London Sights 2

February 2, 2015

I had ambitious goals to visit every sight, and every museum. But London is big, and a week is a surprisingly short time. So, as the week was quickly zipping past, only one last sight was kept on the list. On my last full day in London, I woke up early and high-tailed it to the infamous Tower of London.

One of the things I love most about London is the perfect mixture of the old and the new. The Tower of London is a perfect example of that. With the first part of the structure built in 1078, it's remarkable that this compound still exists right in middle of modern London.

I arrived before any lines had formed, bought a ticket and a tour book and set off to venture the site on my own. One of the main attractions (and the main reason I wanted to visit the Tower) is the Crown Jewels. That was my first stop, no cameras allowed.

The Tower of London served as a castle, a keep, a prison, and a symbol of intimidation against the enemies of England. From the central White Tower, to the Bloody Tower which hosted prisoners, torture, and executions, I explored the rest of the grounds. Walking along the outer wall, I imagined myself with a bow and arrow shooting oncoming hoards as they tried to cross the large surround moat.

It was a perfect morning, and I was able to see everything quickly without the mid-day tourist crowds gumming up the works. I'd like to go back and take a full tour with one of the Tower's iconic Yeoman, maybe on my next visit to London. I made sure to stop by the neighboring (and probably most iconic of iconic London sites) the Tower Bridge, often mistaken for the "London Bridge."

From there it was time for another photo shoot, so I zipped back to my hotel. And for my last night in London, I joined my new group of friends for drinks and a night out bar-hopping in Soho.

London Sights 1

February 1, 2015

After the work was all done and out of the way, it was time to see some more of the sights of London... and I had quite the list I wanted to tackle. It was time to board a bus and be on my way to Trafalgar Square.

Trafalgar Square is a large open space in the center of London situated right in front of the National Gallery. With large fountains, sculptures and four large recognizable lion statues, the square is a well known tourist attraction. One of the large plinths hosts modern art that changes periodically and currently is home to a giant blue rooster.

Next I was off to Hamley's Toy Store, an iconic five floors stuffed with every toy imaginable. The store has been a part of London history since William Hamley opened his first store in 1760. The current store is enormous, and the perfect place to buy a special little something for one's nieces and nephews should you have them.

More busses, and much more walking found me in front of the London home of the royal family, Buckingham Palace. The palace was beautiful, guarded by large gilded rod-iron gates. With the cold weather, however, I was disappointed to see the royal guard's iconic red uniform covered by a drab gray coat.

There was time for one last sight before my evening plans. And I had my priority in mind... Platform 9 and 3/4 at King's Cross Station. To be honest, it's a photo spot with a trolly permanently attached to a random brick wall near platforms 9 and 10 with a theme park style line and photographer ready to sell you a photo print of your magical entrance into the Harry Potter world. But it was a fun must see for a Potter fan like myself. And the small old-world Potter style shop tucked in the corner was nice to visit as well. I made sure to pick up a couple exclusive items that can only be purchased there at Platform 9 3/4, passed on my professional photo print, but made sure to get a couple nice snaps on my phone.

From there it was back to my hotel to shower and head out for an evening with my new London boys. With soar feet and aching legs, dinner and a pint of cider in the local gay-pub was a pleasant end to the evening.

Night Out in London

January 30, 2015

After wrapping our shoot yesterday, I headed back to my hotel. Everyone was exhausted, but I wasn't ready to give up or throw in the towel for the day. My second wind hit and it was time to explore. I did a little research and set my sights on dinner at a place called the Flat Iron.

Call it intuition or call it luck... but this was an amazing choice. Not only was it located in an extremely cool area of Soho London, with alley ways and narrow streets that conjure up visions of Harry Potter's Diagon Alley, but the food was incredible!

The menu is simple. Do you want a flat iron steak, or do you want a flat iron steak? You get a choice of sides and sauces, but the menu is kept simple and I love that. Seating is family style, and the space is cramped, although delightful in it's rustic decorations.

I was sat with a group of friends who had already begun their meal. A distractingly cute server sat down next to me to deliver a tin cup of delicious popcorn and discuss my choices. I placed my order and the food was at my table in record time. And did I mention it was incredible?

I filled myself up on flat iron steak, fries, kale salad, more tasty popcorn and enjoyed a cider. The theme of the restaurant was so focused without being overdone. Even the knife was a miniature meat cleaver. Overall, a VERY well done experience. I hope to get back there again someday.

