Just a mile or so east of Venice beach, you’ll find a rapidly changing community that is starting to attract some very fun creative’s.  After walking many mornings to my local coffee shop, past the homemade soaps place, along Venice Blvd, I would always pass an empty store front with the hope that something fun would fill the gap.  Before long Earl’s Gourmet Grub filled the space and the community received exactly what I had hoped for.   Not only do they offer amazing sandwiches and spectacular hard to find goodies, the architecture is absolutely captivating.  Seriously, just try walking by and not looking in.  In a community that is full of new crepes restaurants and an amazing farmers market, Earl’s Gourmet Grub is helping to make my neighborhood grow.  The amount of creative liberty that I found in my new local spot was a perfect balance next to the tattoo parlor and custom bike shop, radical and energetic.  Designed by Freeland Buck Architects, Earl’s is receiving alls sorts of attention and I’m extremely excited to see grow.  Btw, the same owners started another new business down the way, recording studio/art gallery.  I love living here!

Our homes tend to reflect something about our personality.  Have you ever taken a moment to look around your home and ask yourself “What does this say about me?”  Not just the pictures on the walls but those little things that communicate our habits, our emotions, and bring us happiness on a daily basis.  I have to say that it is a very unique perspective seeing a home through the eyes of a photographer.  We are welcomed into someone’s sanctuary and in a way have the responsibility to tell a visual story about a person.  If done correctly, the connection between the designer, the home, and the homeowner should be communicated in every shot.  This is how I see photographing homes.  The more I know about the homeowner, the better. It is for that reason that I always try to spend the time to get to know whose space I am photographing. As for this home, I could tell you several things about the homeowner from the beginning. First, she’s truly one of a kind and I mean that quite literally.  She’s highly vibrant in every facet of her life, has a strong and well-rounded love for many types cultures, and the single most important thing to her is welcoming her friends and loved ones into her home to stay for the weekend.  What a nice side of people to see, eh?

Imagine working on a project where you literally have every single thing you could ask for at your fingertips, the project is super unique and exciting, and you receive an overwhelming amount of support from everyone around. Now imagine yourself in a hallway with a series of doors. Open stage door 10 and you might find yourself inside of West Beverly High.  Open stage door 15 and you’ll be on the set of CSI Miami.  Maybe door 19 will take you to the rooms where they make fake body parts.  Then there was the “movie set” stages that I can’t talk about until it’s released.  Working with Farm Advertising to update the studios portfolio, I think this may have been one of the most exciting shoots of my life.  We didn’t work, we played, and the studios rolled out the red carpet.  Need a model, “Here’s three.” Want to go up 50 ft, “Choose a boom lift.”  Don’t like that wall there, “It’s gone!”  Ha ha, this was such a blast!  Three days photographing behind the scenes, filming going on all around us, watching the Hollywood magic in action, talk about a kid in a candy store!  I may have been even a bit gitty.

BTW, architect David Leckie of HOK Architects cleaned the back of every single seat in the auditorium.  I’ve never seen such a thing.  He’s superman.

If I may, please imagine coming back from your New Years weekend. Leaving the joy and vacation time behind you, it’s time to hold to those resolutions and get back to work in that stuffy office of yours.  Back to deadlines, goal setting, and co workers.  Then, lunch comes around, your co worker grabs the last cookie in the office lunch room, you start to loose it, and you reach for the door to get a breath of fresh air.  Well, if you happen to be working at The Point building in Burbank, CA, you would be stepping out into this park designed by Katherine Spitz Associates.  Serving as an extension of the office environment, this tranquil park brings a peaceful contrast to an otherwise stressful day of doing business.  Wish I had a park like this off my office.  Some day Katie!