I Leave The House

This week is Fashion Week in Toronto, and that means there is cool stuff going on constantly! Sadly, this season's Fashion Week coincided with a very busy work time for me, so I was unable to catch all the shows and events I would have liked to catch. But. I DID go today!

Today I went to the Basch by Brandon show and, not surprisingly, it was STELLAR! I documented the whole day with Polaroid!So in conclusion, I am totally capable of leaving the house! Take that latent hermit-ism!

Please note: no silly phone applications were used in the creation of this photo essay.

I Got Shot

For the past few months I have had a really wicked assistant. He found me because he needed to work for somebody for school, and I was like heck yes, let's do this! Anyway, long story short, he's a wicked assistant/friend and I hope he's reading this so he continues to work with me even after he graduates from school and has the world start handing him opportunities...

Also guess what! He's talented! Not that this is surprising, since he's so rad. He had an assignment to take a portrait of the photographer he's been working with, so we made it happen, one fine day.
Dude. I really think this is a cool portrait, and I'm not just saying that because I look all cool and bad-ass and stuff.

In conclusion, thanks for the awesome portrait and for being an awesome friend/assistant! And congratulations on your impending graduation and please don't leave me!

Photo: Jeffrey Glaab (www.jeffglaab.com)
Makeup and Hair: Joanne Parks

Marty Millionaire

Have you ever been to Marty Millionaire?
For those of you who haven't had to go in there, consider yourselves lucky. It's a scary, scary, amazing, scary, amazingly scary place.

I recently had to spend an hour in Marty Millionaire in order to pick out some props to rent for a photo shoot. Marty's is actually amazing. They have every single kind of weird prop and piece of furniture you can dream up... All packed into a three storey blue building that smells like your grandmother's basement on meth.

After about 10 minutes in there your throat starts to close up and you think you are going to die if you can't get outside. But you CAN'T get outside because it's a maze and you've forgotten how to retrace your steps!Advice: If you have to go in there... Take breadcrumbs.

Momofuku Pork Buns - Part Two

The Momofuku cookbook is the most intimidating cookbook I have ever come in contact with. It is intimidating for the same reason their food is delicious: because their dishes have many elements, and they make all of the elements from scratch, and they want to teach us how to make them too!

But intimidation be damned! I am going to make these pork buns! Please come along with me on my journey! I'm just going to let the photos speak for themselves... Delciously.
So. Consensus? These were DELICIOUS! They didn't taste exactly like the ones at Momofuku, which is not surprising, but they certainly satisfy the craving, and they were pretty damn close! The downside is that they took all day, and that means I won't be able to make them as often as I want to eat them. But it was easier than going to New York for the day, and it's good to know that if my cravings get REALLY out of control, I can do something about it.

When Momofuku opens in Toronto in 2012, you can bet I will never make these again. And you can also bet that I will be at Momofuku buying them every other day.

The end.

Momofuku Pork Buns - Part One

For those of you who have had the distinct pleasure of eating the famous pork bun from Momofuku in New York, get excited, and for those who haven't, read on anyway, it will get you pumped for when Momofuku opens in Toronto! (!!!)

Anybody who has had dim sum has most likely crossed paths with a traditional BBQ pork bun. They are white and fluffy with sweet, red BBQ pork inside, and they bring them around in a bamboo steamer and you eat them and it is THE BEST! And that is exactly what I expected to get when I ordered pork buns at Momofuku, many years ago. Boy was my life about to change...

The pork bun that arrived at my table was nothing like the buns I'd had at dim sum. No. This bun was different. Special. Life changing. Momofuku's pork bun is a white steamed clam-shell of delicious perfection, filled with a slice of tender pork belly, accompanied by freshly pickled cucumber and scallion, hugged by a dollop of hoisin sauce. There is just nothing as satisfying as this bun.

Here is a photo of the most recent Momofuku pork bun I ate, September 2010. Man, that was so tasty.
So when I found out Momofuku had a cookbook, I bought it immediately. I was relieved to find out there was already a blog that had cooked (and eaten) every recipe in the book, because I may have felt obligated to do that myself otherwise. But I have yet to make anything from the book, until NOW!

I am going to make the pork buns!
So stay tuned for Part Two of this blog!

I Can't Live Without

I have to say, this is one of the coolest things I have ever had the honour of being part of. For spring, Holt Renfrew on Bloor designed an absolutely fabulous window display with the theme: This spring you can't live without...

The wonderful Holt's folks asked a group of local Toronto folks to tell them a few things they can't live without, and then interpreted them into these amazing windows that really stop people in their tracks as they walk by.
And guess what! They asked me what I can't live without! How cool is that! I was so excited to be asked to be part of the windows, but I had no idea how incredible they would look when they were done! I went to Holt's yesterday to check it out, and I was blown away!
They even made my DREAM cake! Look at this! This is UNREAL! I think it is Black Forest Cake... Oh, and did I mention there are LOUBOUTINS on the cake!?
Congratulations to everybody who was part of making this display, you really have outdone yourselves this time!

RandoMonday XX

Remember the time I convinced you all I was a mature adult?
Well, the cat is out of the bag...
HAPPY MONDAY!

Say It With Cookies

Last week my team and I took on a pretty big shoot. It went awesomely. Big shoots require lots of talented crew, and sometimes you get lucky enough to have people offer to help you just because they think you're cool and think your project is rad. I always appreciate the help so much, and I like to thank those fantastic people with baked goods. This week, it was "Thank You" cookies.

This week's offering:
Lemon Blossom and Peanut Butter Blossom

I should have taken pictures of the happy recipients, but they were too busy running away and stuffing their faces with cookies so they didn't have to share them with anybody else. And I can appreciate and understand that.

It's really great when people help out other people. Don't forget that people are sometimes actually awesome when they aren't driving you crazy, so help others and let others help you! Sometimes you will be rewarded beyond the warm, fuzzy feeling.

Dress Up For Your Face

Tomorrow is going to be a fun day of shooting! There is nothing more fun than grabbing your friends, some glasses and some candy and shooting a fabulous campaign for an awesome company! That's all I'm really going to say about that. You'll have to wait to see the final images! Mostly because they haven't been shot yet, but also because I love to leave you in suspense!

I'll give you a hint: GLASSES
What do you mean that was a bad hint!?
That was a GREAT hint!

A Disposable Experiment Turns One

For those of you who have been following my blog for a year, you may remember March 1st, 2010, when I launched my version of the disposable camera chain letter, called "A Disposable Experiment."

I sent 10 disposable cameras to various cities with the intention that each recipient would take one photo and then pass the camera along to somebody else, who would also take one photo and pass it along, etc.

Sigh.

I heard from people early on in the experiment. They passed the camera along and the next recipient would email to tell me they got the camera and they were so excited to be part of the project.

Sigh. Sigh.

I HAVEN'T GOTTEN A SINGLE CAMERA BACK! Come on guys! This is so cool and fun! I still have faith that one day I am going to open my P.O. box and find it full of cameras! Then I will get the cameras developed and see how wicked the results are and it will have been worth the wait!

This guy took HIS picture! You want to be like this guy!

Good thing I didn't hold my breath.
If you are reading this, and you have one of my cameras, please take your photo and pass it along! We have 27 frames to get through for each camera and I'm counting on YOU! Like, I know if you want something done right you generally have to do it yourself, but that would have REALLY defeated the purpose this time!

Until the cameras make their way home, refresh your memory about the phases of this experiment thus far!

It started with a dream, and a video!

Then we launched!

From time to time we were updated!

The cameras were still moving!

74 days in, it started slowing down...

And since then, radio silence.
This is Day 365.