Tuesday, November 27, 2007

streets of San Salvador



It's the latest fad in San Salvador. Double barrel shotgun private guards. They all look badass, but what a job. While I was there I noticed that everywhere you go, these guys were on the job looking menacing with there big guns. Tire changing shops, video stores, McD's, banks, flower shops, taco stands. I am beginning to think that robbery is a national pastime in El Salvador. Why so much crime?

on location in swamps of ???




It's been awhile since I uploaded anything on my blog.. Hmm seems to be a recurring problem with me. Actually I am gone so often and I tend not to update when I am on the road because of many various reasons. Please don't hate! I will try to correct the problem. In the meantime I will overload you with pieces of my travels and new stories and photographs.

NEED YOUR WORLDWIDE HELP FOR CASTING

hey all.. My friend Jay Bulger needs your help. Jay is an ex-model friend of mine who is a man with a creative energy that never sleeps. He writes, directs music videos, and is now directing a worldwide Pepsi commercial. He asked me for my help in casting.
Jay will be traveling the world looking for young (late teens -early 20's) artists who are creating interesting and off the beaten track things.

He gave me an example of a artists who builds dog houses in the middle of Siberia.

Please send your casting ideas to me and I will forward them to Jay
olsonfoto@gmail.com

He will be in the middle east, russia, china, russia, Spain and many other countries.

This will start shooting in a week. So send me your info asap

Monday, October 29, 2007

recently asked


to be inspired by my own photographs.. gotta love that

Press is priceless

I recently was asked to hand over my contributors photo and bio to Vogue for my upcoming story. My agent popped this out.

New York Fashion Photographer Jeff Olson has always been inspired by imagery of the 60's. After crisscrossing the United States working on his fine art documentary body of work for his highly anticipated upcoming show in New York. He narrowed down the location for his collaborative shoot with Sarah Gore Reeves and creative man Billy Cole to the streets of New York City on legendary 5th avenue. " There is no other place on earth with the energy that 5th Avenue offers. You can be in Tokyo, London, Cairo, Paris or any other city, nothing
compares to the streets of NYC" When not sleeping on a jet traveling the globe shooting. Jeff's can be found with his two Brussels Griffon puppies, Iggy and Big.

press is priceless

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

flew virgin america


yea, I flew Virgin America. It was like taking the L train to willyb. You had to be uber fashionable lounging in the special waiting to board area. You walk on in and forget how cool you as the tunes play away. This is no ordinary airline.. the music, the mood lighting all making your entrance peacful and for lack of a better word ZEN.
You sit down and touch the huge tv screen that holds their inflight entertainment center "RED"
Wow.. movies, premier TV and all the music that Virgin publishes all for your eyes and ears to enjoy. Hungry, you order all your food and drinks with "RED" and one you get your drink, kick back and play some classic and new video games. The flight was enjoyable and the mood lighting very pleasing! 2 thumbs up!!!

picture of a lifetime




get this limited edition print before it sells out!!

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

you won't believe my day...



it's 10:23pm on Monday as I sit in LAX at the United terminal waiting for my redeye (overnight flight) to San Salvador, the capital of El Salvador which is a beautiful country in central America.

Working and packing on Sunday I noticed my Passport expired a few days previous.. Sunday in NYC and no passport leaving at 6am the following morning. F**ked is what I am at this moment. Many phone calls later I have a ticket to Philadelphia to renew my passport at the only place on the east coast I can walk in and take care of business. I bought that last ticket out to El Salvador in hopes I arrive before the shoot.

I stayed up late watching America's Most Smartest Model or Top something or other. I was so amused. It amazes me what people will do to get on TV. Ben Stein and the beautiful Mary Alice Stephenson, formerly the fashion Editor of Maire Claire and now Harpers Bazaar host this brainless show.Exhausted I fall asleep at 12:30am.

