I am the Creative Director at Media Temple. I I live and work in Los Angeles, California where I also run the Los Angeles chapter of Creative Mornings.
Have you tried the 8mm Vintage Video Camera App for the iPhone? It’s kind of brilliant. Here’s a short video I took of my son (dinosaur cape and all) and I riding the little train in Griffith Park. The filter I used is called “70′s.” There are about four or five options ranging from old 1920s black and white to super saturated kodahcrome looking film. With all these different photographic apps which allow you to age and treat images it seems like a no-brainer that someone would come up with a cool vintage video app. This is it. I had a super 8 camera in college which I rarely used, but the few times I did it made the most mundane shots look incredible. I’d ride my bike around the thriving metropolis of Eugene, Oregon snapping quick three second shots of cars, birds, rivers, trees, hippies, etc. as I didn’t want to run through the film too fast. Somewhere in a box there is about 30 seconds of The Pastels performing at KWVA. I really need to find that. Anyway, the processing was so expensive so I never really did much with all that stuff. Of course, these apps don’t do the actual film processes justice, but it’s still fun to mess around with them.
2010. What a year. Sadly left NYC and our lovely home in Brooklyn to move out to Los Angeles. It was time. In my house, we all miss NYC on a daily basis, but we’re loving the weather and the pace of life out here in LA. There’s so much going on here and each day is full of new surprises. Started working full-time again for the fist time in a decade as I joined the good people at Something Massive. The kid turned three and I turned 35. South Africa hosted the World Cup and I even bought a car. Looking forward to seeing what 2011 holds for me. Anyway…
I love lists and always have. I love top 10 and end of year lists especially. I usually put my top 10 together and share them with friends who do the same and over the last few years I’ve posted them online. So, here is a list of my favorite albums of 2010 plus some other “favorites” that came to mind.
Top 10 Records of 2010 in almost no particular order.
01. The Tallest Man on Earth – “The Wild Hunt”
My favorite record of the last year was The Tallest Man on Earth’s amazing and beautiful record called “The Wild Hunt.” I’ve listened to it non-stop this entire year. Each time I hear I remember listening to it while driving from Venice to Malibu at 5am on morning for an early photo shoot on the beach. His voice, his melodies and his guitar playing are addictive. Check out this video some fan made using a bunch of old super 8 footage. The song, “Love is All” is one of the tracks from the record.
02. Beach House – “Teen Dream”
A close second would be the phenomenal Beach House album “Teen Dream.” There isn’t much I can say about this that hasn’t been said. You’ve all heard it and you all love it.
Third on the list would be Arp album “The Soft Wave.” It became my plane album of the year – soft, lush and methodically produced. Really a great and under-rated record. The video above is the closest thing I could find to an Arp video.
Here’s the other records from my top 10 in no particular order.
The Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
Weekend – Sports
Wild Nothing – Gemini
Daft Punk – Tron Original Soundtrack
Deerhunter – Halcyon Digest
Young Man – Boy (It’s an EP but it counts)
Lower Dens – Twin-Hand Movement
Favorite Radio Station
I haven’t listed a favorite radio station in years, but Sirius XMU is the best thing to happen to me in some time. It makes my commute from Silver Lake to Venice tolerable. It’s like college radio all over again.
Favorite Radio Show In the Swing Seat with Wynton Marsalis. Incredible one hour jazz radio documentaries hosted by Wynton Marsalis every Saturday AM. It’s on the Real Jazz station, again on Sirius. It’s made me dig out those old jazz LPs.
Favorite Design/Work Related Moment of the Year
Tina, Zach from GOOD Magazine and myself
Seeing my pal, Tina aka Swiss Miss, here in LA to help me kick off the LA Chapter of Creative Mornings, where we had Zach Frechette of GOOD Magazine as our speaker. I am so honored and thrilled to be a part of this. Thanks Tina!
Favorite Photo I Took This Year
It would really only be a photo of my son and this is my favorite one – taken at the Ambleside Skate Park in Vancouver, BC.
Favorite Photo I Didn’t Take This Year
photo by Maple Syrup Only
I started following user “Maple Syrup Only” on Flickr a couple of years ago as I loved her hot air balloon photos. This year, she posted another amazing shot of hot air balloons. Definitely, my favorite photo of the year:
Favorite Bittersweet / Tear-Jerking Moment of the Year
Spending a morning with my 93 year-old Grandfather as we packed up his darkroom for the last time. He boxed it all up and shipped it down to me. Pop, your an inspiration and your dark room will rise again in my home! Thank you.
Favorite Source of Inspiration
I read tons of design sites like The Fox Is Black, Swiss Miss, Fubiz, The DieLine, ISO50, DDC and others as they’re all exceptional. However, the one spot I find myself jaw-dropped on a daily basis is Motionographer. Maybe since I don’t really do a lot of motion work it’s so amazing to me. It’s a daily read and a wonderfully entertaining and inspiring site.
