In the north east of America we are dealing with the warmest December we have had in documented history. A lot of people up here depend on the snow to earn an income, whether it be plowing, ski resorts, snowmobile guides etc. This is a tough winter for these people as well as myself. Its rather sad to see such a dry winter, but hopefully in the next month we will start seeing some blizzards.
People travel for many different reasons some to relax, some to get away, others to meet new people but for me it is experiences like this. There is nothing more rewarding to me then getting out of my comfort zone. This night in particular we had set out before dusk to find a road that lead to all natural hot springs and a campsite in the Highlands of Iceland. Having been to Iceland before I was prepared to see plenty of dirt roads, but my partners not so much. Once it was dark out there wasn't much room to see and we contemplated turning around with the uncertainty of where we would sleep that night. With the thought of being stranded in the mountains we decided to still push on and after a 3 hour drive on a dirt road we looked out of the cars windows to see northern lights. In that moment there isn't much that can be said to describe the feeling you get when you see Aurora Borealis for the first time. All I can really say to describe it is that I didn't really care where I was sleeping that night, how cold I was, what was around me or even what bills were due next month, for the next couple hours everything in the world was alright. In these moments I find myself being okay with putting my camera down because the experience and the moment itself needs to be enjoyed for what it is. I barely took any photos that night and I wouldn't change a single thing. When thinking back to moments like this I still need to remind myself what lead me to this point, and that is getting out of my comfort zone. When I push myself towards road trips, sleepless nights, and trips with uncertainty I am more often then not pleasantly surprised. In closing my number one piece of advice for myself and for others is to do something different, something your not used to, something uncomfortable because more often then not you will be surprised at what you might find.
This short blog is based on my affinity for water, and the spots we got to see throughout Iceland had some of the bluest, and freshest water I have ever experienced. For those who share that same feeling and appreciation for moving water, enjoy.
"Either get busy living or get busy dying." Stephen King
Our first official night in Iceland we decided to head to a camp spot Matt had found online. The campsite was located in the Icelandic Highlands and little did we know that this meant three hours of off roading in our suv while it was pitch black and completely desolate. On the drive we ended up seeing some of the most amazing Northern Lights that ended up lasting through the night. (pictures of that will be up soon) In that first moment of seeing Aurora Borealis we immediately stopped the car jumped out and just took in it's beauty. It was like no other experience I have ever been a part of and I know in that moment we all shared a mutual unspoken feeling that could only be embraced by a hug and a quiet holy fuck. After that we took off to get our camp set up and upon arrival we had to drive through a river that we noticed was steaming. Again we got out of the suv and felt the rivers waters which was as hot as a bath. We then drove through the river set up camp, and after a day with no food we had salad with dorritos as croutons (a camp delicacy). That night was really cold but after a few beers and some shots of OPAL (salted licorice mint vodka) we took to the tent for a rough night of tossing and turning. We woke in the morning to the sounds of mountain goats, and now that it was light out we could see that the warm river led to an all natural hot spring that we bathed in for about 2 hours. After that we hit the dirt road back to civilization to start our journey.
Just a few pit stops and photos on the road from Las Vegas to Los Angeles with the guys from Feltraiger.
Early morning hike and swim, with Forgotten youth Supply.
This summer I was brought on board as the in house photographer with Feltraiger (Fel-trey-gur) an American Made mens wear brand with a flagship store located in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. After visiting the store for the first time about a year ago via the recommendation of my oldest brother, I walked in only knowing that they produced american made clothing. Immediately upon walking through the doors I felt like I was in one of my uncles motorcycle garages. The manly smell of gasoline scented candles the dim lighting, 70s rock and the vintage playboy magazines really add the authentic touch, not to mention there was and still is a motorcycle on the floor of the store. I was greeted by one of the owners Jon who was super down to earth, he really took an interest in educating me on the products they carried and overall just bullshitting with me about things we mutually thought were awesome. To this day Feltraiger is the only retail store experience I remember every detail of after walking in for the first time. Now one year later I have signed on as the brands east coast photographer and just this week attended my second Liberty Fairs trade show with Feltraiger where they showed their spring 2016 line. I am very excited to see where this brand is headed and after seeing what they have in store for 2016 my belief in the brand has only been strengthened. Feltraiger will be attending Liberty Fairs in Las Vegas August 17-19th if you'd like to check out some of their products and learn more about the brand follow the link below.
