behind the aluminum curtain

wednesday vertical

Another day-after-Thanksgiving tradition...the last lawn-maintenance session of the year.

renovations

I have some very noisy roommates this week. It's strange to see people outside your fourth-floor window.

working weekends

Rose's in Wicker Park, Chicago.

All-Stars in the Stands

Last year I shot a story on beer vendors at Wrigley Field. So when I went to last week's shutout I couldn't help but shoot a few more.

the real mccoy

I shot this lovely photo for editorial use on a two-page spread in a magazine, and the place totally butchered it.

I just want to show it here in its original glory.

the king of kings

I touted some restaurants for my San Sebastian city guide, and this was my favorite place, Casa Tiburcio. Here's an out-of-focus shot (I blame it on all the steam in the kitchen) of the chef himself, Tiburcio, answering some questions for me about percebes, a shellfish found in only a handful of regions throughout the world.

work update

Here I am, shooting more luxury hotels in San Sebastián. This turned out to be a real nightmare, as most of the hotels were completely booked and I was unable to shoot a lot of rooms. This just meant that I scouted a ton of the smaller hostals and pensíons, which was kind of fun.

working

While I shot photos of nicely appointed luxury hotels in Montevideo last week (left), I (gratefully) couchsurfed in an unheated house (right).

sorry

I couldn´t help it. I´m just like a ten-year-old boy. Also, it was a really long day and you know I hate shooting fashion, so this really cheered me up.



I was so shocked that I didn´t even think to go in and buy a tee-shirt.

the happiest girl in the world

I am the happiest girl in the world. Yesterday morning I finished the third draft of this novel I've been working on for the past two years, almost to the date. Did you know that this could be what happiness looks like? I didn't. I am constantly amazed. I sent out the first few pitches and I feel really good about it.



I guess even though I'm a writer, I'm a visual person as well (hence the photography!) so it is cool to go back and see what progress looks like. I hope I'll have some good news to report back soon.

If you want to know more about my novel (or know someone who wants to rep it), check out the basics here.

mechanic central

My neighborhood is about 60 percent mechanics. A lot of the old-school workshops have trenches in the ground where the mechanics go to work on the chassis, rather than having a lift of some sort.



Ingenious.

the doctor

This is what it looks like when an Argentine-Australian laptop doctor comes to your house and opens up your notebook on a Superman beach towel, illuminated by a crappy clip light.



This didn't work out too well, and I ended up having to buy an external keyboard and mouse. Hopefully it will tide me over until I can get it fixed back in the States.

how pedestrian

This is Calle Florida, a pedestrian-only thoroughfare downtown. Many of the vendors only come out at night and during the weekends because it's just too crowded during the weekdays.



Things for sale: socks, scarves, travel adapters, jewelry, "Lacoste" shirts, toys, cell phones...

desk job

This is a beautiful cultural center downtown on Avenida de Mayo. I've only been inside once, to see a photo show.



I like how so many buildings have someone keeping them company into the wee hours of the night.

more nighttime labor

They were shooting some kind of car commercial the other night when I walked through San Telmo. For the amount of lighting they had out, I wondered why they didn't just shoot during the day.

Beauty and the Beast

I walked by this theater the other night where there is a production of Beauty and the Beast going on. At first I was taking photos of all these vendors sitting on the sidewalk, but suddenly they all got up. I thought they didn't want me taking photos of them. But the show was about to end, because all the women--for some reason, all the vendors were women--lined up outside the doors to sell all this schwag: swords, princess dresses, tiaras.



It gives a whole new meaning to "seasonal work."

working weekends

I have finally finished this shopping guide I've been shooting/writing. It was a ton of work, but fun. I tromped all around the upscale neighborhoods of the city, talked to some great designers, and ventured into a lot of beautiful stores.



I love this photo even though it's probably not publishable. And I've learned that wide-angle lenses are not great for shooting interiors. Everything always looked lopsided. I have to figure that one out still.

what am i doing?

This week I have been shooting boutique hotels in Buenos Aires, so I am basically being given tours of fancy bathrooms and beds with far too many pillows. I hated shooting the first day in Palermo. Some of the hoteliers were kind of unhelpful and/or snooty (not good PR, guys!) but then I had some much friendlier experiences in San Telmo.



I shot three hotels that second day, and came home to find out that I shot one entire site completely out of focus. I'd forgotten that I'd switched over to manual focus in the dark hotel lobby, and couldn't tell on the little display screen that everything was blurry. Also, the fact that the guy showing me around was incredibly cute didn't help my concentration much. Guess I'll have to go back to see him again. I mean, it. The hotel.

back to work

It is strange and wonderful to be back in Buenos Aires after a few weeks of life and death and wandering. But I am very interested in getting back to work on my novel. Before I left, I was faced with the task of transporting all these notes with me. I ended up sticking them in a piece of sheet music that I didn't like, which worked pretty well. And now that all the notes are back on my wall, there are tiny pieces of Sibelius stuck to all the little pieces of tape.



This is sort of what the inside of my brain looks like on a good day: dark and cluttered, but with good intentions.