After dinner, I spent some time bar hopping in the gayborhood of Soho, where most of the gay bars are located in London. There are no pictures of this part of my evening, sorry.

I've been very proud to have ONLY traveled by public transit during my whole trip so far...and around 1 in the morning, I boarded one of the iconic double-decker red busses and headed back to my hotel, a belly full of happy food, happy drink, and a happy evening out exploring on my own.

Studio: Garçon Model

January 30, 2015

So, as you may know, my trip to London was nearly a disaster when our model backed out last minute. But thanks to a connection the brand had with a local model, the shoot and the trip were saved!

The morning of our shoot, I grabbed a coffee in a cute little cafe next to Big Ben, and headed off to the studio.

The studio's location was quite a distance from my hotel. So, I was forced to brave the morning rush-hour of the London Underground as I boarded the crowded tube with a camera case, a giant bag of underwear and a duffle full of essentials. Needless to say, the morning commuters weren't pleased with me.

Luckily it was a straight shot, no messy transfers to worry about. After about 35 minutes of travel, I was quite proud of myself as I arrived at the studio on time to the minute! This gave me an hour to set up before the model was to arrive.

The shoot went extremely well. I was very happy with the new model, both in looks and in his level of professionalism. Not to mention he was just a very pleasant guy to be around, happy, energetic and funny.

The shoot began with some equipment troubles as two lights in a row dropped dead on me. But after that problem was solved, the shoot went on without a hitch. It was a great day in the studio, and I'm very happy with the results. Let's hope the client is too! Even though we lost a "celebrity" I think we gained a much better looking guy, and certainly a nicer and more deserving one!

Here's a few behind the scenes pics from our time in the studio.

Fish and Chips

January 29, 2015

Day two in London got off to a slow start, and stayed pretty low key throughout. To kick off the day, I found a local coffee shop, ordered my standard international coffee choice, a flat white, and caught up on some emails.

For lunch, I was determined, no matter how stereotypical it sounded, to have some Fish & Chips at a local pub. This was surprisingly hard to accomplish. Not because a pub that serves the dish was hard to find, quite the opposite. Searching online, I found so many options I was completely overwhelmed with choice.

Do I visit the Rose & Crown, The Two Chairmen, the Lamb & Flag? Ultimately I took a stab in the dark and found myself at the Two Chairmen.

With a stomach full of delicious Strawberry Lime Cider (my new favorite), fried fish and french fries, it was time to meet my local friend Luka. We had planned to go and visit the studio for our photo shoot and get a good look at it to help us prepare. We met up at Piccadilly again (it's a good central location) and this time I made sure to snap some pictures.

Afterwards, Luka took us to a great area of London that I never would have known about called Camden Town. Unfortunately we got there a little late and most of the shops and the large market he wanted me to see were closed for the day. It's on my list to revisit later this week. We did, however, get to eat at his favorite vegan restaurant in London...and it was actually quite good.

And that's all! Not too exciting, but I've still got lots of time here in the Queen's Country.

London Day 1 - Part Two

January 27, 2015

The day is saved. The trip is saved... And London is bloody Brilliant!

I got to my hotel, settled in, took a much needed shower (even the most perfect among us can start to emit unfriendly odors after 24 straight hours of traveling) and took a moment to regroup. Within a couple short hours, my client had secured a new model (much hotter than our previous "celebrity" if I may say so) and the shoot was back on the schedule. I felt the huge weight on my chest become just a little lighter.

With things starting to work themselves out, I knew it was time to get out of the room before the early sunset and see some of the sights near my hotel. It just so happens that those sights are some of the most iconic in London.

A short five minute walk and I was face to face with Big Ben himself. Westminster is a gorgeous area, and Westminster Abbey is stunningly massive and beautiful. And then there was the Westminster bridge, the London Eye, and County Hall. I didn't ride the Eye this time, that will be later this week.

It may have been cold and cloudy, but the weather made for some stunning snapshots of the sites. And of course, I had to stop and get my obligatory foreign-country-Big-Mac, which I have lovingly nicknamed the Big Ben Mac this time around.

