Bluejake

Israel
Karen's grandma was turning 80 this month, so we decided to go over to Israel as a family. It was a great trip- we were mainly based in Tel Aviv, but we made some day trips up to Haifa and Jerusalem. People seemed pretty optimistic about the future- it has been a rough four years since the last time we visited, but I got the sense that people felt things had turned a corner. Regardless, I've come to love Israel very much, and I look forward to another visit in a couple of years.

December 2004

Movable Hype
Jen Carlson and the Gothamist Arts and Events staff organized a great show last night at the Knitting Factory. Jen has all the details and relevant thank-yous for the events back at Gothamist, so I will confine my remarks to speaking about the photographs above. Some have accused me of specifically trying to take pictures that make people look weird. Quite the contrary: I believe my pictures capture the inner-beauty of each subject. The weirdness comes from the subject themselves- that's the face they were born with!

November 2004

Below Delancey
The four major branches of my family arrived in New York City around the turn of the century, and most likely, many of them lived below Delancey Street on the Lower East Side. By the early 1910s, most of them had already emigrated to better neighborhoods up North- my Grandma Betty was born in the East 80s, and my Grandpa Ed was born in Washington Heights. By the 1930s my relatives had reached the Bronx. So by the time I moved to Orchard Street in January 2000, my family had been away from the Lower East Side for about 90 years. It's funny, then, how much I felt at home.

November 2004

Chicago
When I visited Chicagoland in March, the Millennium Park was still being built. A bunch of my Chicago friends visited the park over the summer and took great pictures- especially of Anish Kapoor's Cloud Gate sculpture, so I was really looking forward to getting a look at the place in person. I got to the park in the late afternoon, which turned out to be a good time to capture the scene- the blue sky was perfectly reflected in the sculpture, and the rest of the park was illuminated by wonderful orange light.

November 2004

Lower East Side
Back in 1995, J0sh used to drag me down to the Ludlow Street Bar. At the time, it felt like walking off the edge of the Earth- I literally had no idea where in Manhattan we were. There were probably a few other bars down on Ludlow at the time, but it seemed desolate and isolated. A couple of years later, I went to Meet Welcome to the Johnson's for the first time- it's on Rivington and Essex. We took a cab, and once again I had no idea where the hell we were. It wasn't until 2000, when I moved in with Mike on Orchard and Broome, that I finally explored the neighborhood and got the geography straight in my head.

October 2004

DUMBO
Back in the late 1980s, there was a restaurant in DUMBO called The Lighthouse- or something similar. It was right at the foot of Main Street, under the Manhattan Bridge. The Lighthouse was a popular place to have Bar and Bat Mitzvah receptions, so in 1989 I was probably there nine or ten times. Each and every time, we'd get hopped up on Bar Mitzvah food, shirley temples, and helium, and go out and explore the streets around the restaurant. In those days it was pretty barren- all shuttered-up warehouses and untended lots. I was thirteen, approximately- I never could have guessed how much that little area would change in fifteen years.

October 2004

D28th Birthday
So in about 8 minutes I'm going to be 28 years old. How do I feel? Ambivalent, as always. I should get that word tattooed on my chest in faux-Tupac gothic lettering. On the one hand, this has been an amazing year- I got 50% of a graduate degree, got married to a real sweet girl, and did some fresh stuff with photography and internet-projects. I might have even gained some insight into myself. On the other hand, I'm 28 years old, and what have I accomplished? Anyway- thank god for the consolation of my wonderful friends- especially the ones that turned out for drinks on Saturday night!

October 2004

Republican National Convention
I got back on the Monday of the Republican National Convention, so I missed the big protest the day before. Still, I found plenty of stuff to shoot over the next few days- including the gatherings at Union Square, police and protestors up by the Library and Herald Square, the Unemployment Line Protest, and the Axis-of-Eve panty protest down in Battery Park City. I don't agree with the protestors on every issue, and I don't disagree with George W. Bush on every issue, but that's really beside the point.

August 2004

Big Island of Hawaii
By the time we got to the Big Island, we were pretty tired. You know, a couple of weeks of action leading up to the wedding, then a couple of weeks of honeymoon afterwards- it can be kind of exhausting. We had planned to take a spin around the island- down to the Volcano, at least- but it didn't work out that way. Instead, we spent four days luxuriating at the Four Seasons, and hanging out with each other, which turned out to be a perfect way to end the honeymoon.

August 2004

Kauai
Kauai, like Maui, was more developed that I expected, but beautiful nonetheless. We were staying down in Poi'pu, which is in the Southwest part of the island. One day we drove up to the Canyon, which really was spectacular- like the Grand Canyon crossed with a rainforest. Another day we drove all the way up to the end of the road somewhere past Hanalai Bay. The island is lush- and the weather is amazingly changeable- one minute, perfect blue skies- another, pouring rain. Unchangeable, however, was the constant presence of wild chickens. They even outnumbered the busloads of fat Americans, waddling up to the waterfalls.

