Blogging, Commuting and Still life

There's a huge self-imposed obligation to blogging. Sort of a pain in the ass actually. This morning I was going to work (which is a weird thing to say) and I kept thinking that I hadn't blogged in a long time. It's the last day of fashion week and I've been in a studio shooting for the past week. It's like having a real 9-5 job.

My commute this morning began by stepping onto the train at Dyckman Street (200th). I looked around and noticed two homeless people sitting back-to-back, taking up 4 seats in the middle of the train, both hunched over asleep surrounded by all their belongings in many overstuffed bags. No one sat within 15 feet of them. Homeless people tend to smell and people generally stay far away or switch cars. On the next stop at 190th a guy about 35 sat down next to me and started reading a book called Just For Today. I like to see what people are reading. I read a few paragraphs and realized it's a handbook for Narcotics Anonymous. He had many pages dogeared and lots of bookmarks. At the next stop someone directly across got off and he switched seats, probably knowing I was reading his book over his shoulder. That left an empty seat next to me. At the next stop (180th) a beautiful woman about 22 and some old Hispanic guy stepped on, both glanced around for an open seat. In an instant I did a quick exercise in visualization from the book The Secret and imagined her sitting next to me, the two of us giggling and talking, enjoying the ride downtown. Not to be, the old guy squeezed into the seat with his big green puffy jacket squishing up against me. Like sitting next to a giant green warm marshmallow. The Secret didn't work that time. The morning commute to Fairchild is exhausting. I take the subway from 200th street to 42nd (8 stops). Up a flight of steps, walk down a very long corridor and down a flight of steps to the 7 train platform. Wait on that train for about 7 minutes and then travel 2 stops to Grand Central. Up 3 escalators to the Grand Central terminal. Walk down another long corridor, stopping in Starbucks for a medium decaf, and then another 5+ block walk down Lexington Ave to Fairchild. Check in at security, have photo taken for a visitor pass, take the elevator to the 2nd floor, walk into the studio and collapse. 50 minutes door to door. Shit, after I get there I need a nap.

This is tiny a sample of what I did all week. Excuse lack of color correction and creativity. People ask what I do all day in the studio. I shoot photos of makeup and beauty products. It's not very glamorous but it's fairly easy and sort of relaxing.

And, at 5:30 I start that damned commute in reverse.