LA DAY: Tourist in my own city

My friends Sasha and Mason were recently in town from NY for the weekend and we took a day to explore downtown.  I love exploring this huge city and often forget what architectural gems we are living amongst.  While they may not be hundreds of years old, we have some beautiful structures that are definitely worth the day trip to downtown.

this alabaster stone is cut thin enough to allow light to enter the cathedral like modern day stained glass…the organic quality of light and texture is stunning

my mom recently re-interpreted these sconces for a project in Santa Barbara…I love both this original and the piece it inspired...

visit the LA cathedral - click here

Architecture: Bones of Beauty

I love love love the Getty Villa in Malibu.  If not for a specific exhibit, I adore spending a sunny Saturday afternoon wandering through the grounds and gardens of this beautiful Southern California landmark.  The Villa is modeled after a first century Roman country estate, the Villa dei Papiri in Herculaneum, Italy.  The building was constructed in the 1970s by architectural firm, Langdon and Wilson, who's work is still seen and built all over the world.
I was just up there and took some fun shots that I hope will inspire others to hop over for the afternoon and explore for yourself.  It takes a little pre-planning as you have to request free tickets ahead of time.  Best summer day?  Getty villa for art consumption, lazy lunch at the dive-y Reel Inn in Malibu, and a mellow afternoon at any Malibu beachfront sand spot you can find parking for…

look up…it's worth it

 the attention to detail is spectacular…

meander through the courtyards; the gardens are worth a leisurely stroll..

 in and out…a modern entrance to a beautiful structure referencing history and romance...

Book your visit here…

Inspiration: We are all Savages

New York City: Last Day, Best Day...

the frenzied entrance to Savage Beauty:

the always inspiring Metropolitan Museum of Art:

On my final day in NYC last week, I rushed between meetings to view the Alexander McQueen exhibit on display at the Met before missing my only chance.  And I did it like I do a lot of things - in perfect timing, but a little bit delayed.  I was supposed to meet a friend that morning, but she had an emergency and cancelled, so I viewed the show solo.  I arrived 5 minutes before the line closed and instead of waiting for hours, it only took 15 minutes to enter the exhibit.  While it was pure luck and good timing, it was also disappointing to have to view the entire exhibit with packed rooms in a single hour.  Great planning, no, but perfect timing, yes. The video below is a wonderful narrated tour through the exhibit by the curator, Andrew Bolton.

Now, anyone that has been to the Sistine Chapel in Rome will understand the cluster chaos that you will encounter seeing this exhibit after it's received so much press.  The rooms were being wrangled by low paid guards with little reverence to the obvious genius they were protecting.  However, I realized quickly that since there were only two more groups being let into the rooms, if I waited a bit and slinked back, I could view the spaces in perfect silence.  While I am in no way a fashionista or designer factoid, I was in complete awe of the exhibit space, McQueen's pained, yet beautifully inspired collection, the unbelievable details that were included, the head pieces designed by Guido, and I left with a sense of feeling connected to runway fashion in a way I hadn't previously experienced.  In the past runway has always seemed like a show to me, not always directly inspiring me, although I always appreciate the artistry of the exhibiting designer.  With this exhibit, the clothing seemed to transcend fashion and create statement and purpose, as well as deep political statements, while remaining captivatingly beautiful.  The exhibit, the collection, and the memory of McQueen all seemed in perfect harmony.


So, my point?  Get your butt to NY before August 7th and see this exhibit!  Here are links to all the info you would ever need: Metropolitan Museum, Savage Beauty Exhibit Info, and special Monday tickets for the Exhibit - completely worth the $50, I'm sure!  


On my way out of the exhibit, the last few of us lingerers were being corralled out by the guards, and as we entered a back hall, I saw this:

Obviously it had more to do with construction than anything else, but I felt the tiny hairs on the back of my neck pop up…I couldn't help but toy with the thought that it felt like an eerie message from beyond:)

NY: Refreshen Your Perspective

When I'm in the city, I'm surrounded by amazing people, great friends and I am in constant amazement of the energy, diversity, and general nuttiness.  I love seeing the world in a frenetic craze and getting some fresh perspective on life in general.  At a rooftop party last night, as the evening was winding down, I snapped this shot of the Chrysler Building in my champagne induced mini-nap.  It was my favorite of the night and it reminded me to always re-examine my surroundings.  I love to grab inspiration from everything I see throughout the day, and in New York I'm on inspiration overload...

Disney does Modern

I've been handing out a lot of my business cards lately and people keep exclaiming that they love them!  It features a shot I took at the Disney Music Hall designed by Frank Gehry in downtown LA and I think it's successful because it's simple yet intriguing.  I took a lot of shots that day and it was really difficult to choose which photo would be the best fit, but I finally did, and so far it's been getting a great response.  I thought I would post some very loved "rejects".  The gray sky and shadowless day left me with low contrast, beautiful lines and a great business card!
Here are a few of the others that I loved…..

Want to check out the Disney Music Hall yourself?  It's a great place to check out great architecture and see a great concert.  Click here to check it out.  
You can also head to Chinatown for brunch and eat at my favorite place - like I talked about in this post: Family Traditions.  The concert hall is very close to Chinatown and other great downtown gems!

(want to see my actual card?  Let me know!)

Mid Century Masterpiece

Hartman Baldwin hired me to take some shots of a mid-century home that they had completely restored and I fell in love with the project.  I was amazed at the attention to detail that both the home owner and HB went to in order to keep the home authentic.  It truly felt like a time warp walking into the house and I loved prop styling each room since the home owner had carefully shopped for years to complete the look.

Below are a few of my favorite shots from the day.  Check out the bowls in the kitchen.  Her mother collected them using Betty Crocker points in the 1950s.  And the bird wall sculpture in the living room is very similar to one that was used in a scene in Mad Men!

Love the Mid-Century look?  Here's a link to some shops in Palm Springs that have great items: Click Here
Want to check out a Mid-Century Magazine?  The one I love is called Atomic Ranch: Click Here
Curious about Hartman Baldwin?  Check out their site: www.hartmanbaldwin.com

Santa Barbara Gets a Makeover

I showed some photos last week of a house that I was shooting two days later that needed EVERYTHING done to it & today is reveal day!  The shots turned out beautifully and thanks to a crew of movers and a lot of great help, I was able to create a lived in effect to help show the property.  After decorating, styling and shooting it only 48 hours later, I was exhausted, but so thrilled with the outcome!

Check out the before and after shots:

Here are more of my favorite shots….they had equally as stark "before" shots, but I'll leave that to your imagination:

Want to learn more about this project?  Check out the website: www.victoriagardenmews.com