August 2004

Maui
I liked Maui- we were staying down in Wailea. About five miles past the hotel, the road dead ends at La Perouse Bay- picture lots of black lava and an endless stretch of empty beach. I loved it down there. We toured the rest of the island too- to Lahaina and around the top of West Maui, to Hana and around the bottom of the island. Maui felt like Malibu crossed with Key West- populated, American, but still strikingly beautiful. I hope we will get to go back.

August 2004

Wedding
Karen and I got married at the Four Seasons Hotel in Los Angeles on August 14th, 2004. The wedding was perfect in every way- great weather, beautiful ceremony, wonderful friends and family around us. I had an amazing time- it was definitely the happiest day of my life. There are about 1800 pictures from that day available at our wedding website- both snapshots and professional photographs.

August 2004

East Village
There is a point, walking east on any block in the East Village, where the gentrification ends. That is, in all my wandering these last two weeks, I never discovered a street where the yuppies had made it all the way to Avenue D. On some blocks, they had come close- five or ten buildings were all that remained of the old Alphabet City. Still- I found a certain grim satisfaction in charting the high water mark- "that place where the wave finally broke and rolled back." Most likely, five years from now, the projects will be filled with Columbia graduates, and all the bodegas will be selling fresh sushi. But not now.

July 2004

Williamsburg
I steered my bike into Brooklyn intending to shoot the banks of the Newtown Creek- but on the way I got waylaid in Williamsburg. I was shocked- literally shocked- by the sheer number of beautiful industrial scenes at the East and West edges of the neighborhood. Totally abandoned streets, beautiful graffiti, buildings so simple that they seem to collapse into simpler forms. Williamsburg has got it all.

July 2004

Tribeca
These pictures of Tribeca came out okay- not my best work, but not my worst either. I stuck mostly to the alleys- Staple Street, Collister Street, Franklin Place, and the St. Johns Lane/York Street complex. That made it easier to avoid headlights and streetlights, but put me in the awkward position of photographing walls from less than 10 feet away. Ideally, I like to work about 25 feet from the subject, which gives you a better sense of place.

July 2004

Gothamist Happy Hour 3
Originally we were planning on doing a party in honor of the 100th interview on Gothamist, but then the writer of the section quit. Then we were going to do a joint party with Gawker, but our former interviewer decided he didn't want to do his interview there either, so that party fell through. Finally I said to hell with it, and took out $500 from our advertising account, bought drink tickets, and invited everyone we knew out to the Magician on Rivington. It turned out to be a great party- the drinks kept flowing long after our money ran out, and everyone seemed to have a nice time. Bloggers rock.

July 2004

Bachelor Party in South Beach
This was quite simply the best bachelor party that has ever taken place in America. It raged for two days in South Beach, and encompassed a wide range of activities. We ate at the best restaurants, swam at the best pools and beaches, and went out to the best clubs. We got slapped around by the best breast implants, and drank the best pina coladas. We slept in the best hotel rooms, and hung out with the best friends a guy could have. So that's about all I have to say about that. Of course, the best pictures have been permenantly redacted.

June 2004

Prospect Park
Prospect Park has a split personality. On the west side of the park, you find the well kept Long Meadow and the ball fields and the bandshell, but as you move east, you find yourself in spooky, impenetrable woods. The sounds of tribal drums float through the trees, and it's impossibly dark. Eventually you see some light floating through the trees, and stumble out on the bridge across from the old Boat House. Nearby there are hundreds of Caribbean BBQs going on alongside the great lake. As you follow the lake back towards Park Slope, the sounds of shouting and laughter recede, and once again it's peaceful- nothing but the sounds of birds and the wind blowing through the reeds.

June 2004

Gowanus
Mike and I went down to the Gowanus Canal last Thursday to make a definitive survey. We started at the north end, and made our way down the west side of the canal until we got to the docks in Red Hook. Afterwards, we doubled back and followed the east side of the canal until we got back to the beginning. Along the way, we met an assortment of characters, including crazed homeless people, 16 year-old St. Anne's graffiti artists, and Steve Buscemi.

May 2004

Scenes from the MBA
I took most of these pictures during the last month of my first year in the NYU Stern MBA program. Coming back to school turned out to be a great idea- I learned an great deal about business, economics, and management, and I met a surprisingly large number of attractive girls. The guys at the program also turned out to be pretty cool. As the summer starts, everyone seems to going their separate ways, off to internships and jobs and other countries. It's too bad- but there's always next year. I predict lots of karaoke.

