london, england. i try and go to the botanic gardens in every place i visit. i love to see different species of plants thriving in different climates. ferns are my favorite and there was plenty at kew gardens. this place had the most beautifully built greenhouses i've ever encountered. and peacocks freely roaming the grounds. also the top two photos are from the borough market area. i like the mix of old and new buildings juxtaposed.
marfa, texas is one of those odd ball places you wouldn't expect to find in texas. kind of like austin in that it's doesn't feel like part of texas. it's its own state inside of tx and oddly enough has a huge art scene. there are many artist residencies and galleries there. it is also the smallest town i've ever been to, literally one traffic light in the whole place and you see the same people every day. there was one african american and one filipino living there that we met on the first day and continued to see them around town every day. wow. the entire town is only a few blocks long so it's one of those places where you are driving through the desert and there is nothing for miles then a small strip of town and then back to nothingness. almost like a mirage.
palm springs, ca. we shot at the same location that brad and angelina shot their infamous W shoot. we recreated that shoot on set for fun. we stayed at the parker and it literally smelled heavenly. warm weather, santa ana winds, the most delicious smelling flowers all around the rooms and exteriors. nothing like relaxing in the hot tub then a dip in the pool and off to bed. i'm so jealous of californians. it was my first time to palm springs and i must say it didn't feel like a mecca of 50s modern that it is known for. obviously i didn't see all of it but the town was very small and a couple of arty shops but mostly just older folks and regular shops you would see in any small town, small strip mall type shops...nothing special struck me about the downtown at all. either way though the desert is one of my favorite locations whereever it may be and this definitely didn't let me down.
one month after i started my new job, they sent me to morocco for 10 days. i never had any interest in going to the African continent so i didn't know what to expect. just outside the city, the country was very rocky, hilly and sandy. the colors of the city overall seemed to be worn in and muted peaches, browns, oranges, reds. camels were chained up on the side of the road. we first shot at a thousand year old casbah that had been passed down from generation to generation. it was a huge structure with only a small family living there in a couple of the rooms. the family lived simple and proud. many movies had been shot there. ridley scott had just filmed something, babel with brad pitt was also filmed in the town. the main market in Marrakech, the medina, was the busiest and craziest place i have ever been to. completely packed to the brim with people everywhere, stray cats, donkeys pulling carts, bicycles, scooters, mini cars/trucks. you have to keep vigilant watch as you may get run over or lose the people you are traveling with! the stall vendors in the market were very educated but very pushy and were good at telling your nationality just by looking at you. so they would call out the most popular thing from your country to get you to come in their little stall and buy things. "fish and chips! come in, take a look, and buy". the craftsmanship of their architecture and goods was very intricate and they would always tell you it was the best in Morocco! the shopping was incredible! the air in the market was filled with delicious smells of street food and tajine spices. daily additions were fresh oranges as potent as could be and mint tea with every meal.
i went to vegas for a friend's wedding so i headed out to red rock canyon to shoot. it was awe inspiring with these massive earthly creations jutting out of the sand. there were hieroglyphics on some of the rocks as well as erosion holes and rings carved into the rocks that i'm sure took hundreds of years to imbed themselves. the top shot reminds me of a dinosaur.
