Day 78 of 365

How do you interact with color?  For the past two years I haven been wrapping my brain around color and color schemes and I feel like I have barely begun to scratch the surface.  Color in our culture is used to elicit certain emotions and reactions out of us like red for sex, blue for calm, green for health, etc. etc.  It's such a subconscious thing but knowing can really open your eyes to some interesting things.  For example the next time you are at a movie theater look at the posters there and notice how many of the posters have 2 colors in them blue and orange or cyan and yellow.  It's baffling how people can regurgitate the same work over and over again but it is understandable because when movies use these colors on their posters they are tapping into our subconscious.  Using opposing colors on the color well give a harmonious feeling to our eyes.  Yeah it's lazy to always use the same color scheme and its proven that it works, but name 1 movie poster colorist you know...that right none.  I am consciously trying to pick colors while shooting and while editing.  I want my viewer to be pleased visually and I want my images to carry a certain romance within the color pallet and hopefully in the near future I will be able to pursue my message through the colors in my photos.  

Day 77 of 365

Somedays I feel like I just hit the fucking lotto on life.  
I had an insanely hectic day today but it was awesome.  Meetings shooting, editing and a bunch more but I am blessed to have some pretty amazing clients and to be able to live in New York and pursue my dreams.  Can't thank my family enough for always believing in my ability and my work ethic.  

Thanks to Pfflyers.com for always taking great care of me and giving me the freedom and trust in my vision to make shit happen.

Also thanks to Dish and Duer for these absolutely insane waterproof pants.  

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Day 76 of 365

Some days are heavier than others but in these moments we learn to appreciate things when they are great.  Reminding myself today that the only problems in life that are real are the passing of your loved ones.  Memories are cherished and its a big reason for why I do what I do every single day.  

Don't sweat the small stuff. 

 

Below features a flat tire we got in the first hour of our road trip it took just about an hour for a tow truck to come and it was one of my favorite part of the road trip.  I wandered through the desert heat with my shirt off knowing that the tire would be fixed in due time and I just kept shooting until it came and it reminded me why I love taking photos so much....It's fun.  =)) 

Day 75 of 365

Sunday.

Today was a foggy day for me, I woke up late adjusting to the new time zone.  I still managed to get a lot of work done this morning and I officially ended my road trip with my friend.  I had some time to reflect on our trip while editing some photos and one place stuck out in particular to me.  N'Orleans aka (New Orleans)  Hands down the craziest and most unique place I have ever been to in the United States.  It felt like the wild west with some really good cooking.  First things first we got an air Bnb a short walk from the French Quarters of New Orleans in the 7th Ward.  Upon arriving there was a person or a group of people on every stoop of every house on pretty much every street.  Most of them outside drinking, staring and talking.  We minded our own and took our bags into the air bnb where we were left a note by our host that read something like this.  "If anyone comes to the house tell them to leave or call the cops, if people ask you for anything don't give it to them I have tried this and if you give them an inch they will take a mile etc. etc."  In my head I was like fuck this lol I live in New York I know what I am doing but New Orleans is nothing like New York.  New York crazies are all talk, New Orleans Crazies are fucking crazy.  Luckily we didn't run into any trouble over the 2 days we spent there but we did see some other people running into their own issues.  We had plenty of people trying to scam us, pick pocket us, we saw naked people on the streets, and mainly the drunkest culture I have ever seen.  We literally watched a guy get so drunk he fell on his face off his barstool twice, they didn't kick him out because the old man was practically a part of the bar as were many of its patrons spending week nights there since some of them were 16.  If there is one thing for certain it's that people in New Orleans like to drink. (Even the bar tenders were hammered.)  Now on to the good parts, along with there being a ton of shit people in New Orleans they are also a ton of amazing people.  People that exuded a love for their city like I have never seen, people who play their instruments and sing like I have never heard, and generosity commonly unfound.  Great grand children of French Generals and 5th generation Americans.  The truth is New Orleans is its own culture from the Creole Heritage to the local food, I have never been to a more cultured place in the United States than New Orleans.  I also had my first share of fried cat fish, craw fish, fried oysters and Jambalaya which was amazing.  Katrina did New Orleans dirty and from all the good people I met in New Orleans one thing remained a constant, they are a resilient peoples.  

I will be back.