Crashed.. out.. sleeping soundly. I wake at 1:30am.. My little dog Iggy has become restless, I get out of bed and check on her. I go back to bed and she continues to paw at the bed on all sides. I pick her up and she starts scratching and I am like I can't take this.. I grab a pillow and go to the couch. I have a killer day starting in a few hours. I fall asleep and I am woken a half hour later by Soph telling me that there is something really wrong with Iggy. Iggy can't walk and is very listless and lays there not moving. Normally she would be the first one wanting to run around and have fun. I freak.. I think I have to leave for a job and Iggy looks like she is going to DIE. We rush to the Hospital on the west side. An amazing place. They take her right out of our hands. We wait, sign paper work and wait more. The Dr. comes and talks to us.. asks questions and such. We sign more paperwork. They suspect that she has eaten some pot of other drug. The way she acts is the way a dog wold act under the influence. Where is a DARE officer when you need them. HA.
The Dr. says run to a 24 hour pharmacy and buy a drug test. I can't believe my ears but I do as he says. I bring it back so they can test my dog for marijuana.. Somewhat humorous. They tell us to go home and sleep.
I take Sophia home and I rest for 10 minutes. I have canceled my previous train and made new a reservation at this point.

I play it close. I want to get to Philly early, but can I?? I arrive at the passport office at 8am thinking they open at 9am. To my surprise there are already 30 people ahead of me. ARGH.. Line moves and the lady says after taking $200 from me that at 10:30am, my passport will be ready.
2 hours to kill.

I go walk around and get a free ticket to see Independence Hall. It was within its walls that the Declaration of Independence was adopted and the Constitution of the United States was debated, drafted and signed.

Pretty cool to get the tour, see GW's chair and I mean the original GW, George Washington. Took in the cracked bell called the Liberty Bell. Starving I see Mom's which is proclaimed as the best Philly Steak Sandwich around. 10am and along with the rest of the tourists I dive into one of these fine sandwiches. Get the passport, get the train, visit my Iggy, shower and hop on the 4pm flight to LAX to catch the redeye to San Salvador. To be picked up and taken straight to the shoot. Out of the van into a creative meeting with the Creative Director who does not speak any English, the owner of the agency and the client. No coffee no nothing yet. I am dying at the amusement of the situation. Got a coffee and cookies at what time? 8am .. yummm cookies for breakfast. We shoot all day in the sun,clouds and the rain. Finish run to the hotel and check in for a quick shower before the traditional El Salvadorian dinner which was AMAZING!


From there off to the party for the advertising world of El Salvador. Drinks with the client and off to bed. I have been up for 36 hours straight by this point. Exhausted I pass out only to wake up in the morning to the sunlight shining in my hotel room. I look out into green jungle and blue sky with a huge volcano covered by the white puffy clouds.
What a sight after the previous day. A little breakfast, a bribe to take us shopping before our flight. In the plane off to the city. 1am roll into the house. Greeted at the door by the family. Iggy was finally home..

Saturday, October 13, 2007

another day in paradise...coryK on canal st.



CORY KENNEDY IN NYC
another day spent with coryK running around NYC. Hit canal street to capture some off the cuff images and trying to piss of the merchants with the cameras and video crew. Yes there were many of us and we managed to make it out unscathed walking and shopping on canal st. You can not even image how much attention you can receive on canal street with a camera. They hate you.. They (the merchants) chase you, yell at you, stare at you with hatred, chase after you, shove there hands in your camera, and want to fight. My god they are fu*king CRAZY!!

Cory Kennedy flew in from Paris and I was hanging for an odd moment in NYC chillin with my poochies. We decided to document an off the cuff shopping spree on the streets to see if was possible to buy an entire stylish ensemble on the street of the illegal knock off.. No wonder the attention from the merchants.
CoryK rocked it ..I convinced her to change up with her new gear in the street avoiding the paparazzi for a moment.. Running into shoe stores to do some last minute adjusting before we finished up.
All in all is was great to see my friend again. With all of our world travels it's hard to hang and catch up..
another day in paradise..

