travel day/

Heading back to California today after a lovely weekend spent in The Springs, NY. It was a little bit of R&R and a little bit of work. This is one of the locations I shot at...nice place for a portrait, no?

rossana orlandi/dwell

I just noticed that some of the work I shot during the Milan Furniture Fair in April is in the July/August issue of Dwell magazine. I had the pleasure of photographing Rossana Orlandi. I love her....she is amazing. This is my favorite of the lot. It captures her spirit I think...

chair/aubock werkstatte

I got a crush on this chair when I was shooting at the Carl Aubock Werkstatte in Vienna. The only way I know this is that when I was editing through my images the other day I ran across about 15 images of this same chair. But isn't she cute? It's that tilt of her head. I feel like she is winking at me.

paul loebach/

Two of my favorite portraits from my shoot at Paul Loebach's studio earlier this week. The first one was shot when it was practically dark and it is on my new camera (which I have a tenuous relationship thus far) so there may be hope for my new little digi filly yet! It captured the light rather well and in really (really, really) low light conditions.

The second image is step one of an experiment I have been wanting to do for quite possibly years...based on a Giacometti drawing. I really like the economy of Paul's body language in this and the matter of fact expression on his face. I am kicking myself for not seeing the damn roll of paper towels, though...so irritating!

Alas, can't wait to see the images I shot on film!

erica wilson/RIP

Late Tuesday afternoon I received the sad new that Erica Wilson, Vladimir Kagan's amazing wife, had passed away from a stroke. Erica Wilson was a legend in her own right, known as the foremost expert of needle-work. She is credited with the mid twentieth century rebirth of needlework in the US, but to hear her tell it, as I was lucky enough to, all that was a bit of an accident. I remember her telling me that she came to the US for a teaching job and found herself "teaching the Rockefellars and all the society ladies how to cross stitch". I thought about Wilson years later when I shot the Miller House and found out that Xenia Miller did all the needlework on the cushions of her custom Saarinen Tulip chairs. I wondered if she had taken one of those classes.

When I walked into the Kagan's apartment for the first time to shoot their apartment for Handcrafted Modern, I will admit I had no idea who she was. She was just so incredibly sweet and welcoming to me that I instantly liked her. The funny thing is, when I talked to my Mom that first night, I mentioned who Kagan was married to (my Mom is an avid needlepointer) and she was so excited about my meeting Erica Wilson (Valdimir Kagan? she had no idea who he was.) Throughout the two days of my shoot at the Kagan's apartment, Erica would pop into the room I was photographing and check on me. She told me some great stories, too. There was one wood stool in the living room that was rather organic and rough. It was a departure from most everything in their apartment so I asked her about it. She told me that it was from one of her old boyfriends. "Way before Vlady..." she clarified. Apparently this old beau was Norwegian and very handy with the woodworking. He like to give her gifts...and who wouldn't? It was obvious she was quite a hottie and she had one of those accents where you almost lost what she was saying because her accent was so intriguing and enticing. It is always rather interesting to me when two legends are married to each other. The Kagans are the only pair I have ever actually met in person. I feel privileged to have been able to do so and to know Erica just the little tiny bit that I did. She made an impression on me.

Read more about Erica Wilson here.

week of sharing/ethan hill

Ethan Hill and I have known each other since we were in college together at Art Center in Pasadena.  He has grown into one of my favorite portraitists. Frankly, I am totally unsurprised by this. I was always mesmerized by what he could do with his images. In school, he would go into the darkroom and come out with images completely transformed by his darkroom mastery. This has only evolved gracefully over his career and continues still.  

Ethan has been one of those people that I can show projects to when they are in their infancy and I am honored that he does the same. It is so important to just have a dialogue when working on personal work. I am so grateful for his feedback. He has just updated his website, so you all should check it out. His portraits have a poetry and soul to them that is both the subject, but also innately Ethan. Truly beautiful work. Take a look here.

I shot this portrait of him awhile back but still love it. As long as I've known him, Ethan has worn bow ties. I couldn't imagine photographing him without one. And he's the only person I know who can get away with this combo...

portraits/gabriele wilson

I am going to have a lot to show you all from my time here in NY. I shot all weekend and will be shooting the most incredible apartment this week! This shot is from yesterday. My friend Gabriele Wilson and I were walking back from photographing her portrait and she was asking me about the differences I saw between California and NY. What do you get in NY that you don't get in CA? I notice steam pluming from the street we are crossing and I pointed and said "you don't get that in CA...ever." So of course we had to take advantage. I really love this shot of her.
Btw, her work is amazing. She is a graphic designer who does masses of book covers/ book design among other lovely things...she is in the process of fantastic redesign of her website that will be up soon.

erica tanov/

As I mentioned yesterday, here is my favorite portrait from my shoot with Erica Tanov. Love this one...

handcrafted modern/the secret portraits

I just shot this portrait of John  Kapel a couple of weeks ago. John's was another of the homes that was just so rich in detail, I never got a chance to properly shoot his portrait until I stopped by to give him his copy of Handcrafted Modern. Love this shot and my favorite piece of his artwork is hanging on the wall behind him.

handcrafted modern/the secret portraits

I love this portrait of Jens Risom I did for an article in Dwell magazine a couple of years ago. This was in his backyard. We decided that a sweater change would be nice (he was wearing a bright red one) so he brought out 5 of his favorite cashmere sweaters and I chose the color I thought would work best with this setting. Perfect, no?

handcrafted modern/the secret portraits

I am really excited about this portrait of Irving Harper. I shot this October 15 of this year, when I brought him his copy of Handcrafted Modern. I feel like this really captures him well. Isn't he a handsome devil?

handcrafted modern/the secret portraits

I shot this portrait of Erica Wilson and Vladimir Kagan at the end of my shoot at their Upper East Side Apartment. Vlady was insistent on wearing these salmon color pants because he knew they would look great with the colors in his living room and especially his Frank Stella. The only thing was that they were womens pants and they were a touch on the tight side. He was rather hilarious, but he was completely right. The pants kind of make the picture for me. But maybe it is because I still have a chuckle when I think of him insisting "They will zip!!!"

j.b.blunk residency/rachel kaye & jay nelson's portrait

Here is the portrait I shot last week of artists rachel kaye and jay nelson. Taken in the wood shop at the blunk residency. I really love these shots...can't wait to see the actual film...