After my mini-tour of the nearest attractions, and as it was starting to get dark, it was time to meet up with the videographer for this weeks shoot, Luka. We have been in touch for weeks now in the planning process of my visit, and it was great to put a face to a name... (and a very nice face indeed). He has been exceptionally friendly and helpful in all of my planning and is gracious enough to be my tour guide here in London.

We met in Piccadilly Circus in London's West End. The Circus, or "circle", could be compared to New York City's Time Square, with shops, flashing billboards, crowds of people, and all of the theaters. But we were quickly off to SoHo, London's gay district, for a coffee. I'm sure I'll have to make it back for a better exploration of Piccadilly before my trip's end, particularly since I didn't get any pictures.

Luka and I enjoyed a little caffeine, followed by a little alcohol, and lots of creative brainstorming for the shoot later this week. He's a talented videographer and I'm excited to work with him. I'm looking forward to what we can create together. But we decided to call it an early night since we have a lot more work and sight-seeing ahead of us.

And while I am writing this at one o'clock in the morning, and am feeling pretty wide awake, I am going to force myself to get some sleep. So, I'll say goodnight from a rescued day one here in London.

London Day 1 - Rough Start

January 27, 2015

Extreme blizzard conditions, mind-numbingly long delays, and a complete disaster of epic proportions. Let's be clear that I am not using hyperbole here to describe my last 24 hours of travel.

The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.

We've all heard the line, but so clear was it's application in my life during this last day that I feel lower than even the lowest of mice right now. The goal was simple, fly to London for a photo shoot with a sexy male "celebrity." But that's where it all fell apart.

When the "celebrity" for which you are flying halfway across the world to shoot backs out on you and you're sitting on a plane that's about to cross an ocean but that can't back away from the terminal gate because the tug that's pushing it can't get traction on the icy surface of the tarmac... you start to wonder. You wonder as the tug pushes and pushes and the giant plane rocks back and forth and doesn't budge. You wonder and imagine the little engine that could, spinning its wheels on the slick glassy ground.

I think I can, I think I can. You tell yourself.

But then you remember that you don't have a model to shoot. You remember that you have an extremely angry client that blames you for the debacle. You remember that you're about to spend the next seven hours completely cut off from the world with no way to solve any of your problems and that even when you land it will be so early that nothing can be done for hours after.

And so, you put your phone into airplane mode, turn on some Stephen Sondheim and make the most of the stale overcooked meal that spent too long in the warming drawer during the hours of tugging and pushing and scraping and sand-dumping that had to take place before the plane could finally leave the gate (not to mention the additional tug with snow-chained wheels that was brought over built for a plane twice the size).

So, here I am. In merry ol' London. I made it! And that's the happiest part of the story. I've got a basket full of questions and no answers. But I'm here and I think I can still salvage something from this trip, or at least...

I think I can, I think I can.

Bondi to Bronte

April 11, 2014

On my last day in Sydney, Australia, I woke up to a beautiful blessing. Outside, for the first time since I arrived, the sun was shining and the sky was bright blue! It didn't take long to put a plan in action, shower, eat, put on some shorts and a pair of sneakers and head downstairs to hail a cab. 20 minutes later (and after my cabbie was nearly ticketed by a motorcycle cop for not wearing his seatbelt), I was at Bondi beach.

The famous beach was everything one would expect to see there in Australia. The sand was soft and white and the water was gloriously blue. But I had been informed that it was the hike from Bondi beach to Bronte beach that was really the site to see. The cabbie had been kind enough to tell me I had chosen well by wearing sneakers for this excursion, and he was very right.

The hike consisted of a curving path up and down steep stairs, around and into the rocky shoreline and along tall ocean cliffs. In a word, it was stunning. I stopped for a bottle of water at a beachside cafe at Tamarama Beach, a smaller cove and the halfway point between the other two beaches. I finished the hike to Bronte, dipped my toes into the ocean, enjoyed watching the surfers for a bit and then took my time hiking back.

I had lunch and finished up the last of my gift shopping in the shops along Bondi Beach. I was nearly attacked while eating frozen yogurt by a particularly bold one-legged seagull who clearly had nothing left to lose (see his menacing picture in the gallery below). It was a perfect morning with perfect weather, and it was just as I was getting into a cab back to my hotel that the darker clouds started to roll in. It was truly a blessing to have this amazing experience on my last day in Sydney.

