01/25/09 A MONTH IN THE LIFE OF

WOW. IT'S AMAZING WHAT CAN HAPPEN IN A MONTHS TIME. CHECK OUT THE SLIDES BELOW OF MY PAST 4 WEEKS ADVENTURES AND TRAVELS, YOU'LL SEE WHAT I MEAN....

SPENT THE HOLIDAYS IN PUERTO RICO AS USUAL. SURFING, SUNNING AND RELAXING BUT WITH A TWIST THIS TIME......

I ASKED MY GIRLFRIEND VENESSA TO MARRY ME ON CHRISTMAS AND SHE SAID YES. THANK GOD. WAS PRETTY NERVOUS. THEN SO RELIEVED. THEN SO STOKED!

GAVE HER A HUGE RING AND MADE HER A NECKLACE TO COMMEMORATE THE OCCASION. WHAT AN AMAZING/CRAZY EXPERIENCE!
SOMEHOW THE EXPERIENCE MAKES ME FEEL LIKE I'VE MOVED ON TO THE NEXT PHASE OF MY LIFE. MOVING UP. A BETTER STYLE OF LIFE. FEELS GOOD!

GOT CHOKED UP WHILE PROPOSING AND TRIED TO PUT THE RING ON THE WRONG
HAND. SHAWN SUAVE.......



STARTED A PHOTO DOCUMENTRAY ON THE PASO FINO HORSES OF PUERTO RICO. IT'S NOT HARD A SUBJECT TO RESEARCH CONSIDERING THEY ARE EVERYWHERE AND SERVE AS THE FIRST SOURCE OF TRANSPORTATION FOR A LOT OF THE POORER TEENAGE PUERTO RICANS FROM THE COUNTRY SIDE. JUST A SMALL SAMPLE ABOVE, MORE TO COME....


VEGAS AND JULIE MADE A SUPRISE VISIT ON THEIR WAY TO MIAMI. LOVE THESE GUYS. SUCH ODDBALLS. THEY SPENT THE ENTIRE TIME READING THE TWILIGHT BOOK SERIES (TEEN VAMPIRE NOVELS/MOVIE) TO ONE ANOTHER OUT LOAD.

JULIE HAS AN AMAZINGLY SOOTHING READING VOICE. READING RAINBOW GOT NOTHING ON HER. EITHER VEGAS KNOWS WHAT'S UP AND IS A LUCKY GUY OR HE CAN'T READ AND IT'S NECESSARY. NOT SURE WHICH, PROBABLY THE LATTER.......




MADE SOME NEW FRIENDS, PAT "THE RAT" CONLON AND ALLIE. PAT'S A ROCKAWAY O.G AND CO-OWNER OF EPSTIEN'S BAR A "SKATEBOARD" BAR IN THE L.E.S. ALLIE IS A COOL MOTHERFUCKER AND A SUPERMODEL PIMP AT WILHELMINA MODELING AGENCY.

SPENT EVERY DAY TOGETHER CATCHING WAVES AND DRINKING TEQUILA AND RUM. MOST OF THE TIME AT THE SAME TIME......




WE ALL JOINED FORCES AND BECAME ONE BIG DRUNKEN OVERFED FAMILY.......


GOT A CALL FROM A CLIENT AND GOOD FRIEND THAT I NEEDED TO LEAVE PARADISE AND COME TO INDIANA TO SHOOT SOME SPRING FASHION ADS FOR SIMON MALLS.

THE BUDGET HAD BEEN CUT AND WE COULDN'T TRAVEL TO SOME EXOTIC LOCATION TO DO IT AS WE ALWAYS DO AND HAD PLANNED.
I WAS ALREADY IN AN EXOTIC LOCAL SO WE DECIDED THAT WITH THE REST OF MY TIME IN PUERTO RICO THAT I WOULD SHOOT LOCATIONS, BRING THEM TO INDIANA WITH ME AND SHOOT THE MODELS IN STUDIO MATCHING THE LIGHT AND PERSPECTIVE. GET PAID TO PLAY, NOT BAD.............

FLEW INTO AN INDIANA BLIZZARD AND TEMPERATURES OF -10 DEGREES AS A HIGH.
HAD A COUPLE DAYS OF FREE TIME TO VISIT WITH FRIENDS, HAVE SOME DRINKS AT MY OLD 2ND HOMES AND TO PREPARE FOR THE UPCOMING SHOOT. THE SHOOT WAS SIMPLE AND WAS SET UP IN A MATTER OF HOURS VIA PHONE SO I DECIDED IT WAS TIME TO GO TO PRISON......


