Often when I shoot a space and become aware that there is a nursery I get nervous. Toys, mats, diapers and anything you can think of are typically strewn everywhere - and not just in the baby’s room but in the living room, bathrooms, and even kitchens. It can be a nightmare to shoot in a space where there are infants. Luckily, this nursery was immaculate and meticulously styled - and it definitely shows in the photos.
The Catskills is a lovely place to get away. I met an interior designer in the city who had me shoot her home in the Upper East Side and she needed some photos of her Catskills house. I don’t often travel out of the city for work but she was a really talented designer, with a great eye, and the space ended up inspiring some fantastic images.
Rinnovo provides construction and renovation to NYC clients and I shot a few of their properties on which they have done some fantastic work.
I am a fan of beer, so it’s always a joy to be able to shoot in a brewery, especially one that I have visited for fun - The Other Half Brewing Company. In a not-so-busy area of Gowanus, the brewery was teeming with people when I visited it on a sunny Saturday. The space has various spaces that can be rented for events and they all need photos, some of which you’ll find below.
I first encountered Parts & Labor when I was in Nashville and passing through the Thompson Hotel and I was in such awe of their design - a refined craftsman feeling with a hyper-modern touch. It was gorgeous and I was so fortunate to receive the assignment to shoot Leonelli, which I soon learned was designed by the P&L team. You can see here how it very much carries that wonderfully idiosyncratic aesthetic.
When I was in Brazil, my partner was really fond of the clothing at a store called Farm Rio, which didn’t seem to have an presence in the states. Flash forward a few years later and a client of mine mentioned they needed photos of a showroom in NYC - for Farm Rio! The space was full of tropical details in each and every nook, bringing that sunny Rio vibe to our metropolis.
Clients can range from interior designers, to architects and realtors - but often we work with contractors of varying specialties. Geowood Design is a local carpenter who produces some really beautiful millwork we were lucky enough to showcase.
A good terrace can be a dime a dozen in this city but sometimes you are lucky enough to catch one, that is not only stunning, but it so beautifully integrated into the home itself. Such was the case with this gorgeous penthouse unit on the Upper East Side - which appears to an epicenter of beautifully designed homes.
I had previously been a member of the ever expanding WeWork and actually met a lot of great clients there. Although I’ve since left (but considering a return), I’ve been able to continue my relationship with the company by shooting for them. I was fortunate to shoot a few spaces recently and wanted to share some of the photos that highlight some wonderful neon designs.
I had some experience shooting some hair and nail salons while living in London but I only skimmed the surface until I first starting working with Artist On Go ( https://www.artistongo.com/) who helps stylists find salons in which they can rent a chair. I wanted to share some of the highlights from these shoots here as I have encountered a good amount of beautifully designed interiors.
Due to the natural of real estate, the work can sometimes be a little less exciting than interior design shoots; however, once in awhile you’ll be blessed with a wonderfully designed space that is more photogenic than you can expect. Such was the case with this Upper East Side home.
Medical offices don’t often employ us due to their austere, perfunctory vibes but when we do get the call it usually means we have a special place in store. And that’s what we shot here, a serene, futuristic OBGYN office on the Upper West Side. From the modern-art-esque chandelier, to the spacey lighting, the space was more fun to shoot than your typical doctor’s office.
My grandmother went to Pratt and has always had a creative eye. She’s a beautiful painter and a lover of fine art and cinema, and I owe most of my creativity to her. I worked with a Pratt graduate recently (who still lived close to the campus) and she had a wonderful eye for design. Interior design is a luxury and, because of it, most of my clients cater to an older crowd who can afford such a service, so it’s always great to see a younger, modern view on the art form. I think this unit definitely has a unique vibrance that isn’t captured enough.
Something funny happened with this shoot. For some reason, I thought the client was contacting us to help sell her unit. When I arrived, it was beautifully staged - suspiciously so - beyond most staged real estate I had seen. That’s because the client was a designer and she wasn’t selling anything, she just wanted to showcase her work. Luckily I had my not-so-wide lens with me and we were able to pull the shoot off without a problem. It’s interesting how most times the different between a real estate shoot and interior design shoot is about 8mm.
Some photographers think a cloudy day yields better light than a sunny. It’s true that sunny light can be a little difficult to contain but if you can harness it well, the results can be spectacular. This shoot occurred on a pretty dreary day but the light did yield some beautifully soft light that gave some of the objects a rich, buttery feel to them.
Window views are often an element of editing I have oscillating opinions about. With real estate photography, the clients are always concerned about the views, but for interior designers it’s not such a concern - after all, the photos are taken to show off what’s inside the home. But when you have a home with gorgeous, sweeping views of the city, how can you not want to show them off? After all, isn’t it a testament of the designer’s prestige to be able to work in a space that is so high up, and probably comes with a higher price tag because of it? Hypothetical questions aside, this gorgeous home, designed by JL Powers Design, had some stunning views but we didn’t let them overtake the shots - but we were able to let them coexist with some curtain cover.
I had the pleasure of working with Urban Casa on this model unit and it was very clear that this space was an instance where less was more. There were some beautiful lines and colors that we chased in these photos and opted for a more detail-oriented shoot that what I typically experience with clients who like to show as much as they can in a single shot. It just goes to show how important details can be - from a wide and tight perspective.
Here are some shots of the new Clergerie store on Madison Ave in the Upper East Side. A lot of my shoots are scheduled when things aren't 100% photo ready and this shoot was the case. I was able to Photoshop on the awning on the outside (which was missing from the store at the time) but perhaps it's lacking a bit of that NYC street grit that the rest of the facade seems to show?
I photographed this beautiful unit and was amazed with the staging work done. The owner had lived here for almost 30 years but had since moved. Because of that, the apartment needed to be staged and the owner was able to impressively stage this unit in only 3 days.
Photographing a ground floor unit is always tricky because the light isn't usually as good as the units on higher floors; however, the designers of this unit placed as many large windows as they could to maximize the light - they also picked a neighborhood where most buildings don't stretch beyond 3 stories.