Day 74 of 365

Stoked to be back in NYC.  I had an amazing two weeks on the road with a great friend but it's time to get back to work.  First day back in the city I stopped down at the NUBKO meet up on the highline on 23rd street.  Nubko is an online platform that connects talented photographers, videographers, models, and influencers so that they can create amazing work together.  It is meant to open new doors for young professionals and to build community within an ever growing yet niche profession.  Here are a few photos from earlier today.  

Day 73 of 365

I haven't failed in my life yet, I'm still alive.  

Failure is for fatalists and I am more of a progressive being striving to take away from all situations.

It's in my blood, born fatherless I didn't realize all that my situation had given me until I learned  to appreciate every situation, an attribution of my Mother.  A struggle and a striving attribution of myself.  

Blessed with a sweat equity I cannot repay, work is my only option.  Got no room for failure.

"To be here."


 

 

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Day 72 of 365

As humans we have the ability to create our own reality, but for some reason so many of us rely on the false beliefs instilled in us since childhood to lead our lives.  EX. I'm bad at math, I'm lazy, I'm a lousy cook.  There is an endless world of possibility out there, too much to put into words.  What's stopping any of us from going and getting it is strictly a belief that it cannot be obtained.  Which is simply not the truth.                                                                                             

"Everyman put theres pants on one leg at a time."   

Day 71 of 365

Nothing wakes me feel more alive than cold water.  It's a rush I am addicted to and while I am traveling in the colder months I always make it a point to jump into freezing cold water.  A swift reminder that I am more than alive.  Today I walked around my neighborhood and felt the cold again, it felt good but it's a sting that reminds me how easily we take summer for granted, how easily we take life for granted.  Today was a good day.  Stay positive, Winter isn't the end of the world it's a time to celebrate with family and friends, and to remember the warmer months when things are easier.  

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Day 70 of 365

Last week my film camera broke.  Not the biggest deal in the world as cheap film cameras aren't hard to come by but none the less I have been enjoying shooting film again.  I don't worry about taking the shot like I used too with film.  I think making mistakes is a huge part of anything but with film being expensive and developing your film even more expensive than the film itself it tends to make people tiptoe around pressing there shutter.  I used to do the same but I've grown into not giving a fuck with film or digital or with my cameras.  If I see a photo I take it if it sucks later on I'll scrap it and get back to the drawing board.  Cameras are made to be used until they break.  Yes you should take care of them because they are not cheap but it's a tool, like a mechanics wrench, it will get dropped it will get scratched unless you baby it.  If your babying your cameras your not really using them.  

On that note people ask me what camera I use all the time.  I primarily use a Canon 5dmiii but it depends what I want to shoot.  There is a camera for every job and if I don't have a top of the line camera I will shoot with anything.  Whether its a phone, a disposable camera, a Hasselblad or a Calculator if it makes pictures I will use it.  Don't let the camera be your excuse not to make awesome photos.

Day 69 of 365

I like over thinking things and other times I enjoy when my thoughts are shut off, something I find hard to achieve.  It's been my a blessing and a curse.  Feels like my brain's on Ferrari speed but my mouth's on turtle.  None the less I know it's why I fixate on beautiful things.  I am attracted to light.  A primitive obsession like children to holographic Pokemon cards, I had a killer Charzard card.  It was a beautiful card and today was a beautiful day, of simple pleasures. 

Day 68 of 365

Finding Paco a home. 

This weekend on my way home from the bar with a friend a beautiful little kitten came up to me and was very friendly.  It was obvious he was a stray and after a solid 5 minutes of petting him we decided to take him home give him a bath and feed him.  Come to find out the cats a girl but it was too late we already named her Paco.  That night the cat cuddled the shit out of both of us going back and forth between beds all night...the cats a whore she loveseverybody. JK she's a great kitten, her fur is super soft and she just loves attention and cuddling but unfortunately I am just finding out that I am allergic to cats and I travel way to much to be the parent of anything right now.  So with that I had to put her up on a few forums today to see if anyone would like to adopt her.  The response has been awesome there's quite a few people that want her and quite a few people that want me to take her to the Vet first.  Either way I am having fun with her in the mean time besides the dry throat, scratchy eyes part.  

