The Glass House

Ah, the photos/tour that almost didn't happen. I had been wanting to check out Philip Johnson's Glass House since last summer, and we finally hopped a train up to New Canaan, CT last weekend in hopes of seeing his masterpiece. The website did say that "reservations are recommended" but we decided to try our luck. (Remember how I'm not exactly the best planner when it comes to things like this?) I figured if we weren't able to get on the tour, we could at least walk around the property. Silly me had no idea that the actual property was completely walled off and inaccessible to the public.

I can only imagine my totally dejected crestfallen face when we were told that weekend tours in the Autumn season are often booked out three weeks in advance and that there was no way to see the house without a tour ticket. I asked if we could wait to see if anyone who had made a reservation didn't show up. I lingered around, still hoping something would come through, while the ladies running the tours whispered about. Well, they let us on! Man, I must have looked really pitiful. One of the ladies was kind enough to take us on a separate van and come pick us up separately. I am forever grateful to her and wish I had gotten her name. It was a gesture I won't forget.

It's really such a striking building. I wish I had better photos but the light was uninspiring (I know, excuses excuses) and I was juggling taking photos between my phone, the Sony QX100 that I was testing out that week, and my SLR. Here are just a few to give you a sense of the property. What a work of art.

If you're planning on visiting, don't forget to make reservations well in advance. I've learned my lesson!

That golden state

Just a few touristy cliché snaps from my quick trip to SF last month. There was no fog in sight that afternoon. I was a bit disappointed that skies were clear as a bell! It did make for a pretty sunset at Baker Beach, though.

Minimalist dreams

Last week, I shot an apartment so clean and minimal that I spent this past weekend purging hundreds of old magazines, props I no longer use, and anything that didn't have significant sentimental value. The problem is that I really enjoy and appreciate "stuff" (from ceramics to shoes to misc. home tchotchkes), yet I have this ideal of minimalism, and the two parts of me go to battle with each other often.

Below is the beautiful TriBeCa apartment of a former coworker and her roommate. They really have a great eye and the aesthetic of the place resonated well with my own. And that coffee table is actually a DIY!

Charleston

To call this post long overdue would be an understatement. I was in Charleston in January of this year, and I'm just getting around to posting some photos from that trip (mostly because I had submitted photos to Wayfare and was waiting until after the issue came out). We originally were supposed to go in November, but it was the week after Sandy hit, so we postponed the trip to January. J and I are the worst trip planners alive, but we were in good shape on this trip because I recruited my friends Stefie and Marcus. Stefie's one of those people with superior trip planning skillz – I'm talking meticulously organized Excel document broken out into categories for what to do.

So in the short long weekend that we were there, we ate, and we ate, and we ate. Did I mention we ate? The original intention of the trip was to hit up Husk and McCrady's, and while both of those were excellent meals, we had a ton of great small eats in between. I only included photos from a smattering of the places we visited below. There's a wee bit more description in the Wayfare issue, but if you want an in-depth run-down, see Stefie's blog and search Charleston.

Butcher & Bee

Black Tap Coffee

Martha Lou's Kitchen



Needless to say, I could not fit into my skinny jeans for a good week after this trip.

David Tanis for Kinfolk Vol 9

A few months ago, I had the privilege of photographing the brilliant David Tanis for Kinfolk Volume 9. His kitchen is beautiful in a totally effortless "this-just-happens-to-be-placed-here" kind of way. Although it's tricky taking portraits of someone who declares he dislikes all photos of himself, it can be a worthwhile challenge to try to get it right. Below are some additional photos from the shoot — you can see the full piece in my Published section.