GOOD: A Picture Show

GOOD Magazine recently featured some of Dan’s photos from a project he did during the 2008 summer Olympics in Beijing that were part of a larger multimedia piece he did for PBS.  The project focused on the hutongs, traditional courtyard residences, that are currently being demolished to make way for new roads and buildings.  Dan is passionate about China and its intricacies and I think these photos exemplify that.  I love the way he has captured every day people doing every day activities yet their surroundings are far from what we would consider normal.

You can see the multimedia piece here and the GOOD Picture Show here.

Italia-Part II

A few photos from our most recent trip to Italy taken with my iPhone and spiced up with one of my favorite apps, ShakeItPhoto

Oh MY: Mast Brothers Chocolate

Some of you may remember this post I did a while back with the amazing photos that The Selby took as part of the advertising campaign for Cole, Rodd and Haan. Well folks, he has gone and done it again.  This time, The Selby takes us on a beautiful tour of one of my all time favorite chocolate houses, Mast Brothers Chocolate.  Rick and Michael Mast are the handsome duo behind these delicious chocolates that are handmade in Brooklyn .   These boys are true artisans and are one of the few “bean-to-bar” chocolatiers, which means they own the entire process of making their chocolate from sourcing the cocoa beans from Venezuela, Ecuador and Madagascar to roasting, grinding, molding and eventually packaging it all up.  The Selby does a wonderful job of illustrating the whole process from start to finish, so please check out the whole series here.

Not only is this some seriously delicious chocolate (my favorite is the Dark Chocolate with Almonds and Sea Salt), but every bar comes beautifully packaged in Italian wrapping paper; it’s like unwrapping a gift each time.

You can find their chocolate at any of these amazing little shops:

A Little of What You Fancy 19 Newtown Lane, East Hampton, NY 11937
Bedford Cheese Shop 229 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11211
Bierkraft 191 Fifth Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11217
Branford Green Grocer 1036 Main Street, Branford, CT 06405
Brooklyn Larder 228 Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11217
Dean & Deluca 560 Broadway, Manhattan, NY 10012
France 44 4351 France Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55410
Grab 438 7th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11215
Marlow & Sons 81 Broadway, Brooklyn, NY 11211
Miette Confiserie 449 Octavia Boulevard, San Francisco, CA 94102
Murray’s Cheese 254 Bleecker Street, Manhattan, NY 10014
Park Slope Food Coop 782 Union Street, Brooklyn, NY 11215
Provisions 150 Beekman Street, Manhattan, NY 10038
Rubiner’s Cheesemongers    264 Main Road, Great Barrington, MA 01230
Spuyten Duyvil Grocery 218 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11211
Stinky Bklyn 261 Smith Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231
Stone Barns 630 Bedford Road, Pocantico Hills, NY 10591
Urban Rustic 236 North 12th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11211

The Photography of Scott Peterman

This month I was lucky enough to be one of the contributing art editors for Guernica Magazine.  I selected the photography of Scott Peterman whose work I came across and fell in love with back in 2002 when i first moved to NYC.  The series I selected for Guernica is of his ice fishing shacks, which he spent several years photographing in the lakes region of Maine and New Hampshire.   As Scott addresses in his statement, the “bobhouses” illustrate a narrative that is the essence of survival in the freezing temperatures of the region.  They are entirely utilitarian in their purpose using lightweight windproof materials providing warmth and shelter against the elements.  See more of the series here.

Oh MY: Leica + Hermes

Seriously, Leica?   Does it get anymore gorgeous than this?   This classic M7 35mm gets the special treatment with a silver chrome finish and thanks to Hermes, a choice of either orange or tan calfskin leather.   Orange please!  This beauty can be delivered to your doorstep in a linen-covered, silk-lined box for a mere £8,550 (about $14,250).

*via engadget

The Photography of Issei Suda

It’s no secret that I’ve had a long love affair with Japan.  Their culture, point of view, food and sense of tradition is something I have great respect for.  On my first trip to Japan three years, I discovered the photography of Daido Moriyama and Rinko Kawauchi, two Japanese photographers who are known for being very influential on 20th century photography. Today, I got an email from one of my favorite galleries in Portland, Charles A. Hartman Fine Art, introducing me to the work of Issei Suda, another Japanese photographer.  I find his work both subtle and incredibly evocative yet unlike anything I’ve seen before.  He is represented exclusively in the US by Charles A. Hartman Fine Art.  Spend some time on the gallery’s site exploring his work.

Yes Please. Cole, Rood & Haan

Ok.  This is kind of brilliant.  While there have been a number of brands that have launched heritage collections, I’ve found a lot of them uninspiring and pretty forced.  However, Cole Rood & Haan, a footwear collection inspired by Cole Haan’s 1920′s Chicago roots and taken directly from the historic archives, proves different. They have managed to update some vintage designs with modern touches and great leathers.   Not only do the shoes look great but I love the way they have chosen to market and brand the collection.

The marketing campaign highlights an entrepreneurial lifestyle.  They made the very wise decision to hire Todd Selby aka The Selby to shoot the campaign, which features entrepreneurs in NYC who run businesses that take old things and make them new again in a fresh and innovative way.  The shoot takes place at four places: The Smile- a Cafe and Mixed-Use Concept Store, Jack’s Coffee-the inventor of the “stir brew technique,” Maryam Nassir Zadeh, an amazing boutique carrying things that are both new and old and Black Sheep and Prodigal Sons, an edgy, beautifully crafted jewelry line.  By using real people in real life situations the whole line just feels more authentic.  These are shoes you want to wear on your way to the studio for a day of brainstorming and bags you want to cram full with a notebook, pens, magazines and bits of inspiration you find on the street.  You can see the full shoot here.

The photography of Hedi Slimane

Fashion designer Hedi Slimane has long been admired for his work at Yves Saint Laurent and Christian Dior, which is no doubt gorgeous. However, it’s his photography that really stops me in my tracks. Spend a moment day exploring his photo diary.