Life in Photos: Jazz Age Lawn Party Part Two
And there was dancing! P.S. My friend Jeffrey Donenfeld gave me some helpful advice about my photos. I never really color correct them beyond a quick pass via Photoshop (a VERY OLD version). He told me to try Lightroom and sent me some links via Lifehacker that showed me how to edit photos in Photoshop - so I adopted them to Lightroom. It's rare that we get to see the befores and afters and really hard to determine how much has been done to a photo or how much should be ... but hopefully I'll figure that out.Funny - most photography courses teach you how to take a photo with the idea that if you have the right lighting, composition, etc. that's all you need. But even when photos were printed in darkrooms, photographers did extensive editing from darkening spots to increasing the exposure or contrast of an entire image. In fact, most professional photographers do a preliminary editing pass of selecting photos, then sometimes photo editors choose the final images. Then after the images are chosen, another person may retouch them which includes the correct coloring, and then finally, someone else may print the images. So the actual taking of a photograph is only one small piece of what goes into creating an image.
Life in Photos: Jazz Age Lawn Party Part One
I'm a bit behind in my blogging / photo posting thanks to a full time freelance job (whoop!) and perpetually moving into different sublets. More on that later. In August, I was fortunate enough to attend the Jazz Age Lawn Party on Governor's Island with a few friends. Photographically, it was like shooting fish in a barrel and I was in heaven. They've held it for many years but each year, I was either busy or it was about 90 degrees and I didn't want to spend the day outside. But this time, the weather was perfect.Hints: bring your own food and booze. The lines for the food, and annoyingly enough, "food tickets" were about a half hour each. While the food was good, it probably wasn't worth $20 and an hour of waiting in lines. Also bring your own toilet paper. Enough said.
Celebrities = Photography Clusterf$ck
I spent a limited amount of time outside the "tents" but I have a feeling most of the major celebrities either went through a secret entrance or the bigger named shows were moved to locations outside of Lincoln Center. Given the stampede of photographers and fans surrounding Kimora Lee Simmons and Joan Rivers, I can only imagine what kind of attention bigger named celebrities would have drawn. And I don't think there would have been enough bodyguards to protect them. So Kimora Lee Simmons is freaking tall. The funny thing is that in real life, if you're a woman who's 6ft tall, that's kind of awkward which is a good reminder that most models are almost weird looking in real life. I mean it's hard enough to date in NYC as it is but can you imagine having to then narrow down your choices to men above 6ft tall? Kelly Osbourne looked stunning even with purple hair. She has literally managed to transform herself by losing weight and I hope it's a happy, sustainable weight for her. They both managed to grow into their brands in such a classy way that for a moment, I literally forgot that they both rose to fame as reality T.V. stars.
New York Tech Meetup "March" Re-Cap
The New York Tech Meetup "March" event tops my list of best NYTM's. The technology and new products were both groundbreaking and more importantly, incredibly useful.
First on the stage was Watch It. It was the first in a long list of "why didn't I think of that?" Watch It aggregates available movies across multiple platforms so you can easily find a movie you want to watch either online, DVD, in the theaters, etc. You can make a queue, share it with your friends, and get alerts when a movie becomes available. Simple yet brilliant.
Yapp took the stage next. I think Yapp marks an important milestone in our digital behaviors and needs. Yapp allows users to easily make a mobile app. Currently in beta, they demonstrated how to make an app for an event - which I'm sure all us nerdy tech folks will want to use to impress our other nerdy tech friends. So does that mean we will go from everyone having their own website to everyone having their own app? Special shout out to the preggers demoer who cracked us up with her Vegas wedding app suggestion. It's always nice to see female presenters onstage especially when they're developing startups outside of fashion.
For those of you trying to juggle your various social media presences (isn't that all of us?!), there's Engagio, a platform that allows you to see all your social media comments and interactions in one place.
Float schedule looks like a useful tool for agencies, studios, digital project managers - or anyone else who has to manage the schedules of various client projects. The act of producing projects is often under appreciated. I consider myself a dreamer or incrementalist according to Scott Belsky's Making Ideas Happen so any tools to help me be more of a "doer" is very much appreciated.
And another special shout-out - this time to my former hometown classmate Andy Tider who presented his Hack of the Month with Ben Fisher called Pool Party. I'm not 100% sure what it does because I was distracted by him throwing beach balls at the audience. Oh - and the hysterically awesome "please be patient" commentary while the program pulls data. Pool Party connects with LinkedIn's APi to help you make better use of a particular group's members - so when you sign in, it connects to LinkedIn, then one of the groups you belong to. From there, you can easily pull out UX Designers, Interaction, Product, Rails, etc. to better connect with. And as if I can't give enough props - another special shout out for getting the URL: JumpInThePool.com.