May 2004

New York Bloggers
This was our second bloggers event at the Apple store in SoHo. We had a series of panels with bloggers talking about blogs. The event got off to a scintilating start with Jeff Jarvis, Nick Denton, and Jason Calacanis talking about the business of blogging. Then Anil Dash, Meg Hourihan, and Paul Ford discussed blog technology, RSS, and future happenings in personal content management. Finally, Felix Salmon ran a panel with Lockhart Steele, Jen Chung, and Choire Sicha talking about what it takes to edit a great NYC blog. A pretty amusing event, all around.

May 2004

California
The wedding is fast approaching, so K and I went out to Los Angeles to handle some of the final details. While we were there, I experienced a few LA firsts: first fake spray tan, first hike to the Hollywood sign, first trip to the new Disney symphony hall, first trip to Point Dume in Malibu. Celebrity sightings? Larry Flynt, in a gold plated wheel chair, at the Four Seasons restaurant, and Macaulay Culkin, standing outside a building on Wilshire.

April 2004

Passover
Passover has always been my favorite holiday. It's like a Jewish Thanksgiving- all the old Park Slope people come over to my parents house, and we do this whole insane left-wing seder. It's pretty much the same every year: Thuy and Jen run around helping my parents distribute the food, while I get dizzy on the couch drinking Kosher wine. Afterwards, we all moan about how full we are, and then jump on the F train back to the city. This year, Nick and Liya joined the fun. Best seder ever!

April 2004

Kinja
Nick always throws a good shindig, and the launch party for Kinja was no exception. To me, it was the perfect party population: programmers, writers, artists, editors, and bloggers. And bajesus- Nick's new loft is spectacular- windows on Spring and Crosby, a beautiful polished steel kitchen. Straight out of Architectural Digest. Eliot and his magic photography spoon were also on hand- his pictures are, as usual, top notch.

April 2004

Tilt-Shift
For months, I had been bothered by the converging lines in some of my architecture pictures. The effect was created when I tilted the camera up to get the top of the building. Basically it looked like the lines on the building were converging- undesireable. Sivan told me that if I got a Tilt/Shift Lens, I could correct the problem, so I rented one from Alkit. It worked as promised, and after shooting a few nights of tests, I bought the lens. Now I tend to use it almost exclusively for my night photography.

March 2004

Law & Order
I've only ever had two dreams for my life: to visit the set of Law & Order, and to eat brunch with the two Johns from They Might Be Giants. Dream number one came true yesterday, thanks to a very special friend of Gothamist. Jen and I were escorted on a wonderful behind the scenes tour of all the sets, including the forensic lab, the courtroom, and the police precinct. Afterwards, we got to watch Jerry Orbach, Jesse L. Martin, and S. Epatha Merkerson do a scene in Lt. Van Buren's office. As a special bonus, we got to take home a copy of the script, and a couple of other choice Law & Order souvenirs. Best day ever!

March 2004

Chicago
On the way from Seattle, I stopped in Chicago for a couple of days. I'm a big fan of modern architecture, so I really enjoyed seeing all the Mies Van Der Rohe buildings along the water, and visiting the top of the John Hancock and Sear's Tower buildings. The Art Institute was a fantastic museum- lots of great Monet, Serat, Picasso, and Magritte. The second night I was there, I met up with my pal Garth, who took me up to Wrigleyville to see the stadium, and then back to the Loop for a classic Chicago steak dinner.

March 2004

Seattle
Microsoft invited me out to Seattle to interview for an MBA summer internship. I was staying in Bellvue, which is suburb about 10 or 15 miles outside the city center, but after the interview was complete, I got to explore the city for about 36 hours. I love the mountains and the water- the city was simply one of the most beautiful I've even seen in America. The food was also great- I had a fantastic fish and chips at Ivar's on the water, and a great halibut sandwich at the Market Grill in Pike's Place Market. Sadly, I didn't get the internship, so I may not be back in Seattle for awhile.

March 2004

Jean-Georges Steakhouse
I love steak, so I was excited to get backstage at Jean-Georges Vongerichten's new steakhouse at the Time Warner Center. I was taking the pictures for Slammed, a glossy trade magazine devoted to the restaurant business. The interior of the restaurant was decorated in a very rich color scheme, with lots of gilt, velvet, and red tapestries. In contrast, the kitchen was filled with the most beautiful stainless steel equipment I've ever seen. The restaurant doesn't open for another month, and doesn't have an official name yet, but I'm definitely going to go for dinner when it opens to the public.

