structo #18

Thanks to Structo Magazine for doing a beautiful spread of my natural world photos in their most recent journal.  Here are the photos that were featured.  More of my take on the natural world here.

paint out pa

Still wading through images from last year.  Here was a super fun job I had photographing a painting retreat with Patricia Watwood in Pennsylvania.  She owns a beautiful piece of property there and has regular retreats where artists get to paint a live model during the day and eat and commune with each other in the evenings.  It's pretty rustic but there's a very nice composting toilet!

when harry met salami

That's the title I gave to my story about Harrison Manning and his Beacon sandwich shop this spring.  Nixed (probably wisely?) by the editor, below is what remained.  I loved this exercise in writing, but sticking to snapping pix for now.

Harrison Manning sounds older but looks younger than his quarter of a century. There is something sweetly collegiate about him and so his sordid academic story comes as a surprise: Pressured by his parents to enter college right after high school, Manning enrolled.  After three semesters, he boasted a GPA of .79. His failure wasn’t due to laziness as much as his desire to be out in the world working, so he put down his books and took a job as a barista. He had worked at a local Sonic during high school and he felt really comfortable in the world of simple, fast food.

“I really loved working in a fast-food kitchen,” says Manning. “I always knew I wanted to have my own space ... run my own thing, be the local spot.” A serendipitous vacancy down the street from where he worked offered Manning a location for what would become Harry’s Hot Sandwiches. 

The atmosphere at Harry’s is lovingly uncared for and the offerings reflect both his fast-food inspiration and the rudimentary kitchen in the back. Manning says the attitude toward building out the space was, “Let’s see how far we can go without doing anything.” Many of the dishes boast a bit of South American flair brought in by his chef, Carlos Laguna-Driscoll, whose mother is Bolivian. Initially, the menu was more driven by traditional Bolivian food, but Manning felt they were missing the mark . “We had to find the balance between what was new and exciting and what was accessible,” he explained. 

The result is truly a treat (who can resist trying the “Decent Chicken Sandwich”?). The foundation of each sandwich is simple—say, pulled pork—but it’s dressed up with pickled carrots, sliced jalapeños and cilantro.  The Calentado is not a sandwich at all: black beans and rice, homemade arepas, chorizo, grilled plantain, eggs and half an avocado make for a decadent meal.

What’s next for Harrison Manning? He’s decided college might not be out of the question so he’s enrolled in a class for the fall, but he’s also considering opening another Harry’s. Having just celebrated the second anniversary of Harry’s Hot Sandwiches, that’s the one thing that feels solid for now. 

And if sandwiches aren't your thing, here's another little story I wrote about a local flower farmer, Diana Mae:  http://ediblehudsonvalley.ediblecommunities.com/food-thought/diana-mae-grows-good-idea

day in pokip

I had a really fun day shooting for the New York Times in Poughkeepsie last weekend...

View from the Walkway over the Hudson

A mural off of Broadway

Craft beer served with easter inspired nails at Mill House Brewing Company

The crew at Belly's Carwash

Wreaths decorate a fence off Broadway

Guy I met while trying to locate the wreath artist

Kathy Dudley and her dog, Othello.

Anthony and Amanda share a kiss before fishing.

Sean Murphy tears it up at the skate park.

Justin, Donavyn and Christian take it easy under the Walkway.

almost drowning with daniel handler then watching him play dead

I make no secret of the fact that I love to swim, so last month when my friend, Daniel Handler, contacted me to schedule a shoot, and the location options were slushy NYC or potentially sunny SF, where I could see his lovely wife and son, meet his new dog and swim in the Bay him, I did not hesitate to choose the latter.  Daniel is also a big fan of swimming and we'd been talking about me joining him for this for a couple of years.  Even though it's been a real winter in SF (meaning lots of rain), we lucked out with an incredibly beautiful, sunshiny morning for our swim date.  As we jumped into the water, Daniel remarked that it was a little colder than usual but honestly, it was so cold that I was immediately numb and so I am not sure how he could have noticed a degree or 2 difference. Cold aside, the water was fantastic and I felt so happy to be there.

We swam out of a protected area and into the bay proper to fully take in the scene - the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz - it was a spectacular point of view.  In my overconfidence, I even took a moment to scoff at the people who decided that Alcatraz would be the most secure prison in the world because of the treacherous water surrounding it.  

And that's pretty much when things went south.  We turned around to re-enter the cove where we had begun the swim and I realized I could not make any progress back through the currents.  I tried for a bit but, with the ice-cold water, it was impossible to catch my breath and swim harder.  I looked at Daniel, cried uncle, and we flagged down a boat (which, in my defense, was filled with other swimmers who had also decided they could not fight the water any longer).

I like to think that if there were no boats around to rescue me I would have managed, and that it was knowing I had a full day of shooting ahead and did not want to destroy myself before 9AM that made me call out for help but honestly, I don't know.  In any case, my deep respect for the ocean renewed, I retreat for now, hoping that Daniel will be willing to risk letting me join him again sometime.

The shoot was super fun!  It was Daniel as himself, Daniel as Lemony Snicket (playing dead) and Daniel with his lovely and super-talented wife, Lisa Brown.

Here are some photos from our shoot that I am so happy to have lived to experience!