Best Coffee Shops in 2018

December 29, 2018 in 2018 in review

While 2018 compared to previous years was a bit slow in terms of coffee shop adventures. However the ones I did visit were good ones! I finally got around to checking off a few places that have been on my list for way too long and have added some others to the list. Below are a few coffee shops I visited in 2018 that I enjoyed the most.

1. Uncle Bobby’s Coffee & Books (Germantown, Philadelphia, PA)

This place is great. Located in the Germantown section of Philadelphia it is a bookstore/coffee shop owned by Marc Lamont Hill. It is a cool little place to come and catch up with friends or read a good book while enjoying a coffee or hot chocolate. However if you check out their social media pages you’ll see that they also host various events such as weekly movie nights and other things to bring the community together.

2. Bower Cafe (Philadelphia, PA)

Bower Cafe took over the old Quaker City Coffee co shop near 10th & Locust st. This little cafe has excellent coffee drinks, along with sandwiches featuring “cured meats” that are brought in from Brooklyn, NY. The cafe itself is super cozy and a quiet place to study or do work.

3. Flour Bakery (Cambridge, MA)

If you’re ever in the M.I.T. neighborhood of Boston I recommend stopping into this place for breakfast or lunch (or a quick coffee and snack time). Their drinks are good and their food is delicious.

4. The Elk (NYC)

We found this place has by just walking down the street one day and decided to stop in for a coffee break. It's a small room but with lots of tables and pretty quiet - great for getting some work done or have a nice conversation with friends.

5. Brown Street (Fairmount, Philadelphia, PA)

This place has been on my list for a while now. So while petsitting in the neighborhood I finally went to give it try... the bahn mi was very delicious and cappuccino was good as well.

6. Vine & Vault | East Falls, PA

I only just discovered this place a week or so ago but it’s a great little place. Located right up the street from the East Falls train station this is part flower/gift shop and part coffee shop. On the gift shop side they have some nice candles and little gift things (a good place to discover right before the holiday’s). On the coffee shop side, they have a excellent coffee and tea drinks, and their bakery items are delicious. They also have a nice little green house space with tables so you can sit and catch up with friends over a cup of coffee.

#yearinreview: Top 6 Concert Photos of 2018

December 27, 2018 in 2018 in review, Event, Music Photography

Music is always one of the most fun things to photograph! From local artists in bars to musicians known and loved worldwide- there’s just something great about enjoying live music and flashing lights through the tiny viewfinder screen of my camera. Below are a few of my favorite concert photos that I took in 2018.

Hozier at The Fillmore philadelphia

Hozier | Philadelphia, PA | October 3, 2018 | Shot for WXPN

From a mainstream standpoint, this is probably the “biggest” show I’ve shot so far. It was my first time seeing Hozier live- it was a great show and I realized how tall he actually is!

Huffamoose at Ardmore Music Hall

Chris Farr w/Huffamoose | Nov. 24, 2018 | Shot for Winding Way Records

During the summer of 2018 I began doing some photo & video work for Winding Way Records, located in delco. Huffamoose is a local band who was pretty big in the 80’s and just released their first new album since then - on Winding Way records. It was really cool to get the chance to work behind the scenes during this album release and shoot their release shows!

First Aid Kit at Union Transfer

First Aid Kit | Philadelphia, PA | Feb. 10, 2018 | Shot for WXPN

To be honest… First Aid Kit was one of those bands I’ve known for a while and enjoyed their music when I heard it but never really paid much attention to them or seeked them out. With that said, I guess I thought they’d be a cool band to take photos of earlier this year and I was right. This was great show- they are good stage performers and hearing their music live made me enjoy it more than when I would listen to the recordings without experiencing it live.

Lily Allen at Union Transfer

Lily Allen | Philadelphia, PA | October 23, 2018 | Shot for WXPN

I genuinely enjoyed this show.

I was surprised when I saw Lily Allen was at Union Transfer because I figured she could definitely fill bigger venues like The Fillmore. However, I am glad I was able to see her in a smaller place like Union Transfer. My only critictism is that she did her song ‘LDN’ too early (while I was still shooting from the photo pit) so I couldn’t enjoy it as much as I would’ve liked… but I suppose most people wouldn’t have that issue.

Under the Oak at Ardmore Music Hall

Under the Oak | Aug. 31, 2018 | Shot for Winding Way Records

Under the Oak is another band signed to Winding Way Records. I had heard of this band previously but had never actually managed to see them live until this year. They opened for Splintered Sunlight in Ardmore and it was a great set.

This was also my first Splintered Sunlight show.

Glen Hansard at Union Transfer

Glen Hansard | Philadelphia, PA | March25, 2018 | Shot for WXPN

When I first looked at the stage and saw little red lamps set up all over I realized that the stage light use would low. Despite the ultra low light shooting conditions the stage lamps gave the sold out Union Transfer an intimate feeling making this a great show.

#yearinreview: Top 6 Food Photos of 2018

December 20, 2018 in 2018 in review

I’ve grown to love taking “food portraits” over the past 12 months! Back at the start of 2018 I began getting working with a local golf club that also got me doing food photography on a more professional level. As I look back on all the food photography I’ve done this year I can definitely see loads of improvements between January and December. So while thinking up some fun “year-end” posts I’ve picked out my favorite five food photos, to make your mouth water.

A bartender shot

This is a more recent photograph, taken on Thanksgiving eve at Rivercrest Golf Club. Action shots like this is what make being a food photographer really fun! When I look at this photo I see it as something I would see in my instagram feed and think to myself “I wish I could take photos like that”! It’s not even like it’s a super complicated photos or anything- I just like everything about this shot.

