DC / Pittsburgh

A week ago I drove down to DC to shoot an event for my friend Thor, founder of the Oslo Freedom Forum.

His mom was being honored by National Geographic at the Travelers of the Year Awards. (The awards aren't really for travelling but for doing great things for people abroad. Thor's mom and stepdad own the Pacuare Nature Preserve in Costa Rica dedicated to the preservation of the critically-endangered Giant Leatherback Turtle.)

Thor threw them a luncheon at the Jefferson Hotel before the award ceremony.

We had a private dining room at Plume, one of the yummiest restaurants I've ever been to in DC.

Loves some champagnes before noon!

This tomato soup was to die for.

And we got cute little turtle figurines with our place settings!

I had this amazing mushroom chicken which didn't photograph that well. But my chocolate souffle thing sure did...HEAVEN.

Then in the evening we got to go to National Geographic's auditorium for the awards presentation. It was lovely. And there was a big reception afterwards with delicious foods and drinks. Yum yum yummyfun.

Thor's mom is literally one of the kindest people on the planet.

It's so awful to think someone actually once SHOT HER in the back.

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While in DC I was crashing with Michelle and PeterSmathers.

Upon mentioning that I would be attending Watch What Happens Live this week, we thought, ooooh we should give Andy Cohen some Smathers & Branson swag (since he already has a beloved flask from them with his likeness on it.)

So we went through the storeroom and picked out items for Andy and his new puppy.

FYI Smathers & Branson now makes an awesome line of dog collars.

Poor Petey just had wrist surgery. He's feeling great though!

Good thing he doesn't have to stitch these belts himself!

Did I mention before that S&B also makes a bunch of hats now too? There's really no end to what they can expand their line to...

After picking out goodies for Andy we had some incredible Lebanese foods.

The food was SO good...we were moaning in ecstasy...

And then (NO "AND THEN"!!!) I hopped in my car and drove 4 hours to Pittsburgh where I had a shoot the next day in 10 degree weather for a bunch of actor students.

These kids were all so lovely. Some of them have very bright futures.

Luke here was just signed by Sony Records and made it to the top 20 of American Idol a few years back... keep an eye on this one!

As soon as I finished shooting I booked it back to NYC. It was an exhausting 6 1/2 hour drive. UGHHHHH... was so happy to be home in relatively warm 26 degree weather (vs. Pittsburgh's 10 degree weather)...

Smathers & Branson WIN

UPS man came today and made me very very happy. Mr PeterSmathers hooked me up with an amazing customized EggFury wallet and keyfob!!!!



Because they now have the design in their system, these are now available for purchase from Smathers & Branson (their website still blows and still features NONE of the photos from our amazing Spring Island shoot, wtf?).

But they still seem to doing insanely well so I guess there's no big push to update yet...

I loooove a keyfob!

DC Sleep Study / Smathers & Brannnnson

So a couple of weeks ago when I was down in DC I had an informal sleep study done.

Turns out I have a slapnea.

(AKA Sleep Apnea.)

Basically what that means is my throat collapses when I sleep and often I stop breathing for minutes at a time until I wake up (usually without knowing it) gasping for air. Sexy, right?

This deprives my body of oxygen and as you can probably imagine in the long-term is not good for the heart and can be life-threatening.

So I came back down to DC for a more official sleep study. This time in the lab.

I would've done it in NYC, but Arj's sister Sharm happens to be one of the best sleep doctors in the country and my insurance doesn't cover a sleep study (they usually run thousands of dollars) and it just so happens Sharm's practice just moved into a brand new space and her boss agreed to do my sleep study in exchange for some pictures of their staff and new setup. Woo!

I arrived at 8pm last night and they hooked me up to a million wires to monitor everything from my breathing to my eye movements to my brain activity...




Then they attached a mask and I was told to go to sleep.



It was really hard.

I think I may have gotten two hours of sleep. But hopefully that was enough for them to get some kind of results.

In the end I will probably need a CPAP machine to help me breathe at night. But because the idea of sleeping with a big mask on my face sounds like the worst. EVER. I may explore the option of having surgery to remove my monstrous tonsils and other superfluous organs that are obstructing my throat so that I can breathe easier...

EEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKKK!!!!

Will let you know what happens!

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Anyway, while I'm in DC I'm crashing with Peter & Michelle.

And it works out that they needed me to come down to take some new pictures of some of Smathers & Branson's newest products.

We swung by headquarters...



And picked some items out of their giant stockroom.



The business is REALLY blowing up. (Each little plastic baggie in the shot below represents an order waiting to be filled.)



Here are some of their newest offerings...

Hats!



Cufflinks!



Christmas ornaments!



Pillows!



And totebags!



It's amazing because the possibilities for expansion are endless.

World domination is imminent!

DC / Smathers & Branson Update

I've been in DC for the past few days getting a sleep study done for my possible slapnea (sleep apnea) and staying with Peter & Michelle in their gorgeous George-townhouse.



Peter's company, Smathers & Branson, has been BLOWING UP over the past couple years, this year especially.

Today President Clinton rocked one of his belts!



And you can find their stuff now at many Brooks Brothers stores.

So awesome!

Their current website is somewhat terrible and their long overdue NEW website featuring all my photos from the Spring Island shoot has been in development for almost two years now. (Their web developer is THE WORST.)

But here's a sneak peek!






The link you see there above isn't live yet. I just registered it and will be launching a product photography website soon because, well, as a photographer (and a human) there's no such thing as too many streams of income!

Peter & Michelle's Wedding Video

You might remember Peter & Michelle's Wedding from a few months ago...

Their video is up. And it's beauuuutiful

I helped them find these videographers off craigslist, and after weeding through HUNDREDS of terrible terrible submissions, and even some shady-ass people who tried submitting some else's work as their own, I found this talented new team who was relatively new to the biz and had never shot a non-Asian wedding.

The rough version of the video was pretty well...rough. But after copious editing notes thanks in part to my brief stint in the music video biz, the final cut is pretty awesome.

Michelle + Peter 9.10.11 from Anything&Everything Productions on Vimeo.

I think their company name is a little cheesy for my taste. But they're Asian. So I forgive them.

If you hire them, tell them I sent you.

Peter & Michelle's Wedding / New York Times

Two weddings in a row!

You may remember a few weeks ago Molly & John were featured in the New York Times...

Well yesterday, Michelle and Peter were as well!

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/11/fashion/weddings/michelle-guest-peter-carter-weddings.html?_r=1&ref=weddings

The wedding was Saturday night and it was beautiful.

Bride looked gorgeous...



Groom looked handsome.



Together they look like something out of a catalog.



Their God-son Bubba had his own little tux...



And their twin nieces who are 1/4 Korean are a good indication of how ridiculously beautiful their own kids are going to be.




I saw this staircase the day before when I was scouting this location and thought it'd be a cool shot. Turns out I was right.



Peter had 3 best men.



And about 1,000 groomsmen.



(He's really close to his man-friends.)




Peter cried at the altar when Michelle walked in. It made everyone else cry.



Pretty.



Pretty people have pretty friends and family. And this party was no exception. Usually I photoshop my pics a lot. I didn't need to with this bunch.




The twins had a little bed set up for them in the corner and would nap and then dance around like maniacs and then nap again. It was adorable.





At one point a munchkin lady jumped out of the shadows and attacked partygoers.



Beautiful fun night!




Congratulations!





Buy Peter's belts at: www.smathersandbranson.com

Or Michelle's jewelry at: www.mijajewelry.com