Proud to see this brand progressing so much, every photo shoot we do only gets more complex and more fun. Heres a few pictures from http://www.forgottenyouthsupply.com 's latest look book shoot.
Last weekend me and two of my friends took a road trip down to RVA (Richmond Virginia) to visit our good friend and amazing writer Kevin Finnemore. Over the 3 days we were there we hiked, swam, ate and drank a lot of beer and tequila. Although I am not the biggest fan of Tequila it really lent it self to the city and I think it's safe to say I am now a fan of Richmond, Virginia.
If you would like to check out some of Kevin's writing here is a link https://instagram.com/kjfinnemore/
The other day I went to a Lana Del Rey concert with my good friend Holly ( with 2 L's not one because that would make her a church goer (Holy)<< not that. One of her biggest pet peeves is when people misspell her name, which is all of 5 not 4 letters. Holly is basically my female partner in crime, and the other day on the way to the concert in Boston she spotted a rainbow that she really couldn't get enough of. Luckily I had my camera on me per usual so I had some fun getting creative from the passenger seat while enjoying some pre concert Jäger. Here's what I came up with.
Holly >>> http://twofeetinthegrave.tumblr.com
This summer I started working with some bigger and more established brands, from WESC, and Pf Flyers, to Iron and Resin and Feltraiger. It makes me really excited for my future in the fashion industry, but there is nothing I find more satisfying than making something out of nothing. With that being said Forgotten Youth Supply didn't really start from nothing, it started with an idea and a relentless work ethic to get things done. I have been working with Forgotten Youth since the start of the brand and over the past 6 to 8 months we have both seen our companies grow, Me with my photography and them with their clothing designs and customer outreach. Forgotten Youth is run by the owner Patrizio Arpaia (Yes he's very Italian) who shares the same obsession and constant need to create things as I do. In such a short amount of time he took this company from an idea to a brand that I know has a very promising future. I have been working back and forth brain storming with Patrizio on planning Forgotten Youth Supply's Summer look book. So in our not so typical fashion we grabbed our things and decided to take our meeting on a hike. Here are some photos from our meeting/hike tuesday afternoon.
http://www.forgottenyouthsupply.com
This past Saturday June 6th I moved back to Connecticut, being a person that loves nature I was super excited to get back to hiking, camping and swimming around the state. Unlike New York City its, much quitter here and physical exercise is no longer a burden like it was living in the city. In Connecticut I just wake up grab my coffee sit on my front porch, call my friends and in 15-20 minutes were hiking, no traffic, no car horns, no smelly sewers or over whelming pollution, just good friends, nature, and good times.
Recently I worked on some photos with Pf Flyers and Feltraiger so they could announce their made in America line and release party.
I love that film photography, slows me down, I love how long it takes to process, and even though its difficult it forces me to think and I enjoy that.
Recently I have been very Interested in shooting film. I finally developed an old roll I had sitting around and once I scanned them into the computer I was really pleased by the aesthetic and the way it made me feel like I was back in the moment more so than digital. Maybe this feeling comes from the imperfections in film that are not so often seen in digital photographs which tend to have a more cinematic quality. Heres some mixed film shots from this past week shooting my first roll of medium format film, and developing my second roll of 35mm from fall 2014.
Been working with Mike Eggleton this past week and I'm excited to see what he can do with his modeling career. After working with him 3 times I can already see the progression he's making as he is getting much more comfortable in front of the camera.
Carmines Uptown NYC