Here's a picture of Paco.  =)) 

Day 67 of 365

For too long I have been away from nature and what I would consider my workflow.  Waking up before the sunrises to the sent of coffee and reading for a good 20 minutes while I eat some toast and eggs.  Some times I won't read a lick instead I put some music on and get to work.  In these times I let the music inspire the days photos.  I miss the refreshing sent of falling leaves and a cold brisk air easing into my breath.  Most mornings lead me to water, it's where I prefer to shoot, and long trails are where I prefer to think.  I like finding hidden oasis's for me to write and set up shop, particularly a place to build a fire, an obsession I've had since I was a boy.  A primal obsession.  Now I don't care much for cities but there is good here too, the best people you'll ever meet and some of the worst.  There are creatives pushing boundaries in all fields, and flavors from all 7 continents in a 3 block radius.  The city ain't so bad but I know where my home is.  

Day 66 of 365 Election Day

There's been a lot of drama today surrounding the presidential election.  Rightfully so it is a prolific presidential race with 2 major candidates that have very opposing view points with grossly similar lifestyles.  None the less there hasn't been much to choose from which leads me to my next point.  How do we even the presidential playing field to lesser known candidates?  The presidential election shouldn't rely solely on the individual candidates money.  I think a huge part of it comes down to Marketing budgets and relationships.  I see a "Make America Great Again" hat every single day and for a few days now Hillary Clinton has had her own snap chat filters...YES SNAP CHAT FILTERS.  For those who don't know what this is I will attach a photo below, but damn I was so impressed by this genius marketing move when I saw it.  So to whoever is working on her marketing team that put this together I admire your work.  Just goes to show that in 2016 anything is possible, if Hillary is marketing on snapchat whats to say you can't make a living off of making snap chat filters...which I bet there is somebody doing that exact job right now.  With that being said I have 2 things to close on number 1 being nurture your dreams no matter how stupid they seem at first if your passionate about it do it relentlessly because it may turn into something more.  Number 2 its election day and although I did not vote I still love America, I love that I grew up here I love that I have the freedom to chose whatever I want.  If I wanna fill my pants with poptarts I can do that...and that feels good because fuck I could have been born in a mud hut in Saudi Arabia where they cut your hands off for stealing a loaf of bread.  So whatever your choice was today I don't care just realize that we have it made in America, this is the land of opportunity and I fucking love it.  

Day 63 of 365

Stoked to be working with an amazing new company with an even more powerful message.  As simple as it gets The Feel Good labs intention is to make people feel good.  Ryan one of the co-owners approached me with a mutual friend and after being introduced we casually spoke and he listened to me describe my work and what drives me to create.  During our conversation Ryan's optimism and passion for his product totally radiated to everyone in the room and I left that day feeling inspired as ever.  The first product they have is called you plus relief and with out getting too in depth it is a Muscle and Joint rub with 30 all natural ingredients that took his father a Pharmacist 30 years to perfect....and yes it works damn good.  With out giving too much away I am teaming up with The Feel Good Lab for the entire month of November to create content for their website and Social accounts.  I am very excited to tackle this project because The Feel Good Lab's message of optimism couldn't align more perfectly with my own philosophies. 

 

If you wanna check out what their about here is their website CLICK HERE and if you want to try it out for yourself I talked the guys into doing an amazon promo code 30% off for any of my followers.  

Just use the Promo Code :  LIFIMXPM Click Here

 

Day 62 of 365

MONDAY 

There are not many things that make me as happy as being up before the sunrise and after a weekend of sleeping in it feels damn good to be up and productive at 5:30am.  There are benefits in waking up early and even more benefits in discomfort.

Below are photos I have taken all around 6-8 in the morning.   

 

Late Nights Early Mornings

For everyone that says to me how fun my job/life is and I am using job loosely because my job and my life are one in the same.  There is a lot you don't see.  You don't see all the manual labor I've done to afford to live as a freelance photographer.  You also don't see how often I am up till 2am and up before the sunrise and how I haven't had cable in 4 years because it's a distraction.  I don't take vacations I travel to work, often unpaid.  My family and creating work that I don't puke over is all that means anything to me.  I am trying to produce visual stories and it's not all cake, parties, and free travel like everyone thinks.  It's hard work and I wouldn't have it any other way because for people my age or those who don't have serious obligations who say they want it flat out they just don't otherwise they'd be doing it.  For the tons of people trying to live out their creative lives whether it be music, photography, dance, filmmaker, or making your own business you know exactly what this is like and it's fucking awesome but please please don't tell me my job is easy or that you wish you had my life because if you wanted to you would.  

 

Late night Studio Session with @SaintSamoht