Vita and the City

Yesterday, I had a shoot with Vita who works in the fashion industry as a buyer for Macy's. She hired me to shoot some NYC pics so she could send some home to her family. The heat in the city was pretty brutal which made running around the lower west side a little uncomfortable, especially for Vita who trekked around with four inch high heal shoes on for most of the day.   

I usually like to meet a client before shooting, but in Vita's case we didn't have a chance to meet before hand, so we kind of grew more comfortable with each other as the day progressed.

The original idea for our shoot was to capture NYC moments like the picture to the left where Vita is calling for a cab.  We shot maybe 4 to 5 different takes of her running behind cabs trying to catch them. It was pretty funny because the cabs would stop and we had to tell them to keep going. There was a restaurant to the right of us which I think found it pretty entertaining as well.

Organic Farming at the Stone Barns Center in Westchester, NY.

A couple weeks back, on Memorial Day weekend, I met a young woman named Adriane from a get together in Central Park. We chatted, and she was telling me about an organic farm in Westchester, NY where she has an apprenticeship for the next several months. She went on to tell me about the colorful people who worked there, how beautiful it was, and how much she enjoyed the experience.

I asked Adriane if it would be possible for me to come by and volunteer for a day to learn more about the process. I also asked her if it would be possible if I could bring my camera along. She told me more than likely it would be no problem. A couple weeks went by, and we organized a time for me to come out to what I now discovered to be an enchanting organic farm/restaurant/learning center called the Stone Barns Center.

I wasn't sure what to expect working on a

farm for a day. However, it ended up being an enjoyable experience. I helped harvest crops for the farmers market in the morning as well as with spreading compost over a field of blue potatoes in the afternoon. In the moments in between, I grabbed my camera and took a couple of shots.

The farm, staff, volunteers, and food were all great, and I plan on volunteering again soon. There is something rewarding about getting your hands dirty in the soil and picking fruits, vegetables, and herbs while experiencing a full day from sunrise to sunset.

I highly recommend it!