It would seem as if a shower of beach balls would be a tough act to follow but UnRoll.me did it with ease. UnRoll.me could be the most useful thing since ... email. UnRoll.me is a very simple email add-on that allows you to easily unsubscribe to unwanted emails, receive the subscriptions you like in one convenient email and here's where this service can become the next Groupon: get recommendations on newsletters you may actually want to read. It's in beta so sign up and be sure to tell your friends, or work on making your newsletter more interesting and engaging so it doesn't end up "unrolled."
When Kapitall took the stage, it became apparent that the hits would keep coming. French accents, online gaming and stocks! OH MY! Kapitall aims to make investing in stocks understandable and engaging to the masses by creating a game around researching and trading stocks. I'd tell you more but I just signed up and want to go play! Sign up now because trades are only $5 up until March 31st. The potential for educating people about stock trading is groundbreaking. I'll let you ponder that while I introduce the final presenter.
Last but certainly not least, the seasoned Anthony Caselena from Squarespace took the stage with an introduction to their revised portfolio and website publishing platform. There were collective oohs and ahs as we watched Anthony create a photographer's portfolio under a minute. And cringes as we silently cursed ourselves for renewing our Wordpress hosting sites. And curses from web designers who realized they have some serious competition.
So the common theme with all of these, and why I think they're going to be successful, is that they were all incredibly useful. More importantly their use can easily be explained.
Be sure to sign up for the next NYTM on March 27th. If you haven't attended yet, you're missing out. A trick to getting the ticket before they sell out is to make sure your payment is correctly linked before they go on sale. Also, they sell like hotcakes so set your alarm and be on your computer when they sell. If you can't get a ticket, people often resell theirs closer to the date when they realize they have a conflict and can't make it so don't "unroll" your NYTM message board.
Occupy Wall Street - A Turning Point
It's hard to write about Occupy Wall Street and say what has not already been said but I'll share my thoughts. If you live near New York City, you should visit the movement because it's unique experience that can't be fully taken in through pictures. I absolutely support the movement. These people are sacrificing their time, comfort and daily lives to stand up to a system that is not working. And when I say system, I believe it's not the absolute fault of Wall Street, but an entire American system that includes people spending beyond their means, a culture that values having more stuff, government regulation or lack of, politics, unions, our health care ... the list goes on.Their two weeks of occupation is gaining more traction than countless opinion articles in the New York Times and they're doing more than most of us who are merely complaining to our friends and family about our anger against Wall Street. Occupy Wall Street looks like a scene from an apocalyptical movie where people from all walks of life come together to fight for a cause. You have the Jesus lovers, hippies, homeless, yuppies, students, blue collar workers, old, young, musicians, super heros, yogis, and then you have all the people coming to observe this cast of characters, capturing moments with their iPhones, iPads, point and shoot video cameras, fancy cameras, analogue cameras, or pens and notebooks. There are people who choose to protest with their voice in song, use their wit in clever signs, their t-shirt design skills, their sub-conscious in meditation, or their hands letting their instruments speak. And their are the cops who stand around doing their job and watching the movement with amusement.
But a picture tells a thousand words.
Only in Brooklyn?
After a week of contacting different rescue organizations and no kill animal shelters, then putting up a flier in my favorite coffee spot - Blue Marble, I finally found a foster home for the family of kittens. Brooklyn Animal Foster Network helped me capture the family (not without a few scratches and an intense bite) and will arrange for them to get their shots and spayed at a discounted price, working with the ACPCA. I met the wonderful young couple through Twitter. As I posted pictures and updates about the kittens, they realized, like me, that they couldn't not do something. So about two weeks after finding the kittens, I found myself in their living room in Brooklyn, checking up on the family while they were away at work. I get my kitten updates from the guy's Twitter feed. Happiness!
His Tweet "Fireplace repurposed #kittenpile Only in Brooklyn?
A few days prior, I attended an awesome casual Sunday dinner, that lasted till 1am. I was invited by a girl who lived in my apartment and whom I had met while feeding the kittens. By the end of the night, me, her friend, her and her boyfriend were laughing harder than I've laughed in months. I lived in Manhattan for five years and barely knew my neighbors, let alone broke bread with them - three months living in Brooklyn and I know three neighbors, have had friendly conversations with my super and already have a favorite local barista.