March 2004

New York Photobloggers
Last night's NYC Photobloggers Event at the Apple Store SoHo was a smashing success- more than a hundred people turned out to watch the presentations, and afterwards a whole bunch of us went to Merc Bar and had a great time. I'd like to thank all the photographers who participated: Rion, Mike, Clarsen, Laura, Khoi, Eliot, David, and Red. Everyone did a great job! And a special thanks to our technology presenters, Anil, Adam and Scott. They were very patient with us and did great demos of MovableType/TypePad and Fotolog.net with the limited time they were left at the end. Both platforms have been doing a great job of introducing new features that I know everyone will be using this year. Finally, I'd like to thank my cat, Thompson, who made my presentation a big hit!

February 2004

Coney Island
After the Death of the Q Diamond Party on Saturday night, Mike and I walked over to Coney Island from Brighton Beach. We spent some time under the elevated train tracks, and then made our way up towards the main drag, past the Cyclone, and eventually out on to the Boardwalk. Afterwards, we hit Nathan's for dinner. Looking back, I was surprised at how un-spooky the area was- even though it was completely deserted, and had a bit of the haunted carnival feel, I never felt scared.

February 2004

Death of the Q Diamond Party
Mike and I were going down to Coney Island to do some night shooting, and we thought the Death of the Q Diamond Party would be a great way to get there. Picture 300 or so ravers, train buffs, and hipsters stuffed into the last 2 cars of the last ever Q Diamond, partying all the way from Union Square to Brighton Beach. It felt like 1982- and I don't mean just the alcohol, vandalism, and marijuana smoke. By the time the train arrived at the beach, I was ready to collapse.

February 2004

The Pinup Show @ Jen Bekman Gallery
The Pin-up Show premiered last night, attracting a great big old LES crowd. Lots of great photos and photographers- but of course I'm partial to the contribution made by our home team: Laura Holder and Eliot Shepard. One of my pictures, of a manatee from the New York Acquarium, seemed to get a few smiles. The best part of the show was picking up ideas- composition styles, use of color, subjects, depth of field- and getting to talk to everyone about what they were working on.

February 2004

Columbia in Winter
I had a meeting up at Columbia on Wednesday, and afterwards I took some time to wander around campus by myself. More than five years had passed since I graduated from Columbia, and I was in a contemplative mood. After we graduated, I came back to campus a few times, but I always found the experience cold and a little bit depressing. I loved Columbia, but the Columbia campus doesn't love anyone- it just takes whoever comes along. Absent all the old faces, it just feels like any other place. I was also thinking of a college friend of mine who has been very ill this past year. In some ways, I think these pictures are dedicated to him.

February 2004

Dinner at Tao
Pete invited Jen and I out for dinner with Phillip Torrone, the polymath designer and creative genius behind flashenabled.com. Phillip was hilariously funny, and we spent the evening swapping stories, playing with the twenty or thirty gadgets he brought with him, and eating giant plates of sushi. The people at the other tables had no idea what to make of us- at one point, the Russian guys at the table next to us turned towards me and said "are you some kind of spies?"

February 2004

Chinatown Parade
I've said it before, I'll say it again, and I said it to the woman who interviewed me for Chinese National Television: "I love Chinatown, and I love the Chinese!" I also love Jen, because she got us into a very crowded Dim Sum Go Go for brunch, and I love the NYPD, who believed I was a member of the press and let me wander straight up the parade path. So there is lots of love today.

January 2004

Blogger Bash
Sure, you'd expect most bloggers to be total CHUDs, but not so. Each time I go out to a blogger gathering, I'm struck by the comelyness of the New York Blogger set. And not just the ladies- some of these gentlemen look quite distinguished. Things at this bash, organized by Frankenstein, went well- until AZ threw us out on the street and we had to go up to Siberia to finish things off. It's not that I hate Hell's Kitchen- but still!

January 2004

Bruce Davidson @ Hermes
I've always admired Bruce Davidson- ever since I first saw his 1959 Brooklyn Gang photos. So when Matt said he could get us into the Bruce Davidson Subway series opening at Hermes, we were crazy excited. And not without reason: lots of NYC celebrities, bloggers, and photographers were in the house. Oh, and Fab Five Freddy.

January 2004

NoHo
I'm slowly working my way through all the neighborhoods below 14th Street, always shooting at night. I expected January to be too cold for any real projects, but NoHo is a fairly small neighborhood and I got lucky with a few warm days. I particularly enjoyed shooting the streets just about Houston: Great Jones, Bond, Bleecker. After three nights of visits, I felt like I had captured something of the spirit of the neighborhood.

January 2004

New Year's Eve 2004
For the past three or four New Year's Eves, K and I have been keeping up a little tradition: we go out for dinner or a drink together, then meet up with some friends for a low-key evening. This year, the drink was at Thom Bar, and the party afterwards was at J0sh's new apartment on Elizabeth Street. Lots of good fun, friends, and food- and lots of talk about the exciting year to come.

January 2004