I’d actually been watching the bar waiting for someone to order a drink so I could try to get a shot like this. This wasn’t at all staged and it turned out better than in my head (which believe me is hard to do)!

2. Nachos!

I took loads of photos of this plate, from all different angles but I just wasn’t liking how most of them were turning out… and then at some point it occurred to me I was trying to be too creative here. I realized that which nachos it’s usually everything that’s loaded on top of the chips that make people want nachos, right? Sometimes it’s better to be more simple and show each component making up the plate than it is to be super artsy trying to shoot your next masterpiece.

3. In the Kitchen

Getting action shots in the kitchen of chefs preparing foods is another thing I’m constantly envisioning myself doing a lot of. These are the shots where you can get more creative by showing more than just a stock food image.

4. Garnishing the Pasta

Every time I go to a food shoot I think about what sort of “accessories” I could possibly add to the photos to make them more “entertaining” to the viewer. Every time I look at this photo, and one the above, I just love everything about them both. But I also wonder how I could make the shots even more interesting.

5. Burrata

This is another instance where I took loads of various shots- trying to figure out which background I liked best, which angle looked best, what the focus of the dish should be. I chose this one in the end because after all… it was a beautiful day on a golf course and the driving range (in the background) was nearly full. Also there was a ledge just the right size for this dish to sit on!

6. Outdoor Kitchen

**All photos shot for Rivercrest Golf Club

Rowers from around the world take on #HOCR54 - DAY ONE recap

November 05, 2018

Each October the Charles river (and Boston) is taken over by thousands of rowers and spectators from around the world. This year for the first time ever I went up to witness the 54th Head of the Charles regatta in person!

The very first rower to take on the race course this year was from Quintin Boat Club - in Chiswick, London, UK. This same rower went on to win his event as well.

Quintin boat club was the club that I actually rowed out of a handful of times while studying abroad in London during the summer of 2014. So besides the excitement of seeing the first boat to kick off the whole regatta I had a more personal “obligation” to be up and out early to cheer on my British club!

As you might be able to guess, the Head of the Charles (HOCR) is a huge event. If you only one thing about the regatta it is quite possible the fact that an enormous amount of both rowers and spectators flock to Boston for the weekend, year after year. The nice thing about this race course is that there are several bridges lining the 5k race course - which provide spectators great views of the rowers.

The bridges aren’t the only places filled with crowds of spectators cheering on the boats though. As you walk along the bike trail that goes right alongside the course, you’ll see the river banks filled with rowers, coaches, locals, non-locals, and vendors.

Because of the length of this race and all the bridges there are loads of cool spots to get photos unique to the Charles river!

Check out the full day one photo gallery below!

…and it is possible to take quick pit stops on your row up to the start (assuming you’ve left yourself the extra time!)

Sunday Scenes at the Head of the Schuylkill Regatta

October 29, 2018 in Event

Kelly Drive and the river were taken over by rowers and spectators this past weekend. Falling a week after Head of the Charles (in Boston) Philadelphia holds their own big autumn regatta each year - The Head of the Schuylkill.

The College/University teams (local and non-local) race Saturday, high school teams race Sunday, with lots of masters’ rowers mixed in for fun! Below are photos showing some of what the Sunday scene looks like.

Many rowers like to take advantage of the race being on Halloween weekend by wearing costumes or funny hats…

Navesink River Rowing getting into the Halloween spirit.

Local rowers cheering on teammates on their way to the start.

It can get a little congested with boats…

PHOTO RECAP: Best of Summer '18

October 11, 2018

Summer of 2018 was a busy season. I spent the past 4 months going everywhere (within reasonable driving distance) and taking loads of photos. I did three photo shoots for Row2k, I filmed numerous weddings all over greater Philadelphia, I took loads of food photos out at Rivercrest Golf Club, and there were many other things. However, this post isn’t meant for boring you with how I let my life get a wee bit out of control. This post is to share my favorite photos that I took over the last four months!

Let’s start with the paid gigs.

From sports to music to food to portraits- I have definitely gotten comfortable with the new camera I added to my lineup earlier this year! I’ve even used it (along with my first body) to film a couple weddings this summer. Out of the hundreds (possibly thousands) of photos I’ve taken in the last four months there are a handful of photos I’d say are some of my favorites.

Concert Photography

This is the Kit | Johnny Brenda’s | May 26, 2018

Under the Oak | Ardmore Music Hall | August 31, 2018

Food Photography

While I’ve only really been taking portraits of food for about one year they are definitely some of my favorite photo shoots to do!

Nachos | Shot for Rivercrest Golf Club, Phoenixville, PA

Burratta | Shot for Rivercrest Golf Club, Phoenixville, PA

Burgers on the Grill | Shot for Rivercrest Golf Club

Kitchen Prep | Shot for Rivercrest Golf Club

Sports Photography

I managed to fit in a couple sport gigs this summer too! A few shoots for Row2k including Independence Day Regatta and the Philadelphia Youth Regatta.

Horses watching the Rowers | Shot for: Row2k

Other sports:

Now, on that note - of photographing grown ups playing the classic college drinking game “beer pong” - let’s move on because there were things I did just for fun this summer as well. While I may not have made it to the shore until Labor Day Weekend, I did manage to fit in a couple New York day trips.

I got some new Streets of New York photos but also practiced taking portraits with my new Sony a7ii camera.

But don’t worry, I still spent plenty of time in Philadelphia with my camera though! Before I got super busy with jobs I went on a couple evening photo walks around center city.