SCOTT GORDON BLEICHER PHO(BLOG)GRAPHY

A BTS look at Sunday morning’s look book shoot for Eubiq NY’s Spring 2011 collection.

Everybody say hi to Shirley!

I recently hopped a train to Red Bank, NJ to photograph chef Adam Sobel- creator, owner, and…..driver of The Cinnamon Snail.

The Cinnamon Snail is the country’s first 100% vegan food truck, currently servicing Hoboken, NJ and soon to be making the rounds in Brooklyn.

An in-depth interview with Adam (and a few of the images below) can be found here, on Kitchen La Bohème.

Kitchen La Bohème.

The Bohemian Kitchen.

It’s a vegan pure vegetarian food blog that I’ve been shooting for lately.

A vegan food blog, you say?

Yep.

Well, Scott, are you vegan?

Nope.

Are you, at least, vegetarian then?

Not even close.

So, a carnivore taking pictures for a vegan food blog?

That’s right.

But why?

For starters, because vegan food doesn’t taste like cardboard. Or the back of a postage stamp.

Because I’ve had soy sesame seitan that could’ve fooled any carnivore into thinking they were eating General Tso’s Chicken from Wong’s Wok (real place).

Ok, maybe not the most flattering comparison, but what I’m trying to say is that I didn’t miss the meat.

Because, although I cannot resist the temptation of the cheeseburger, it doesn’t mean that I don’t want to eat healthy.

And why the distinction between vegan and pure vegetarian?

Because the term vegan can be off-putting for some, weighed down by it’s perceived elitism and the expectation of its practitioners to be the poster children for a Birkenstock-wearing, bicycle riding, downward dogging, third eye opening, crystals on the windowsill-of-the-universe lifestyle.

Because vegan has become a collective movement as opposed to a personal choice.

Because vegan has become a stereotype.

No, you don’t have to go on Phish tour to be pure vegetarian. You don’t have to live in a Volkswagen Westfalia or make a pilgrimmage to Burning Man or burn Nag Champa or learn how to blow glass or know what your spirit animal is.

You just have to make a commitment to healthy, pure, and organic eating habits.

And you have to love cows.

You do love cows, right?

Right?

(Orecchiette with Smashed Peas, Hot Veggie Sausage and Tofu Ricotta)

Coming soon.

Four states in four days.

It’s been a busy week, riding the rails and rolling down the highway, shooting commercial interiors and editorial portraits.

Wednesday found me in Eastern Pennsylvania, Thursday it was Southern New Jersey, and today- upstate New York. Tomorrow I’ll be on a bus to Boston followed by a train to Plymouth for Jake Hill’s album release party, so I figured that now would be as good a time as any to reveal the final artwork for In The Mountain’s Shadow.

The physical album releases tomorrow, April 24th, and the digital download will be available through iTunes the following week.

No matter the means, the end is sure to satiate your thirst for cautionary bluegrass tales, belligerent 12 bar blues, jangly CCR-esque country rockers, bittersweet coming-of-age acoustic ballads, and/or traditional hoedown foot stompers.*

My suggestion? Pick up a physical copy of the album, at the very least for that sweet album cover.

(*Catfish Breakfast, Baby Wears A Pistol, Down From The Sun, Tickertape Parade, and When The Moon Is Gone, respectively)

I just wrapped up postproduction on the music video for Jake Hill’s Down From The Sun, the lead track from Jake’s forthcoming third album, In The Mountain’s Shadow.

I may have spoken a bit prematurely when, in a recent post, I proclaimed Jake to be The New Man In Black. After watching the video below I think you’ll agree that I should have crowned him as the new King of the Canadian Tuxedo.

Enjoy.

A message in a (Miller High Life) bottle lapped up on the shore of Pho(Blog)graphy Island early this morning while I was out making my daily rounds with the metal detector. Still can’t find that Sac that I lost.

Anyway, the message was from the home office of the Cape Cod Bay Arts & Entertainment Division located in historic Plymouth, Massachusetts. Official word is that Jake Hill’s highly-anticipated third album, In The Mountain’s Shadow, will release on April 24th, accompanied by a release party and two performances from Jake and his troupe of traveling troubadours.

The festivities kick off with an all ages show at Kiskadee Coffee Co. in downtown Plymouth at 6 pm, followed up by a late evening show for the old folks (21+) at The Guru, 9:30 pm.

The very same information that I just wrote above can also be read below, albeit syntactically varied and superimposed over a very man-in-black-esque portrait of Mr. Hill with his weapon of choice, photographed by yours truly.

If I can make it back to the mainland, possibly by smuggling myself onto a passing freighter or clinging to a raft made from an old car door and empty milk jugs, then I’ll see you April 24th in Pilgrimville. Would be an epic entrance if I managed to dock at Plymouth Rock.

