Designers will often ask for a photographer of themselves in a space to represent their business. Though my experience in photography stems in interiors, I’ve often had to get resourceful and figure out how to shoot subjects associated with spaces: food/beverage, products, and people. This designer created a wonderfully serene atmosphere with the furnishings selected for the space, and her outfit, luckily, accompanied it quite well.
Flipping brownstones in Bed-Stuy seems to be a hot game right now, and why wouldn’t it be? Flipping homes can be highly lucrative and the neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant is primed to be the next Bushwick (if it wasn’t already - and if it weren’t for the pandemic). Shooting this space was tricky as the owner wanted us to capture the garden at dusk, which, when you see it, makes sense, but we were losing light shooting the rest of the space as night grew closer. Luckily we shot the basement last, which didn’t have much available light, and we got the perfect garden shot as the sun disappeared.
Shakuff is a lighting company that designs floor lamps, to pendant lights, to chandeliers - to any other kind of light fixture you can imagine and this property was the house of Shakuff - owned by the eponymous company head, and filled with more light fixtures than you could dream of.
This salon in Bushwick, just off the Morgan L train stop is a bastion of light and space, probably the two most desirable qualities of NYC real estate. Having shot many salons before this, it was interesting to find a space where the chairs were, instead of put in a row, meet in the middle to form an interesting array and allow for more space around the chairs.
I was only recently made aware of the Shaker Houses and their wonderfully hygge-like design. This walk-up building featured a small handful of units that had beautiful cabin-esque touches that made you feel like you had stepped out of the city and into the Catskills.
You might be familiar with La Duree, the French-born macaron pastry store that has locations in the Upper East Side and Soho but you probably weren’t aware the Soho location has a ‘secret garden’ that has since been taken over by the Bagatelle restaurant group. Although you can order the La Duree pastries for your meal (not to mention macarons), the menu is comprised of haute cuisine French fare in an enchanting outdoor environment.
When life gives you lemons ,make lemonade, and when Barney’s closes - open your own restaurant. That’s what Mark Strausman of Mark’s Off Madison did when he opened his new ode to New York food. The restaurant features an in-house bakery which crafts bagels, pretzels and loaves every day, in addition to the full kitchen serving up Italian specialties and a bevy of other delights. In shooting the space, it was important we capture how the bakery (and the baked goods) are front-and-center in the space.
It’s a new year - time to move onwards and upwards. Speaking of upwards, Peak is situated on the 101st floor of the Hudson Yards complex. It features stunning views from above other landmark skyscrapers from the East Village to the Hudson. These photos were taken days before Peak opened and moments before the coronavirus crept in, shutting down the restaurant for months, but it has since opened up and had been solid strong through the holidays.
Park Ave has such a loaded connotation. It would be interesting to live in a basement studio unit with a bathtub in the middle of room and happen to have your address be Park Avenue. “I have to wash my hair within feet of where I chop my vegetables but at least I live on Park Avenue!” Such was not the case for this apartment that a gorgeous kitchen, and many other gorgeous spaces with plenty of light and beautiful design pieces. And it happens to be on Park Avenue.
I grew up going to a lot of malls but there aren’t many in NYC. However, the Atlantic Terminal/Atlantic Center Mall seems to be an inalienable fixture in Brooklyn with big box stores, flanked by an Apple Store, Whole Foods, and the Barclay’s center. Perhaps it’s the gentrification of an area, or the modernizing of an already kinetic junction in the borough. Either way, I was tasked to shoot the space that I’ve frequented so much in the past by its management company.
Prospect Lefferts Garden is growing, and 123 PLG is the beacon of change it seems. The massive complex towers the area and has a slew of amenities from rooftop pools, to basketball courts. I used the drone for this one and was able to capture both the rooftop pool with a lovely view of the Manhattan skyline.
As people move to working from home, buildings need to provide enough reasons to keep people wanting to stay home and pay for it. This particular property boasted an enormous lounge, countless outdoor spaces, an arcade and even a bowling alley.
When I walked into this shoot, I didn’t realize that I would be doing a two-fer. In the past, I have had interior designers I work with partner up with realtors to help shoot an apartment they designed, that would also be leased or sold. This shoot was a bit of the opposite, where I walked in thinking I would be shooting for a FSBO (for sale by owner) situation, but lo and behold there was an interior designer running around prepping each room for me before I entered. I can enjoy shooting real estate but I far prefer to shoot interior design and it’s a lovely surprise when the two meet.
I’ve never lived in a building with amenities but I’m sure it’s nice. At this property, the buildings resemble townhouse-style bungalows that neighbor and surround a clubhouse with a pool table-laden lounge and a gym. Shooting this on such a terrifically sunny day made the shoot a breeze and allowed the space to shine.
I think I may have written previously about how shooting neon is difficult. When photographing a space, unless you are using a good deal of lights which can evenly and softly mimic natural light in such a way where the interior space is as bright as the exterior, you are often having to comp together two or more photos (in some cases most of my final images can have up to ten different exposures). Such is the same with neon, which is usually brighter than anything else in a room - our eyes are just good at adjusting to not be phased by it. It’s seldom you’ll see neon in an apartment but for this staged home it exudes a youthful spirit that will hopefully tenants into the artistic community of Bushwick.
“A pop of color” is a phrase I often hear when photographing interior design. With more minimalist designs that utilize subtle and muted tones, one can use a well-placed object to provide an exclamation point to the scene which provides an accent. Even without much post processing, I’ve noticed my camera and lenses (all Canon) are all very good at capturing color - sometimes too much. It’s something I’ve leaned into with shooting which perhaps is something to consider - whether the types of tools a photographer uses can shape their aesthetic as much as viewing other photos in the world.
If you were to ask what the best tips for shooting interiors, or the best way to shoot real estate photos - most people would say “make sure there is sun.” They’d be dead right. Shooting interiors on a sunny day can be replicated, as far as achieving brightness and even photoshopping in a blue sky, but the way the sun streaks at an angle is tough to reproduce. Luckily we were fortunate to have such a sunny morning when we shot this apartment with spectacular views.
There’s something so fascinating about a chain restaurant. A meal, that is part of a brand. Sinigual isn’t a chain, per se, but it is part of a corporate restaurant group. I love a great, hole in the wall local joint, but there is something so interesting about photographing a restaurant that is so clean and appealing to the masses. Given that this restaurant is right by Grand Central, it’s no wonder it has its place on TripAdvisor. Regardless of what it is, the restaurant was full of bold colors and shapes and a lot of fun to shoot.
Although more and more people are moving to WFH (work from home), there are photographers like myself who have no choice but to be out in the field. It thus becomes an interesting relic of the past to see a gorgeous office space, like this exist. It was shot to market the space and, hopefully, a new company will take over and this won’t be as much of a relic but a snapshot. The plant life is all real and there is someone who comes weekly to attend to it.
Who would have thought New Yorkers wouldn’t be able to eat indoors. The pandemic has produced a host of problems for NYC restaurants but some have been able to roll with the punches. SeaWolf in Williamsburg has a ton of outdoor dining but it’s indoor dining definitely pays homage to the aqueous realm with open air seating, porthole like designs and beautiful views of the East River. This was my third project with the team and I am glad they are able to grow despite the adversities that have plagued restaurants in 2020.