Last Sunday, I came back from an afternoon date to my friend's insistent text messages that I join her for a drink. She told me she made friends while drinking alone at a bar. Hey! Don't knock it. Apparently you can make new friends drinking alone. So I joined her and her ten new friends at a bar a few blocks from my apartment. We went to dinner and learned more about one another. Then dinner turned into - let's go watch a movie back at my place. So me and five others trekked to Fort Greene to one of the nicest bachelor pads I've ever seen and watched a cheesy, 80's Kurt Russell movie. While there, I discovered that one of my new friends works at a company I used to work at and dated someone I interviewed with. You can hang out in Park Slope, Fort Greene, Clinton Hill or Prospect Heights, throw an iPhone and it will hit someone who works in the advertising/ media world.
Only in Brooklyn?
Brooklyn Flea in Williamsburg
I just moved into Prospect Heights yesterday and am kicking myself for not moving to Brooklyn earlier. So much of Brooklyn reminds me of San Francisco with their more laid back attitude, plethora of internet cafes and creative culture that's missing in Manhattan as a whole. I know this is all obvious but you don't realize it fully until you actually spend more time in Brooklyn. I guess I shouldn't kick myself too much because I spent 4 years on St. Mark's in the East Village and had a pretty sweet deal... but ..Yesterday I had a delicious dinner with a friend I met on Twitter - I know - hello 2011! The first bar we hit had outdoor seating AND, I ran into 2 people I went to Skidmore with who weren't together. Random. I'm excited to see the whole crop of people from my past that I'm likely to run into now that I'm in BK.
So a while ago, I posted pictures of the looks and styles of people in San Francisco. A few weeks ago, I hit up the Brooklyn Flea market in Williamsburg. I've never been that big on Flea markets. As much I love history, I often think that Flea markets are selling the stuff that I have around the house that I want to get rid of.. but as far as the BK Flea goes, I can come back every week and stay completely entertained. Aside from antiques and vintage clothing, there are indulgent, exciting food stands like lobster rolls! and novelty items that I wish I thought of, like a necklace carved out of a record! But a picture tells a thousand words right?
Back In San Francisco!!!
I arrived back in San Francisco yesterday morning after having woken up at 4am for my 7:30am flight. Thank you Papa Dukes for driving me, and no, I have no idea why me or my sister call you that. But before I left, Mischief walked in front of me 3 times on Friday. I suspect it was to trip me so I couldn't leave. But the more likely explanation is that Mischief doesn't realize the pecking order of cats to humans; i.e. that he has to move out of the way. Yes, I nearly fell down the stairs. My father plopped Thomas onto my bed before I went to sleep and instructed him to "stay with his mother." And he did, until I woke up at 4am. All the cats looked genuinely confused at being woken up that early. They looked to us for guidance. Their eyes said "ma, should I eat now or go back to sleep? I don't get this. It's still dark."
Okay, enough about cats. We arrived at the airport with ample time. I switched on my light weight jacket and nearly started shivering during my walk from the car to the airport. 15 degrees will do that to you. If there was ever a girl who understood self-branding, it's me. I don't know many people who accidentally have 4 items of a deep magenta on - my pants, scarf, handbag and carry-on suitcase.
I sat in the Virgin America waiting room trying not to fall asleep and spotted a group of 4 young boys. They looked Eastern European with crew cuts, all probably within 4 years of each other, gathered around a pretty red headed girl with her MacBook Pro open. It was like a scene out of period piece, children gathered their a mother reading a bedtime story. But instead, it was at JFK, in the waiting area of a Virgin America flight, the book was a MacBook and the woman wasn't their mother. Surreal.
The flight was fairly uneventful. I arrived in San Francisco to absolutely beautiful weather. After settling in and showering, I walked around North Beach, almost able to pretend I was in Italy. With the unseasonably warm weather, everyone was out and about. Despite having access to a million forms of entertainment, there's no denying that simply walking outside, laying out in the sun, talking to friends, eating and drinking coffee is usually the most enjoyable. And more than that, it's timeless. I could have taken that walk (minus listening to music from my iPhone), hundreds of years ago. Although it's most likely I wouldn't have seen a cat on a leash. Yes, only in San Francisco.