Friday, October 12, 2007

so much.. so much



did I speak of my adventure crossing the country doing pre pro on a documentary I am working on and my fine art work.. can you call it Fine Art. I guess you can, though I consider it more of a body of documentary shot my way. Anyway, it was a journey that started at 2 am and continued for 6 days with a layover to see my grandmother in the town where I was born.That was really touching. It had been awhile and it was great to see her again. So 2am, I am off on an empty stomach and a bottle of water and one speaker that sits right behind my ear. Luckily I have my iPhone and my headphones, which means problem solved! Heading off into the black night I started to get mesmerized by the divider lines on the road.. Music pumping and my eyes feeling heavy.. Window down and 70 miles an hour on the winding roads of Massachusetts Hit the highway and see a sign for Cracker Barrel. No way will I visit some place that all of America seems to have visited. Instead, concentrate on the reason of my travels. Truck stops. Always something that intrigued me growing up out west.
4 am and starving and in need of coffee I stop at the first of many and find myself in awe. It's late I am tired and I feel like I have found the best thing I have ever set my eyes upon. It was a scene from a movie. Nothing could have been more perfect. The place mats wit the bits of history and odd animals to the typical when you thing of a female trucker walking by with 2 huge tattoo's of anchors on her forearms. To the kids eating eggs and hamburgers after a long night of partying.. I ask where were they. I am in the middle of nowhere. I eat and even with coffee, I crash in the across the front seat. Brush my teeth, turn the heat on and surrender to night. I awake a few hours later to a beautiful scene of the sun rising over a truck stop... where? I have no idea..... the start of another day

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Muse.. the model agency..home to cory kennedy


so I lunched with Conor Kennedy today, the man behind and at the helm of Muse Models in NYC. Muse, a recent entrance to the model agency scene in NYC, but for Conor not the first time in the industry. Conor has been behind many faces in this world.. He was but a young teenager when he was plucked up by Michael Flutie at the landmark agency Company Models. Oh the days of lore...ah fuck it .. today is a new day and Conor is rockin the world of fashion. Look out for this AMAZING agency.. Check them out and book their models!! Let's show a ton of support for someone with an EYE!! For the Cory Kennedy fans out there, she found a home at Muse. And if you paid attention to the last names.. Greatness rolls in the Kennedy's
MUSENYC.COM

this show is a must see!!!




Jan Von Holleben's show blew me away.. I was invited to the opening night, mostly because I am also represented by the same gallery. Peter Halpert and Jan edited a fine collection of vivid photographs mounted extremely well and hung in a way that added to the beauty of Jan's work. I am a huge fan of his previous series which is collected world wide and was bought as a whole by
the Victoria&Albert Museum of Childhood.. very amazing work.. go see it now and look at the catalog from his previous show titled "Dreams of Flying"

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

it's been too long




it's been too long since my last post. so much has happened and I have not been near a computer to upload anything till now and let me tell you I am too tired to be witty or remotely interesting. I leave you with a photo from the beginning of my journey which I will start posting on tomorrow... till than do yourself a favor and buy a ticket and go listen to the Dalai Lama speak in NYC. The last time he was her was the last time I saw my friend Tara in town before she left for 4 years traveling the world. Now both are back. Go see the Dalai Lama. He has a lot to teach us all

Monday, September 10, 2007

US OPEN-can you spell courtside


alright.. It's been a moment since I last posted. I do apologize. I got a little carried away it was fashion week on one hand and the US Open on the other. I have to say that having court side seats kind of prevented me from taking in all the fashionable events and shows of the week. Shit can you blame me? It was my first time rollin in the big leagues of the tennis world.

Tuesday, September 4, 2007

sneak preview


here is a sneak preview of Tiiu for Vogue....

Thursday, August 30, 2007

castings.. castings..


