Nelson Mandela memorialized in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

One of the perks of my job is that I get to travel a fair amount. This past trip we were shooting a video dealing with Sundance for Brash.com & Nissan in Park City, Utah. I've never really spent any time in these small ski/mountain towns so this was a nice little change of scenery. I always come back from a trip and am annoyed that I didn't take enough photos and this time I especially failed, mainly because we were so busy running from one location to the next. I did manage to capture a few shot though.

It's important to me that I set aside some time in my schedule to go and view artwork. It keeps me inspired and informed. I try and go at odd hours to avoid crowds, there is something about being in an empty gallery which is really therapeutic and soothing. I've always been enamored by the scale of Richard Serra work, If you are into gigantic sculptures that you can walk in and out of the I'd definitely recommend checking out his work at the Gagosian Gallery in Chelsea.

I tend to not go see the same artist perform multiple times but anytime I get to rock with Pretty Lights I'll make an exception. Mainly because no two shows I've seen of his have ever felt the same. The vibes are always different.

This was one of the videos that I was out in LA shooting. Sauza and Glam took over the rooftop of the Petite Ermitage and hosted am amazing night, full of gifts, sparkling desserts and a fancy fireside dinner. This is the 2nd video I shot for Suaza and unlike the 1st one we decided to shoot this with more of a documentary edge, giving the viewer the feel of being there and having this experience. Enjoy...

 

I've been really busy - not the kind that drains you and leaves you lifeless but the kind that fills you up with adrenalin and and keeps pushing you harder. The bulk of work that I have been doing has been video related but am also working on some project with a UX and interaction design focus. A few weeks ago I was asked to come to Los Angeles to shoot two videos, each a week and a half apart from each other. Instead of flying back and forth I decided to stay out in LA and get a feel for the city since I haven't really spent much time out there.

As a New Yorker you are kinda programmed to hate on LA - roll your eyes at everything closing at 2am, snark at how you have to drive everywhere and side-eye the fashion - but I decided to give it a shot and  go in with an open mind and take in everything LA had to offer.

Done hate on my airplane bathroom selfies...

For the first half of my trip I stayed at the Petit Ermitage, a really dope little hotel tucked away in West Hollywood. This was also the location for the first shoot that I was doing for Sauza on the amazing rooftop overlooking all of LA. If you are ever struggling to figure out where to stay out there I highly recommend it. The service was great and I always felt comfortable, whether it was lounging in the room or taking a meeting poolside.

#SelfieSeason

Let me keep it 100 for a second: yes I love grabbing some In-n-Out as a tradition for New Yorkers who go out west BUT there is nothing spectacular about the food. It is over hyped to the point where a great burger starts to feel just OK because in your mind you have built it up way too much. Don't get me wrong, it is great, but it does not blow the minds of my tastebud. Ok, end rant.

No one photographs their food in LA except for New Yorkers.

I have a funny story about my rental car experience. After I landed I head over to Enterprise to pick up the car my client had booked for me. I get there and the attendant takes me to the lot and shows me my regular-ass-sedan option. I'm browsing but I keep looking over at this all black convertible Mustang. The attendant, Max, goes "You really want that don't you. Well it will be an additional $50/day". I brush it off because I'm getting a car paid for by my client and see no reason (except to stunt) to upgrade, so I decline. Max pulls me aside and whispers that if I give him a generous tip he would give me a free upgrade. DONE! I handed him some cash and drove out of there in that ride. Best move I made the whole trip.

#GlamFam - Glam Media is the client that both of the shoots I was doing out there were for. Hi Bianca!

I had been wanting to goto Blind Barber LA pretty much since the day it opened. I was really happy that I got a chance to check it out, get a cut there and have a night. Aesthetically the place mirrors the feel of the NY shop but the vibes are different. It definitely has its own personality - it's the equally cool sibling but has it own swag. The best part was that Jeff was also in town on some business and we got a chance to kick it it out here.

A.Wash and Jeff outside of BBLA

It's not really a night if you don't end updrunkenly getting tacos from a truck.

Part of why Jeff was out there was for this this GQ event that BBLA had a pop-up shop for.

The second shoot I was doing out there was for Nissan where we were featuring the Juke in a video covering the release of the XBOX One gaming console.

Chris the DP, getting ready to take some beauty shots of the Juke.

Milk studios hosted the release of the Xbox One. This was a lot of fun, Deadmau5 rocked the event and I got a chance to meet the dudes from Workaholics.

I have a few more things that I'd like to say about my trip out in LA but that'll have to come in another post. For now, peace and love.

/A

Always lookin' pretty.

The final video from the Target NYFW series is now out. We created a total of 5 videos, which can be seen here. This was a great project, hope to shoot some more BTS next fashion week.  

 

Foursquare just launched Ads to their merchant platform and I was asked to shoot the video introducing the product launch. This was a fun video to work on, love collaborating with @af and team Foursquare!