I wrapped up a project this week with New England-based singer/songwriter Jake Hill. Over a two day shoot we completed the cover for Jake’s soon-to-be-released third album, In The Mountain’s Shadow, shot a wide range of promotional portraits, and filmed a video for lead single and album opener ‘Down From The Sun’.

While I can’t reveal much along the lines of final album artwork and the video is in the very early stages of post-production, I have posted an outtake from the blooper reel below. Do take note of the high production values.

In The Mountain’s Shadow releases on the 24th of April. Check back then for a reveal of the album cover and video, and a record review will follow shortly thereafter.

In the meantime, you can head over to Jake’s MySpace music page and preview two tracks from the album now- ‘Blowin’ In From Newfoundland’ and ‘Unlock My Door’.

Shirley & Co. over at Eubiq NY have updated their site with some new looks from their Spring 2010 collection that I recently shot for them. Follow this link to see what you should be wearing in the city come springtime (if you’re a contemporary young urban male, that is).

A recent commercial interiors shoot for Superpages led me to the ghoulishly-named neighborhood of Gravesend in Brooklyn. Much to my masochistic dismay, Gravesend is home to more Chinese restaurants and Kosher markets than haunted houses and fog-shrouded cemeteries.

A ten-minute walk east from the Q train on Avenue U will lead you to a well hidden Brooklyn gastronomic tradition which has recently been outed on an episode of Man v. Food.

Established in 1938, Brennan & Carr is a wood-stained, brick-walled, Irish-named eatery serving up pub grub from a bare bones menu posted to the wall and printed on the placemats, doing so in the vaguely musky ambiance of a turn-of-the-century Bavarian hunting lodge.




What you come here for is the roast beef the hot beef sandwich, dunked- bun and all, in au jus. If you’d like, you can have another ladleful poured over top, at which time the sandwich becomes a soggy, beefy, salty, fork-and-knife-only affair.

I manned up for my inaugural Brennan & Carr experience and ordered the Gargulio burger- the hot beef sandwich plus hamburger patty, sauteed onions, and gooey melted cheddar cheese. And yes, the whole sandwich was dunked in it’s own broth.

The plating, the idea and the execution are simple. The resulting sandwich is an epiphany for carnivores, and for your taste buds.

Next time you find yourself in Gravesend (because I know you always go there, you know, for the Kosher markets, the Chinese takeouts, the tanning salons, and the Russian nightclubs) make sure you stop by Brennan & Carr for a hot beef sandwich. Have it dipped. If you’re daring, go for the pour.

I’m ready for seconds.

Tokyo Juxtaposed- my series of photographs pairing cultural and aesthetic imagery from modern-day Japan, went on display last Thursday at Supercore in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. A small opening event marked the occasion. Old friends came out to show their support, new friends were made, and a good time was had by all in attendance.

The evening was anchored by the marathon beat/noise mashup of Loud Objects vs. DJ Nori, which allowed the juxtapositions to extend from the images on the walls and the projections on the ceiling to the sounds filling the space, and turned a darkened room into an intimate mixed media environment for a small crowd.

Below you’ll find a selection of snapshots from the evening followed by a few low resolution high definition (what?) video clips.

Thanks again to all who attended, to Katie, Kunal, and Nori for their sonic foreplay, and to Yoko and the rest of the Supercore staff for having us.

Hope to see you at the next one.

Domo arigato.

As seen on the ceiling, Thursday evening, at Supercore.

So we’ve made it to the bleary-eyed Friday conclusion of Tokyo Week! here on Pho(Blog)graphy Island, and the survivors are fed up with pressing the button every 108 minutes. (If you don’t know, you’ll have to start with Season One. Trust me.)

Thanks to everyone who attended the opening last evening, and an extra special thanks to Katie, Kunal, and Nori for entertaining the crowd and to the staff of Supercore for having us.

Check back next week for a recap of last evening’s festivities, replete with images and HD video clips, and be on the lookout for a possible weekend bonus tomorrow.

Other than that, I’m looking forward to a weekend filled with Los Hermanos chorizo tacos, alternating between the new Hot Chip and Spoon albums, a little Modern Warfare 2 Free-for-All, and heated message board ‘discussions’ concerning reincarnated Sayid’s supposed infection and possible possession by Jacob’s nemesis aka The Smoke Monster Guy, if that really was Claire, and which of the parallel timelines is reality.

Oh, and your T.G.I.F. diptych is below.

Namaste.

After countless restless nights and days of breathless anticipation, the moment has finally come. Tokyo Juxtaposed + Loud Objects, 7pm, Supercore, Williamsburg, Brooklyn,

TONIGHT.

Hope to see you there, although, the weather should prove an adequate and believable excuse if you are unable to attend. Heck, I don’t even know if I’m gonna go, still digging out from Snowmageddon.

Your Thursday courtesy diptych is below.