After going into stores I never had time to explore while in school, I had dinner by myself at a cafe where I read and sat outside. Note to self - arrange dinners before I get to my destination! I started a conversation with two older men sitting next to me. One was a taxi driver who was full of interesting stories. He seemed genuinely happy with his job and said it was way less stressful than being a cab driver in New York. Like for instance, if he wanted a break, he could go to Ocean Beach and just sit and watch the ocean. I learned that he went on less drug runs now for people. That if he doesn't trust someone, he'll drive around until they get the hint and leave. He told me about a successful woman who lived a bi-coastal lifestyle. He said that she seemed like a go-getter with endless amounts of energy. Is that the key to success? Anyway, it feels good to be back. I'd have these experiences in New York but think San Franciscians are more friendly and more likely to talk to strangers. It's obvious to me that I'll be happy where ever I end up and am enjoying the journey.
Small World
I'm on a video/ photography kick. It's been too cold to go into the city specifically to photograph people and I'm usually lugging my computer so I can send off emails in between advertising interviews. Anyway, I thought this was a super cool story and interesting way to connect with someone. I'm inspired and almost want to create a similar video for the lantern I found in my attic that's dated from 1906 but ha, I'm guessing they wouldn't be alive or checking YouTube. Actually, I've found many more interesting objects in my attic that have inspired me to start writing a book which I've been working on for the last two years. I even managed to find the former owners of our house on Facebook. Weird. When social networks first came around, it was really about finding people online that were in your life. Now, the web is about using the online world to connect to the physical world and this video illustrates that perfectly. The film maker Todd Bieber, found a film canister in the physical world, created an online video about the experience and hopes to connect with the owners of the canister in the physical world again. Because I think what most of us have realized is that nothing beats human contact and real connections.[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dmop7EAY1Zg&w=640&h=390]
NY Tech Meetup 2011 Kick-Off
Last night, I had the pleasure of attending the first NY Tech Meetup of 2011. The meeting lacked the energy and consistency of some past meetups, probably because everyone and their mom is sick, but there were a few standouts. Munchly brought excitement into the room with their demo, an iPhone app that allows sport goers to order food from concession stands straight from their phone so you can have the best of both worlds - your Shake Shack fix without missing half the game. The app looked well designed and their presentation style rocked. When in doubt, offer audience members a free beer. Naturally these guys are smart because they went to my high school. Shout out to Jersey!Firefly is an app that finds your Twitter friends in the real world, making face-to-face contact more feasible. Personally, I think there should be a monthly - meet a Twitter follower in person - day. While having a digital life is enriching, nothing beats human contact. So now there's an app to aggregate check-ins from location based services and yet, last summer, I still ended up explaining foursquare to people on a regular basis - even those under 40! Hmmm. Technology is like our economy - the early adapters are getting more adapty while the main stream consumers have so many choices that they're just getting confused or rejecting various technologies all together. I digress.
AdStruc Marketplace topped the list as one of the most practical services demoed. Although as I walked to the after party with a fellow advertising "executive" we debated whether or not out of home ad space was one of the few industries that was still strongly based on relationships between media buyers and sales agents. Regardless, I still think AdStruc will solve a current need in the media business. And I have to give a special shout out to the presenter's ping pong skills. I played him in ping pong two years ago at an industry party. Ah ping pong. The great connector. Wait.. It was a party where the sales guys were treating their customers. Hmm - ad exec guy does have a point.
Finally, the guys from VYou may have gotten their idea for VYou from the Old Spice YouTube campaign. I can see this being used by celebrities talking to their fans, companies explaining their products, and individuals showcasing their skills and personality. You can embed the service onto a site, generating interesting content. And if you don't have anything good to say, everyone likes a good nose picking video right? Thanks Kevin Smith.
Finally, Scott Heiferman came on to talk about why the tech world in New York is so exciting. To paraphrase in my own words, it's not about making money for money's sake a la the financial industry, it's about adding value to people's lives. Move over finance. The New York tech world is here to stay and I'm not going to lie, it's pretty damn sexy.
Woohoo!
Woohoo! My photo won 3rd place in the July Contest. Yeah.. there's more where that came from - I'm sure.
Mermaid Parade Coney Island 2010
Saturday, I went to check out the Mermaid Parade for the first time, camera in hand, with a bunch of awesome girls. I definitely think it's something every New Yorker should experience at least once. Um.. just make sure you wear sunscreen. I didn't entirely get my back and some lady at Java Girl (my coffee shop) said "Miss - do you know your back is super red and there are finger prints where you tried to put on sunscreen." Um.. thanks.