I am finding my fashion pre week to be as busy as most casting directors. Hmm maybe not that busy, but I have seen many amazing faces. One in particular stands out and from what I hear she has exclusives all over town. Courtney from Elite. She is MAJOR

Amazon & the shorty




Come on already.. I am 6'3 and I am always the tallest on my shoots. So being the second tallest kind of hurt my ego. I had to leave the shoot early to go my therapist, I have not been the same since. ha ha
Tiiu is fantastic. Her height is mind blowing and her beauty is stunning. We love Tiiu.

my poochies



There has been a little interest in my dogs as of late..Iggy was recently street casted for a puppy clothing line. Big has been sought after by the Humane Society as their poster dog.

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

ON LOCATION IN MY OWN NYC!!!!!!!



Shot today for Vogue.. first time in many months I was in New York shooting. Such a great day. The tourists, the traffic, the cabs all of them on bustling 5th ave. I am personally a huge fan of James Mooney at Art Dept. The lovely Vicky Steckel whom added her artistry to the gorgeous flawless COVERGIRL face of Tiiu also at Art Department. A mooring of chatter led to some amazing images with the addition of our researcher and extra eye Billy Cole. All of us brought together by the wonderfully talented Sarah Gore Reeves of Art-Dept. You can not buy days like today, it was completely perfect!

Saturday, August 11, 2007

On the road in Russia with Jay Bulger..model,actor,producer,director and writer





My friend Jayson Bulger aka Jay, Dick, the Bulge, the Champ among others, is one of those people you meet in life that makes you smile for his happiness. I met Jayson a few years back as a struggling male model. Introduced by Paolo from my old agency. I was promised that Jay and I would be best friends. At first I was taken aback. He had his hair corn rowed and was wearing tons of eyeliner straight from the fashion shows at Bryant Park. We drank with my fav bartender in the world at sidewalk and our friendship continued to grow. Since that time Jay went on to tell me tales of his life that seemed lies and day dreams. I mean they seemed ridiculous. made my crazy life seem like bland baby food. The story fo being at the Chinese Fashion Awards tripping on acid doing interviews, being chauffeured around China in a private jet, climbing the great wall and other things only few ever experience was enough to let me know that he lives the life of the new Hemmingway. Jay returned to America with one thing on his mind. DOMINATION!! Well, as it turned out Dick took all of his talent and became a music video director and producer, actor, writer and most recently and gaining tons of press as a tv show creator. I met with Jay as he was filming a segment for the pilot in the back woods of Russia. He was up to his old antics, living the life! The shows first trailer looks hilarious. It goes to a place that no other show has gone to THE LIFE OF MALE MODELS.. this is no Fabio dumb ass butter shit. This is the real deal marked with more sarcasm than you can throw a can of tuna at. Check it out before it hits the TV and the big screen. http://www.bluesteel.tv

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

SNEAK PREVIEW..


I got a sneak preview of an BRILLIANT book by my friend the elusive photographer ANDREW HETHERINGTON.. Elusive because he spends 250 days a year on the road. Between the assignments and the projects he works on and the various charities he is apart of.. This guy is hard to get a hold of.. So the prize..
THE BOOK! It was ANDY and brilliant. I try to never use that word, but I had too. Sidenote..One needs to respect the other artist and enjoy what they do and not look at them as crazy competition. One love..
commentary over.
The link to his site
It was great to be able to get a sneek peek. You will have to go to Dashwood books to buy this limited quantity and ever evolving book of his.. A major achievement by a first rate and ever sarcastic friend of mine. Big up!
Dashwood Books seems like the last of the old school of great photo book stores of the right books to buy for a collection. This is the place. I bumped into some photographer there signing his book. I am sure he was rich... He spent a couple grand on book with his amex.. a moment. right?
ANDY HAS A MEAN AND INSITEFULLY HUMOROUS BLOG OUT THERE.