Hump day diptych: Progress.

Diptych of the day: Asakusa Attractions.

In recognition of The Tokyo Juxtaposed Photography Exhibit Opening Party Gala Celebration Event and Potluck Dinner Sleepover emceed by Mr. Kunal Gupta coming up later this week at Supercore, I’ve declared this week to be:

Tokyo Week! here on Pho(Blog)graphy Island.

(The natives are doing sake bombs as we speak.)

Each business day of the work week I’ll be posting a new photographic juxtaposition for your carefully measured objective consideration, ones that will not be shown at T.T.J.P.E.O.P.G.C.E. & P.D.S. (see above) and may or may not be available in the magazine.

As for a quick update on Thursday’s goings on, it’s looking more and more likely that there will be some sort of projected video juxtapositions on a loop for your attention-deficit-disordered viewing pleasure and there is the distinct possibility of a continuous, amorphous set by Loud Objects, like the bastard child of a radio transmitter and a seven layer cake.

(By the way, none of this is confirmed so don’t tell anyone.)

Your first free diptych of the week is below.

Dou itashe mashite.

The Honeymoon.

Next month I’ll be showing a select number of photographs from my Tokyo Juxtaposed series at Supercore in Brooklyn.

The opening event is set for Thursday, February 11th at 7pm and the show will run through the middle of March.

There will be drinks (of the caffeinated and the alcoholic variety), there will be live music of one kind or another (to be announced soon), there will be professional networking, there will be Japanese tapas,

and hopefully, there will be you.

See you there.

(Presented Jackanory style.)

Rise and shine.

Make coffee.

Take a shower.

Coffee’s done.

Gear check.

Breakfast #1.

Check for updates here.

And here.

Travel light.

Out the door, down the hall.

Buenos dias.

Bushwick foyer.

The neighborhood.

A one-eyed beetle.

She’s seen better days.

The station.

The turnstile.

The train.

Mind the gap.

Morning commute.

Morning chaos.

Topside.

Morning paper.

Cafe Fresco Latina.

Pastry options, but no egg sandwiches.

Coffee #2.

Egg sandwich attempt #2.

Breakfast menu.

Egg sandwich success/breakfast #2.

Hail a cab.

This one.

Buckle up.

Back seat driver.

Arrival.

(Public Service Announcement)

Waiting in the lobby.

Which way?

This way.

Down the hall.

Around the corner.

Final destination.

Some assembly required.

The goods.

The set.

The looks.

The talent.

The shoot.

For the past year, I’ve been shooting residential interiors for Airbed & Breakfast, a web-based service and marketplace ‘allowing anyone from private residents to commercial properties to rent out their extra space.’

Although still a relatively new service, as of this writing Airbed & Breakfast already boasts listings in 108 countries and 2,174 cities, has been featured in The New York Times and Time Magazine and on CNN, amongst many others.

I cover the New York City market.

(Mental note: Get them to start sending me to those 2,173 other cities.)

…

Though it hardly sounds like a glamorous photo gig, the steady work has allowed me the unique opportunity to step into the homes of an interesting cross section of New Yorkers, from Brooklyn hipsters to Wall Street investment bankers to Barry Manilow’s drummer, and photograph….

their bedrooms.

Listings on the AirBnB online marketplace include ‘vacation rentals, private rooms, entire apartments, bed and breakfasts, boutique hotels, castles, treehouses, and many other traditional and non-traditional accommodations.’

While the bulk of my photo assignments have fallen into the traditional accommodations camp, a few of my favorite spaces/shots can be seen below.

…

So the next time you find yourself on the road, be it for a business meeting or an escape from business, try staying with the locals instead of the Hiltons.

You just might save some money and make some friends along the way.

Below is a shot from a weekend shoot with Yuki Mark Lim- former fashion stylist, current bedroom linen designer, private New York City realtor, entrepreneur, owner of a Jack Russell Terrier named Walter, and all around cool guy.

Yuki is the owner of Apt 168, a short-term boutique apartment rental agency. His website, apt168.com, is in the middle of a pretty significant aesthetic overhaul, and his contact-page-portrait will look something like the one below when the new site launches early next year.

I wasn’t sure if I had a place for his portrait in my portfolio, but I liked it enough to show it, and figured that I’d show it here.

Photographed Norm Peterson George Wendt recently for Crocmedia and Ralph magazine, an Australian men’s periodical.

It was a challenging shoot- having only about 40 minutes of George’s time, at least half of which needed to be used to conduct an interview concerning Mr. Wendt’s recently released book about, well, beer.

On top of the time constraints, we met George in midtown Manhattan, at the end of the work day, in a packed bar. Of course, this is the perfect setting to meet and photograph one of television’s most iconic beer drinkers, but needless to say, he most certainly was the center of attention.

