Bankie Banx

I just got back from at trip to St. Martin, where I was hired to shoot a wedding on the Island. Not only was the wedding incredible, but the couple was amazing and brought me along to document their whole weekend. Dream Job. One of the days I went on a boat trip with them and their guests to Anguilla. We docked at Rendezvous Bay- one of the most incredible beaches around... so quiet, crystal clear water, softest sand ever. (photos to come)

We were told to take a walk over to Dune Preserve. Picture the best treehouse on a beach that functions as a restaurant/bar/music venue and this is it. It actually is paradise.  Musician, Bankie Banx, quoted to be the "Anguillan Bob Dylan", owns the Dune Preserve and you'll find him hanging there all day. After meeting a few people there,  I found Bankie and only had a minute with him  before I had to head back to the boat, and literally grabbed him and snapped a photo in one of the nooks of the place. Bankie Banx spent time touring and living in New York and returned to Anguilla and now hosts the annual Moonsplash music festival at the Dune Preserve. Bankie Banx- makin' music and living in Paradise.  He's also a really really nice guy who I sincerely enjoyed meeting. 

Bankie Banx, 2014.Anguilla

Bankie Banx, 2014.

Anguilla

Molly Guy of Stone Fox Bride

Bonberi's newest issue has the Mother's Day vibe all over it. We spent a great afternoon with Molly Guy, the founder of Stone Fox Bride, and her 2 yr old daughter, Sunny. They made REALLY really great banana muffins- check the recipe on Bonberi!

The light in her home was so lovely and bright- it was a pleasure to shoot in there. And also to be around the happiest 2 year old ever. Check the pics and her story on Bonberi.com. 

Author and Chef: Julia Turshen

I spent the afternoon with Julia, shooting for Bonberi. Julia prepared an amazing Zucchini salad...one that everyone should make. (recipe on Bonberi). We ate, hung with her dog Hope, chatted with her wife Grace Bonney of Design Sponge, and she took us through her writing/cooking journeys. A great day.

For all of you home cooks out there, check out her newest endeavor, the Buvette cookbook. 

Read up on Julia and get that recipe on Bonberi! Some pics from the day....

 

Steven Onoja take two

Shot again with my buddy Steven, of Ostentation and Style. We shot 2 looks in the city on a cold day. Both of the looks worked so well with our locations (New York Public Library and Grand Central Station). Dude's got style.

 I took one of my favorite photos I've ever taken that day. 

Chef Laurent Tourondel

Infamous Chef LT of LT Bar & Grill and many other restaurants.

I shot Laurent on a snowy day in midtown for Bonberi. His veggie burger made an appearance on Bonberi- get in there for the recipe. I'm not going to lie, its a good burger. 

 

Mahjongg

mah–jongg

 noun \ˌmä-ˈzhäŋ, -ˈjäŋ, -ˈzhȯŋ, -ˈjȯŋ, ˈmä-ˌ\:

:  a game of Chinese origin usually played by four persons with 144 tiles that are drawn and discarded until one player secures a winning hand

 

My Grandma plays Maj every week with her friends in Sun Lakes, Arizona. I snuck into the clubhouse to snap a few photos of the game and there were tons of other ladies playing cards and mahjong in there. I loved watching the flow of the game...these gals know what they are doing! 

 

3/26/2014 

3/26/2014

 

Liz, her stem cells, and Gift of Life.

Last month I accompanied one of my closest friends to Washington DC to be by her side while she donated her Stem Cells to an anonymous person. Meet Liz. She lives in California, works in the entertainment industry, teaches yoga, and is a world traveler. She's also my best friend and one of the greatest people around. 

Liz signed up through the Gift of Life Foundation to be a bone marrow donor. 7 years later, she got a call informing her that she's the perfect match for someone. She knows nothing about the person, except that he's a 65 year old man with a blood disease called Multiple Myeloma. Being the incredible, selfless person that she is, Liz of course commits to the donation.

This all went down during a bad snowstorm at the Georgetown University Hospital. The rooms and halls were empty...no one was around. Joey, Liz's boyfriend, myself, and Nick, our Gift of Life liaison,  were all there during the 7 hour donation. I had no idea how emotional and exhausting this procedure would be. Its pretty incredible to see this process... to see that the second they got the amount of stem cells needed, there was someone there with a cooler ready to pick up and deliver the donation. Because of the storm that day, all flights and trains were cancelled out of DC....but those stem cells were getting where they needed to go.(that information was kept private)

Liz will have the option, in a year, to connect with the Man who received her Stem Cells.

This was such an inspiring experience to be a part of. Of course, I had to document this...but also wanted to share the story.