Day Out in Sydney

April 10, 2014

The predictions of nicer weather for my two days off here in Sydney were rather exaggerated. I woke up to another day of rain, but that was not going to stop this guy from setting off to explore. I originally had three goals for my first free day: a new tattoo, visiting Sydney Harbor in the daylight and checking out Bondi Beach. With the weather what is was, I crossed Bondi off my list, packed a bag of essentials and headed out. My first stop was Mischief Moon Tattoo Studio, a recommendation from one of the guys who worked at the studio where we shot this week. They gladly fit me in and my wrist was sporting my new ink within an hour. The paper airplane represents my wanderlust (which I can assure you has been dramatically rekindled on this trip).

Wanderlust (noun); a strong desire for or impulse to wander or travel and explore the world.

After I was properly inked, it was time to set out on foot to explore, rain or shine. I headed towards the Botanical Gardens, passing endless beautiful buildings, from the simple colonial terraced homes that are everywhere here in Sydney, to St. Mary's Cathedral and a lot of government buildings with questionable function.

With soaked feet, I arrived at the Sydney Botanical Gardens. This large, lush garden is an unexpected gem in the middle of a crowded metropolis. I wandered about for a bit, being sure to smell some roses and ogle at some stone statue's impossible hind-quarters.

I was told if I walked through the gardens I would end at the Sydney Opera House, and sure enough I exited the greenery to the beautiful site of that strange and iconic symbol of the city rising in front of me. Now in the daylight, I was able to get up close and personal to it. I asked some strangers to take some obligatory images of myself there on the steps (not included in today's post).

I was happy to be able to see the harbor during the day. As gorgeous as it was the other night, it was equally as stunning in the light. I got a little souvenir gift shopping in for the family there in some of the harbor gift shops. Then, I took a moment, had a seat and stared out at the harbor really taking in the fact of where I was... on the entire other side of the world from home! It was a pretty awesome moment.

Nomad

April 9, 2014

So far on my trip to Australia, I have seen mostly the inside of a (very nice) studio and the inside of restaurants. Luckily, thanks to the brilliant team from Cocksox Underwear that brought me down under, the restaurants have been amazing! Last night's dinner was no exception.

Walking into Nomad, I was stunned that a restaurant could be this cool. The open-concept space was beautifully designed, with someone clearly paying attention to the details. Our server even boasted as he poured, that the red-wine glasses were specifically designed by a local artisan and crafted in Italy. The tapas style menu was designed around old cooking methods, such as the pickling of their own vegetables and curing of their own meats.

At Nomad we’re fortunate enough to work with some of the most passionate farmers and purveyors one can find here or elsewhere. They give us raw materials that are handmade and grown naturally, with patience, and, where possible, locally. We’re always looking for new ideas and produce to share with you, so our menu is constantly changing and evolving. Our cooking however is rooted in the past with methods such as pickling, curing, smoking, fermenting and drying all elevated and celebrated.

We ordered more than our stomach's could hold. We obviously had to try the pickles and olives and the cured meat charcuterie for which they are famous. Our waiter got a little behind and was only able to mention after I had eaten it that one of the meats of the night was, in fact, wallaby! Bread with black-salt butter from an underwater volcano. Lamb with an amazing yogurt sauce. The longest single coil of charizo sausage I've ever seen. And one of my favorite dishes of the night, the goat cheese churros.

The ladies couldn't keep up on the wine and forced me to finish off the bottle of Thick as Thieves, a local pinot noir... even after spilling some of it all over one my two gracious hostesses! It was an amazing restaurant, each dish more delicious than the last. I absolutely love eating tapas style, experiencing so many more and varied flavors. It was the perfect ending after a second, incredibly long day of shooting in the studio.

Dinner at Sydney Harbor

April 8, 2014

After a very long, back-breaking first day in the studio here in Sydney, it was time for a quick nap. The reliance on copious amounts of caffeine was finally catching up with me, but that wasn't going to stop me from making our dinner reservations at Cafe Sydney in the world-famous Sydney Harbor.

A short, lovely evening walk to a nearby train station and two stops down the line, I walked out into Circular Quay and was greeted by the iconic Sydney Harbor Bridge rising above the ferry boats bobbing in the wharf. The ladies of Cocksox had chosen the perfect location for our first dinner together. Cafe Sydney was not only a perfectly gorgeous and significantly delicious restaurant, but rising five stories above the wharf, it also had an amazing view of the entire harbor. I nabbed an image off their website to show you just how beautiful the restaurant was. We had a perfect table on the outdoor terrace.