The bar was dark, the time was short, the room was loud and crowded, but I think that we managed to pull off some fun and candid photographs. Cheers!

Just finished putting the, well, finishing touches on the 100% Official Scott Gordon Bleicher Photography Facebook Fan Page. Whew. Say that ten times fast.

While juggling.

Chainsaws.

Blindfolded.

Luckily for you, you don’t have to be an expert daredevil sideshow performer, risking inadvertent amputation, to become a fan of my photography on Facebook. All you have to do is follow this link!

I will be attending a concert this Saturday afternoon by ‘The Maverick Organist,’ Cameron Carpenter. I worked on a shoot with Cameron earlier this summer and posted about it here.

Since then, Cameron and I have completed two more photo shoots together, both with the intention of providing images for his upcoming double CD/DVD album releasing in the spring of next year.

I’ll have a few selections to show from these most recent shoots in a blog update in the not-too-distant future, as well as an update to the Musicians portfolio on my website.

Saturday’s performance will mark Cameron’s first at The Church of Saint Mary the Virgin in Times Square and will be recorded and released as the live CD portion of the aforementioned double album. All proceeds from the concert will go to benefit Cameron’s non profit Models Of Excellence musical heritage project.

…

Below is a look at the concert program, using a portrait of Cameron from our summer shoot as the main image. A full size PDF of the program can be downloaded at his website here, and tickets are still available here.

Consider it a unique opportunity to see a once in a generation performer whom has been called ‘a talent of Mozartean proportions,’ and leave your ecclesiastical-pipe-organ-funeral-dirge preconceptions at the door.

Recently had the chance to photograph celebrity trainer Simone Ayesa for Crocmedia, an Australian PR firm.

Simone is the personal trainer for Matt Damon and Kirsten Dunst to name a few, and works at a very exclusive boutique gym in TriBeCa, owned by Gwyneth Paltrow. So exclusive, in fact, that there is no outdoor signage for the chique second-floor gym. It seems that if you know about it then that means that you’re supposed to know about it.

Any papparazos out there, I can tip you off to the location but it’ll cost ya. (Just kidding Simone!)

We were fortunate enough to have permission to shoot in the locker room as you can see from the image on my site here, which is accompanied by a casual lifestyle shot at Peace & Love Cafe. An alternate shot of Simone jogging by the Hudson is below.

Below is a shot from an impromptu, ‘in-house’ portrait session that I did earlier this summer for Rebel Ink magazine’s launch party at the Coney Island Freak Bar. It was a humid summer night filled with friends, beer, tatts, more tatts, and, um, some guy hammering nails into his nose and a girl breathing fire and swallowing swords.

Thanks to the Coney Island Circus Sideshow for an always entertaining and nausea-inducing performance and an extra special thanks to Dan Howell and Rebel Ink magazine.

A few behind the scenes snapshots and one alternate look from a recent shoot with Sharon Van Etten at The Metropolitan Building in Long Island City.

Art direction by Christine Be.

Two final selects from the shoot can be seen in the Musicians portfolio on my website, here.

Sharon’s debut album, Because I Was In Love, is available on iTunes and her original, eponymous self-release is available through her online store. Sharon’s moving, soulful voice and intimate lyrics are offset by her softly strummed acoustic guitar, and are accompanied by a trembling organ on standout track For You, the video for which can be seen at Pitchfork.

I’ve had the opportunity to see Sharon perform in small, dimly lit rooms around Brooklyn. If you happen to see her name on a flyer for an upcoming show or in the concert listings of, say, The Village Voice, don’t hesitate to see her live, to hear her voice- equal parts longing and lamentation, fill the space around you and in your heart. As you can tell, I’m a big fan.

Sharon can be seen on tour this fall with Toronto’s Great Lake Swimmers.

I’ve recently self-published a magazine through MagCloud entitled Tokyo Juxtaposed. The issue contains juxtapositions of photographs that I took while aimlessly wandering around Tokyo (dérive, anyone?), many of which can be seen in the Travel portfolio on my website.

I’ve included a few extra diptychs in the magazine in order to ensure its limited edition collectibility. In theory.

Click on the cover below for a preview of Tokyo Juxtaposed and for information on how to purchase a copy.

You know you want one…

A studio snapshot and a few selects from a look book shoot that I recently completed for Eubiq NY, a contemporary urban men’s clothing line.

A few behind the scenes shots and a select from a recent shoot with Cameron Carpenter, pipe organ virtuoso. We worked together against an overcast sky on his rooftop in the Lower East Side and did an editorial street shot in Freeman Alley.

I recommend doing a quick YouTube search of his name, you will most certainly be impressed. Even more impressive is attending one of his live performances, which I’ve had the good fortune of being able to do a few times in New York and California.

Cameron’s first album, Revolutionary, is available on iTunes and with it he is the first organist ever to be nominated for a Grammy for a solo album.