DROVE 4 HRS THROUGH BACKWOODS HIGHWAYS AND MADE IT TO PRISON TO SEE MY BROTHER, NATE. HE GOT LOCKED UP ON SOME BULLSHIT WITH TESTIMONY FROM A CRACK HEAD DRUG DEALER AND WAS SENTENCED TO 25 YEARS. THAT SHIT AINT NO JOKE. WRITE HIM IF YOU GET A CHANCE. ADDRESS ABOVE.

HE'S TAKING IT ALL IN STRIDE. USING HIS TIME WELL AND DOING GOOD THINGS. HE'S IN COLLEGE FOR WEB DESIGN, TRAINING GUIDE DOGS FOR THE BLIND AND STEADILY WORKING ON A COOKBOOK WE ARE DOING TOGETHER CALLED THE "GHETTO CHEF". IT'S A COOKBOOK OF PRISON RECIPES AND TRICKS ON THE INSIDE FROM THE INSIDE. IT'S PRETTY FUCKING GOOD AND THE PROCEEDS WILL GO TO NATE WHILE HE'S IN AND WHEN HE GETS OUT. THE BLOG OF THE SAME NAME, THE GHETTO CHEF, WILL BE UP AND RUNNING SOON........


DROVE BACK TO INDIANAPOLIS AND DID THE ABOVE SHOOT WITH CURT CHUVALAS OF NOGGINWERKS, MY BEST CLIENT AND AN EVEN BETTER FRIEND. PRETTY SIMPLE AND WENT SUPER SMOOTH AS A PROCESS. GOTTA SAY IT WAS A LOT EASIER THAN SHOOTING ON LOCATION. AS LONG AS BUDGETS STAY AS TIGHT AS THEY ARE DUE TO THIS RECESSION, FUCK YOU VERY MUCH BUSH, THIS WILL BE THE FUTURE OF PHOTOGRAPHY. SAVED WELL OVER $30,000.00 DOING IT HIS WAY.

BY THE WAY, THE IMAGES YOU SEE ABOVE ARE ONLY EXAMPLES AND SUPER GHETTO ROUGHS THAT I JUST NOW SLAPPED TOGETHER IN 2 MINUTES TIME. ROCKET STUDIOS OF LOS ANGELES IS HANDLING THE POST PRODUCTION AND THE FINAL PRODUCT WILL BE FLAWLESS. CHECK EM OUT THEY DO AMAZING WORK......

HAD A COUPLE FREE DAYS BEFORE I FLEW BACK HOME TO NYC AND I SPENT EM SHOOTING SOME QUIRKY CITY SCAPE SCENES AND EATING AT THE BEST BBQ JOINT IN THE WORLD, BBQ HEAVEN. THAT'S RIGHT, I SAID IN THE WORLD AND I GUARANTEE IT!!! LOCATED IN THE HEART OF THE GHETTO ON MLK DRIVE, HOOKERS AND CRACKHEADS RIGHT OUT FRONT. THEY WOOD SMOKE ALL THE MEATS AND SERVE EM WITH THE MOST AMAZING SAUCE BBQ SAUCE EVER, COLLARD GREENS TO DIE FOR AND CHESS PIE TO TOP IT ALL OFF. THE REAL DEAL. MY MOUTH IS WATERING RIGHT NOW THINKING ABOUT IT.

MAKE SURE YOU TELL EM THE WHITE BOY PHOTOGRAPHER SENT YOU OR YOU'LL GET THE "WHITE BOY SPECIAL". DRIED UP RIBS, HALF THE CHICKEN YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO, ETC...........

JUST AS I WAS ABOUT TO FLY OUT I GOT A NICE SUPRISE, WORD THAT MY BEST FRIENDS JON & MELISSA PETER POPPED OUT THERE SECOND BABY, EVELYN. IT WAS AN HONOR TO BE THERE AND THING OF BEAUTY. CONGRATS GUYS!!!!



ARRIVED HOME JUST IN TIME TO DRIVE OUT TO ROCKAWAY BEACH, PULL ON MY WETSUIT, KICK MY FEET UP, AND LISTEN TO OUR FIRST SURFING PRESIDENT'S INNAGURATION.

SURFED ABSOLUTELY PERFECT WAVES THE REST OF THE DAY, THANKS MR PRESIDENT. IT'S GOTTA BE A SIGN OF TIMES TO COME!!!!!!

THAT'S MY MONTH. TOLD YOU A LOT CAN HAPPEN.