I enjoyed an amazing local goat cheese starter and a peppered beef tenderloin with mushrooms and bone marrow for my main course. I had another local New South Whales cider with dinner and a decadent raspberry and coconut dessert. The entire meal, the phenomenal setting and the friendly company were a perfect combination.

We had a little time after dinner to walk down to what is surely the single most recognizable landmark of Sydney, the Opera House. It was as gorgeous as you would expect and I look forward to visiting again in the daylight. Then it was back to the hotel to call it a night and rest up for another full day in the studio.

Studio: Cocksox

April 7, 2014

Today the real work here in Sydney got underway. I had the day yesterday to adjust and had to hit the ground running today for a full 9-hour-day's shoot for Australian men's underwear brand, Cocksox. I have this awesome company to thank for this trip down under and today we began what will be three days in the studio shooting over 180 products for their site redesign launching soon.

It was an early morning and a quick breakfast in the hotel lobby before heading to Hatch Productions Studio, a space immensely and immeasurably larger than my studio back home. Working in the kind of space and equipment this studio provided was not only fun, but affirming as a professional photographer.

We got to work setting up what has become my standard three-light layout for a catalog shoot. I used Elincrom strobes with a single large octabox as my key light and two strobes bounced off large white boards to fill the seamless white background. I'm still working with a Canon 7d (which I hope to upgrade soon) and a Canon 35mm F1.4L USM lens.

Our stunning model Chris Noffke (Chic Management) arrived and after hair and make-up we dove into the fray! One pair after another, we knocked out a full range of angles for each of 60 pieces. Chris was a pleasure to work with, laid back and charming (and of course not bad to look at for 9 hours straight). Back cramps and eye spasms aside, it was a pretty enjoyable shoot regardless of the repetitive nature of a catalog project. The entire team from Cocksox are so pleasant to be around and made the day go by much faster. Two more days of the same doesn't seem too daunting to handle with this great team of people and such a great model... but remind me I've said this about halfway through day three.

Rainy Day Tourist

April 6, 2014

On my first day in Sydney, it rained. And rained.... and rained. While still operating solely on the restless sleep of the 15-hour red-eye that got me there, there wasn't much to do other than tour the neighborhood surrounding my hotel. Honestly this excuse to lay low was welcome. Lucky for me, the Cambridge Hotel of Surry Hills in Sydney is located right in the city's gay district with plenty of cute shops and restaurants.

A lot of my first hours here in Australia have been spent relaxing and recuperating from travel in my very cute hotel room. I did spend some rain-soaked time wandering around, picking up groceries and visiting shops. I got to drop in on the flagship store and headquarters of the underwear brand Teamm8, a new partner we recently started working with at Underwear Nation.

I got out again after the sun had set to explore a little casual night life. During a little break in the rain, I wandered into a little placed called Mad Pizza to enjoy a delicious thin-crust pizza and a Sydney Brewery Cider. Then it was off to Stonewall for two beers and what was surely one of the worst drag shows I've ever witnessed!

Shopping, groceries, pizza, beer and drag shows. So far, Sydney feels just like home!

Passport Stamp

April 6, 2014

I love to travel… I hate to fly, but I love to travel. Unfortunately, the past five years had settled me into a routine that allowed for very little seeing-the-world. When I was younger and traveling the world as a dancer, I had a goal to step foot on every continent before I die. As of today I am one foot-step closer to that goal! I left Grand Rapids, Michigan at 4pm on Friday April 4th. After three flights and traveling into the future by crossing the international date line, I arrived in Sydney, Australia at 6:30 am, Sunday April 6th.

For anyone who has had the pleasure to work on a cruise ship, it’s a great way to see the world, but one thing you miss out on is the ever coveted passport stamp. I traveled to dozens of countries on four different continents and had not one single stamp in my passport. Sad, right?!

The image above was taken on the balcony of my hotel here in downtown Sydney, with the city at my doorstep. With this trip, not only can I put one more pin in my world-travel map, but I FINALLY have my very first passport stamp! I cannot express how exciting that is. And now, with my wanderlust restored, here’s hoping this is just the first of many new stamps in what will hopefully be a very well worn and well used passport.