Kings County Distillery

During #OHNYWeekend, a friend and I took a tasting tour of the Kings County Distillery in the Brooklyn Navy Yard.  Most interesting takeaways for me were that the "Local/Brooklyn/Artisianal" branding doesn't work as well as you'd think in the spirits world and that aging doesn't really matter with high quality ingredients.

Nonetheless, I thought the whiskey was quite cool and appreciated the integrity with which the team approaches its craft.  Will definitely be giving some for the holidays (so get off my naughty list)!  Would definitely recommend taking a tour yourself and even buying a bottle or two.

Whiskey bottles - the label is "a scan from a typewriter [they] found on Bedford Ave [in Williamsburg]"

Nicole Austin, Master Blender

Some corn grows in Brooklyn

Mash

Bushwick Housewarming

Certainly you've noticed the change in this blog's name, which I updated it to correspond to my relocation within New York City to Bushwick, Brooklyn.  In August my roommate and I hosted a few people for a BBQ on our new roof, despite the fact that rain was threateningly eminent.

Rain's coming

BBQ Master JJ

Don't fall in!

Kansas City Christmas Part 2

There's only one way to describe the Midwest in the middle of Winter: dry, cracked hands.

Nonetheless: a few more gems.

Martha at Work

Warhol

Golf Course

J'Adore

Family Reunion

Ever been to Ohiopyle, PA?  I have.  About a year ago.  Was quite the family affair.

Yard Games

Birthday Cake

#Amurca

Reims Cathedral

It's pretty impressive to be in the place where almost every French King was coronated: especially when you have it to yourself.  (Credit for #1 and #3 to Ellie!)

Kansas City Christmas Party

A few photos from a Christmas Party in Kansas City last year.  All these kids live in huge houses.  I don't know how they deal with it (can't handle 600 sqft myself...)

Santa!

Ice Luge

Ugly Sweathers

Old Friends

Pop-Up Shabbat (Jun 2014)

Had the opportunity to shoot a good friend's event that he and his fiancé have been putting on for the past year or so.  The event is called "Pop-up Shabbat," and they do a great job paring amazing jew-"ish" food and culture in an incredibly delicious and accessible format.

Red Hook is also an amazing place.

Champagne Countryside

For some reason I think it's most appropriate to celebrate the nascent Fall with a few upcoming posts that talk about last Spring.

While traveling in France (a trip which this blog has already documented THOROUGHLY), we took a TGV day trip to Reims (the heart of Champagne country) and visited a few of the houses.  Although enjoying the sparkling beverage was quite a treat, I will distinctly remember how delightful it was to ride through the countryside as the sun set.

Chicago Candid Streets

Here are some candid street shots taken while walking around Chicago last November.

Christmas Photo (Making of)

Last December, a few friends conscripted me into helping them shoot a Christmas Card photo.  Below find two B&W film shots of the process, in addition to the final (color digital) product.

Chicago Snow

It's a strange feeling to feel the snow falling all around you without it accumulating.  More from the Chicago (i.e. Thanksgiving 2013 in the Loop) series here.  Captured the crestfallen snow in a pretty fun way.

NYE 2014

This post gives you a pretty good understanding of what kind of time frame this blog is working with!

On New Year's Eve 2014, I bought an Ilford B&W disposable camera, just to try it out.  If you're into the B&W look, it's obviously great, and kind of retro-cool too.

Chicago Subway

To be honest, this blog could benefit from documenting more of underground NYC in transit.

However - I'm somewhat drawn to the almost peaceful, angelic lighting that comes with being (mostly) above ground on Chicago's metro.

Paris - Montmartre

Some friends advised that when making the trip to Montmarte, it's best to hang out on the back side of Sacré Coeur.  I'd certainly agree!  This is the last color in the Paris series.

Color. Sun!

Montmartre or Williamsburg? #brunch

Petit adult

Baguette-dog

These are back on (CHEAP!!) Kodak Ultramax 400 - and I must say that the color is quite rich compared to the Ektar.  Also - sorry to see that CVS messed up the developing and scan (see the lines across the images).  Guess I should go back to doing my own B&W!

Dead Horse Bay

As spring began to say its hellos, a group of us made our way down to Dead Horse Bay: an abandoned swath of Jamaica Bay shorefront that missed the memo 50 years ago about cleaning itself up.  Although the excursion was a fun time, the biggest surprise to me was how easy it was to rent a car and drive around the city.

The remaining refuse on the beach allegedly washed up circa 1950.

Brands R 4ever

Laying in the sand

Old rags

Horsing around

Will post the B&W once I get around to developing.  These were shot on Ektar 100 and processed at CVS (not Dwaynes).  The color isn't as rich as I hoped, and I feel like the grain of 400 is something that I generally like to incorporate into my aesthetic.