I was out the Dominican Republic a few weeks back and in the process of updating this site I failed to post some of the photos I shot out there. We were out there for our friends Shireen and Murtaza's wedding which was located in Cabrera. I especially like this location because we skipped over all the touristy DR shit and found ourselves in the thick of the local community. When traveling I try my very best to avoid areas with a dense tourist population, it defeats the purpose of traveling. If you aren't going to get a sense of the local community, cuisine  and way of life then whats the point in even traveling there?

Cabrera is a low key, quiet town but full of color and hidden gems. It sits perfectly in the middle of Punta Cana and Santo Domingo, so if you want to selectively experience some of the touristy shit you are only 2 hours away in either direction.

Here are some photos I shot around town. Full disclosure: I fucked with the colors a little bit.

I was out the Dominican Republic a few weeks back and in the process of updating this site I failed to post some of the photos I shot out there. We were out there for our friends Shireen and Murtaza's wedding which was located in Cabrera. I especially like this location because we skipped over all the touristy DR shit and found ourselves in the thick of the local community. When traveling I try my very best to avoid areas with a dense tourist population, it defeats the purpose of traveling. If you aren't going to get a sense of the local community, cuisine  and way of life then whats the point in even traveling there?

Cabrera is a low key, quiet town but full of color and hidden gems. It sits perfectly in the middle of Punta Cana and Santo Domingo, so if you want to selectively experience some of the touristy shit you are only 2 hours away in either direction.

Here are some photos I shot around town. Full disclosure: I fucked with the colors a little bit.

When I was out in the DR I decided that I would shoot as much video as I possibly could without disrupting my experience too much. It wasn't easy... you think photos take away from experiencing the moment you're in? Well, video is way more intrusive and requires patience and precision to get great shots. I came back with a few gigs worth of footage that was all over the place and at first didn't feel like anything fit. But once I started editing it, it all started to come together and the final video looks pretty dope. Check it:

[fve]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDUPCV0HjmM[/fve]

When I was out in the DR I decided that I would shoot as much video as I possibly could without disrupting my experience too much. It wasn't easy... you think photos take away from experiencing the moment you're in? Well, video is way more intrusive and requires patience and precision to get great shots. I came back with a few gigs worth of footage that was all over the place and at first didn't feel like anything fit. But once I started editing it, it all started to come together and the final video looks pretty dope. Check it:

[fve]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDUPCV0HjmM[/fve]

You're doing it wrong if you don't get out of the car and stunt a little while road tripping in the Dominican Republic.

You're doing it wrong if you don't get out of the car and stunt a little while road tripping in the Dominican Republic.

This year I want to take more road trips. It's easy for my to forget how much I enjoy them. I've lived in big cities all my life, surrounded by tall buildings and overwhelming amounts of people so its nice to get on the road and drive places that are completely flat with no one in sight. I was in Arizona for a week and spent a good chuck of that exploring the landscape.

Visuals in Sedona are so dope. I did not think I would enjoy the outdoors as much as I did.

#doubleexposureonahikeintheforestselfie

Got to the Grand Canyon in time to catch the sun set over it.

Canyon Selfies

Ran into this Flinstones inspired camping ground and jumped around for a bit.

Had to top off the trip with late night IN-n-Out OFCOURSE.

Always good to touch ground in NYC no matter how great your trip was.

-A

This last week I was in Arizona, on break, with every intent to relax and explore. First thing I had planned was a visit to Tuscan to kick it with my homie from undergrad, Dan. After catching up for a bit we dove right into it. We both got on his bike and head out into the mountains to to ride around, explore and end up on a hiking trail. This was an awesome trip and I was able to fit in a whole lot in a short amount of time. More photos to come but for now here are a few snaps from my time with Dan.

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.

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