Favorite Non-Family Related Moment of the Year
Seeing the World Cup played in my home nation of South Africa was surreal. Seeing South Africa win a match was incredible even though it was too little too late. However, the goal by Siphiwe Tshabalala, in the first match against Mexico, was the goal of the tournament and the happiest non-family related moment of the year for me. Sad, I know. I still get chills every time I watch it.
Favorite Magazine Uppercase. There isn’t much to say. It’s so damn good every time.
Here’s to a happy and productive 2011. Thanks to my amazing wife, Mindy, for putting up with me and moving across the country with me. You’re the best.
Here’s my turtle obsessed son getting his mind completely blown. He ran back and forth along the tank and then had me carry him (as if he was swimming) along the side of the tank. It was well worth it to see his reaction to seeing a turtle in person for the first time.
All these photos were taken by my son, Jack (2 years 9 months old), while in his stroller. They haven’t been edited other than my adjustment of the levels and contrast.
That's me buying some peaches.
Jack and I checked out the famed Hollywood Farmer’s Market at Hollywood and Vine this morning. It was incredible. The variety of produce, the colors, the quality – just amazing. Everything you’d expect from a big farmer’s market in this part of this World. The little man did a nice job being patient while I walked up and down the aisles. He’s taken to carrying a camera around and taking pics of random things. Sometimes, he gets a winner here or there. So, I thought I’d start cataloging our Farmer’s Market trips with some of his photos. It’s a nice thing to look forward to all week. Mindy gets to sleep in while he and I head off to the market. Lots of stuff for him to sample which will hopefully help him vary his food likes. Enjoy these snaps.
This is the first photograph, in its 2 megapixel glory, I took when I moved to NYC. I moved here, like many do, with a suitcase, an open mind and a desire to build a business, meet a girl, and order steak frites for delivery at 4am. Thankfully, I leave here knowing I managed to do all that.
New York is the greatest city in the World. There’s no comparison. I love London, I love Barcelona, I love LA, I love SF, I love Stockholm, I love Venice, I love Cape Town and so on, but nothing compares to NYC. It’s a city where on a good day you feel like you’re on top of the World as the people, the cabs, the lights, the noise and the energy seem to lift you up and whisk you around town. On a bad day, all of these things seem to hammer you down to the point of feeling worthless.
From sleeping on couches, to moving furniture in Queens, to doing websites as rent barter the first year was long, but still fun. Long nights with Mario at Milk & Honey (our friend was the bartender) were a highlight. Jen Fowler hired me to do some work for J Records and things fell into place. I somehow stumbled into Southpaw one night after they opened and started djing an indie night there called Painting and Kissing. This was followed by hundreds of posters which got my business going. Somewhere along the line I met a girl called Mindy who is currently reading a book to an amazing kid called Jack.
In the end, I leave this city in a much better place than I arrived and the real thanks go to the city itself. It’s truly the one place that can change your life and if you’re willing to work hard it’ll happen for you. I look forward to moving back here with Mindy when we’re much older. I’ll miss you NYC. Thank you for everything.
Here are some awesome things I learned and experienced in NYC:
1. BEST TIP EVER: if you hate humidity like I do, you need to apply a little Gold Bond powder after you get out of the shower – it stops the sweat. Thanks Ricky!
2. Yo La Tengo performing in Prospect Park to a non-stop light show of fireflies.
3. Playing ping-pong 10 ft. from a Mogwai soundcheck – my ears will never be the same.
4. The blackout of 2002.
5. The fresh mozzarella at Russo’s
6. After work drinks at Pastis – touristy but worth it
7. Late night steak frites at Casimir
8. The crisp air of the Hudson Valley
9. Seeing the Brooklyn Bridge everyday and never tiring of seeing that beautiful behemoth.
10. Riding bikes through Times Square at 3am.
11. Fashion trend hilarity in Williamsburg.
12. Broken Social Scene at the Bowery in 2004.
13. Adopting dogs, while covered in the scent of White Castle, in Queens.
14. The Met, The Moma, The Guggenheim, The Whitney, The Transit Museum, The Jewish Museum, etc.
15. Bike riding with Jack in Prospect Park
16. Documenting Alicia Keys’ second album – a truly phenomenal person I feel lucky to have spent time with.
17. Getting paid to do design work
18. Putting on the Go Team show at Southpaw
19. Vetiver / Vashti Bunyan at Southpaw
20. Being in the same Borough as my sister.
21. Walking around the neighborhood and seeing people you know on every block.
22. The bodega guys letting you pay the next day.
23. LA BAGEL DELIGHT
24. All the fantastic folks I met and all the old friends that moved to NYC.
25. Not owning a car or really needing one for the better part of a decade.
26. Coney Island, Ave P, Bensonhurst, Borough Park, Midwood and the rest of the real Brooklyn.
27. Having a studio in DUMBO.
28. The Carlyle Room.
29. Roof decks.
30. Mindy, my love.
The list is endless. I look forward to my new list in Los Angeles. Here’s a parting shot. An old video taken from the Q Train on the Manhattan Bridge.
