempting to reverse the earth's orbit, and almost as complicated. I had to keep reminding everyone that we were making a portrait, not a fashion shoot.

On Monday I was at the Metropolitan for a shoot of third generation master florist, who was being shot by John Huba. The florist was a tall, handsome and articulate guy who is more comfortable on a ladder than anyone else I've ever seen. From the top rungs of the ladder he arranged the flowers in the alcoves in the Met's Great Hall. I had the pleasure of interviewing him on video after the shoot, and I re-discovered how much better an interview can be in person, rather than over the phone or via email. Incredible how busy it is at the Met even when they are closed to the public..This was one of those days where I again felt very lucky to have such and interesting job.

Holly Andres

Met with Portland-based photographer Holly Andres today--she has an exhibition opening tomorrow at the Robert Mann gallery in Chelsea. I feel lucky to have seen so many of the images that will be in the show in her book today..

Another photographer, Corey Arnold suggested I meet Holly, who's work I already knew, telling me she had assisted him on a recent shoot for the WSJ that I was very happy with. Turns out that the dry ice was her idea..I think Corey's ease and humor and Holly's attention to detail and color make a great combination. Will be following both of them with interest.

Feeling It

Worked more on levitating and some shots with a candle this weekend. Had some trouble staying focussed, but I didn't worry too much when pretty much everything I shot came out looking ridiculous.

I've been just incredibly happy since the beginning of the new year, and I'm thinking surely something must be wrong with me! I'm enjoying winter, work, my friends, my dates.. go figure.

Levitating Over Bed

Turns out levitating is hard, even when you are only faking it. After some experimentation with the 12X12 " backdrop, I think I've figured out a better way to do this. Will have to wait until next weekend.

On Saturday I saw Judy Chicago's Dinner Party at the Brooklyn museum--amazing to finally see this iconic work in person. It was somewhat hilarious to be perusing these depictions of vaginas on plates while on a date with a guy--but no matter.

Happy New Year. Welcome, 2012!

I had a real spirit lifting on the first day of the new year. My brother and I headed out to Coney Island for the annual Polar Bear swim. It was just amazing. Really. It made this homesick California girl fall in love with Brooklyn all over again. My brother filmed the whole thing on his waterproof camera-- grizzled guys smoking cigars, hipsters, triathletes, mobs of men in striped bathing costumes circa the 1910's, pirates, mermaids. Moms, pretty girls in bikinis with their boyfriends, kids in bathrobes, drunk dudes, you name it, everyone was there. Afterwards we had noodles with pork belly and a fried egg..

It was a profound feeling of renewal, and blasting out the cobwebs of the old. In with the new. Happy New Year, y'all!

Fishy Christmas

Well, Christmas is over and the last of the relatives have filed back home. I found myself with the holiday blues this year, despite throwing a big party and eating a lot of good food. I hope I'm not having an existential crisis, but it felt a little empty for me.

What rituals are left for the non-believer? It takes more work if you don't go with all the ready-made meaning and ritual provided by a belief system. And I didn't have the energy to re-invent meaning for myself this year. It could also be partly that I dearly missed being in California, and running on the beach as in Christmas's past.

Bracing for a look at my new year's resolutions traded with Sean last year at this time. I have his and he has mine..we are going to crack them open this weekend and see how we did in 2011.

Above by Paul Klee. Expect to see my own interpretation of this still life at some point in the not too distant future.