{FAY}

Seeing into Ryan McGinley / I Know Where Summer Goes, Team...

Fri, 03 May 2013 15:07:00 -0400

Seeing into Ryan McGinley / I Know Where Summer Goes, Team Gallery 2008 / New York NY

At this show at Team Gallery, there was actually a congo line of people snaking around the periphery of the gallery, shuffling from picture to picture. I had never seen anything like that before. (Seriously though, I had just returned from SXSW, where I had interviewed Michael Stipe….and guess who showed up in the congo line right behind me? Michael F*ing Stipe.)

In this shot, I snapped this shot of this ginger, named Eda, as she stared transfixed into the image. I don’t know her….I asked her her name.

It’s rare to go to an art exhibit that moves you so f*ing much you get shivers down your spine. But like a perfectly sung note at the right moment, this show….. with its incandescent energy….and the beautiful, ephemeral simplicity of the shots……of naked souls on fire, of naked youth at play, of youth hair-blowing - driving in the back seat of a pick-up truck - high on the idea of freedom, group love, and the after-effects of high-fructose soda ——- this show etched itself my mind forever, cementing my love for fantasy photography, and making me too want to recreate that sensation in my own work and life.

It also made me what to know what Ryan’s spirit animal is……and cuddle with it.

And the quote above it? It pretty much sums my reason for being right up.

FAY in the circus

Wishing Time / New Year’s Eve 2013 / Durban South Africa...

Wed, 01 May 2013 12:45:00 -0400

Wishing Time / New Year’s Eve 2013 / Durban South Africa /

5 months ago today, 2013 was born in a beautiful rose-colored haze… imbued with hope and tenderness and naïveté that comes from the unknown. Close your eyes and remember it. Fireworks overhead. Laughing like a child. A wet kiss. Clinking glasses. A whole universe of hope bursting in the sky that one night.

The Japanese word for fireworks is “hana-bi” - “hana” meaning “flower” and “bi” meaning “fire.” Such an epic vision…Fire-flowers…..

To a new destiny.

“Be as you wish to seem.” ~Socrates

x
FAY

Tame Impala vs. Botticelli’s Birth of Venus It was...

Wed, 01 May 2013 00:46:00 -0400

Tame Impala vs. Botticelli’s Birth of Venus

It was seemingly apocalyptic when the Aussie band Tame Impala took stage at Coachella on April 15th…..The sky went grey and a wind storm set in over the desert.

At the time, I couldn’t quite put my finger on what this shot of Tame Impala’s lead singer Kevin Parker reminded me of….

(Note: I ain’t no Botticelli…It’s all about the hair!)

This shot and the rest of my coverage of 2013 Coachella is up on RollingStone.com HERE.

FAY

Local Natives / Coachella Music Festival / April 13th...

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 17:13:08 -0400

Local Natives / Coachella Music Festival / April 13th 2013

Forget shoegaze…..lie down in some grass and listen to this LA sun gaze.

Step into Liquid / Karen Oh / The Yeah Yeah Yeahs / Coachella...

Sat, 13 Apr 2013 14:36:00 -0400

Step into Liquid / Karen Oh / The Yeah Yeah Yeahs / Coachella Music Festival / April 13th 2013

COACHELLA HIGHLIGHTS (Left-right, top to bottom) Kayne West 2011...

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 16:47:00 -0400

COACHELLA HIGHLIGHTS

(Left-right, top to bottom) Kayne West 2011 / Cage The Elephant 2011 / Artic Monkeys 2012 / Erykah Badu 2011 / Tame Impala 2011 / Jarvis Cocker 2012 / Refused (jumping shot) 2012 / Snoop and Wiz (smoking a joint on stage) 2012 / St. Vincent (crowd surfing angelically) 2012 / Roger Waters (a crowd member giving an Illuminati pyramid hand signal - creepy) 2008.

Heading to my 5th year at Coachella. Shooting in house for Goldenvoice with selects to Rolling Stone. Maybe I’ll see you there?

I’ll leave you with one piece of advice….wear sunscreen.

FAY

Mary Schmich / Wear sunscreen

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen
would be it.

The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved
by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more
reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this
advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You
will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until
they’ve faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you’ll look back at
photos of yourself and recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much
possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You
are not as fat as you imagine.

Don’t worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying
is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing
bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things
that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you
at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing every day that scares you.

Sing.

Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts. Don’t put up with
people who are reckless with yours.

Floss.

Don’t waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you’re ahead,
sometimes you’re behind. The race is long and, in the end, it’s
only with yourself.

Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you
succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank
statements.

Stretch.

Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with
your life. The most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22
what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most
interesting 40-year-olds I know still don’t.

Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees. You’ll miss them
when they’re gone.

Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t. Maybe you’ll have children,
maybe you won’t. Maybe you’ll divorce at 40, maybe you’ll dance the
funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do,
don’t congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either.
Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else’s.

Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don’t be afraid of it
or of what other people think of it. It’s the greatest instrument
you’ll ever own.

Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living
room.

Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them.
Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel
ugly.

Get to know your parents. You never know when they’ll be gone
for good. Be nice to your siblings. They’re your best link to your
past and the people most likely to stick with you in the
future.

Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you
should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and
lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people
who knew you when you were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard.
Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you
soft. Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians
will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you’ll
fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable,
politicians were noble and children respected their elders.
Respect your elders.

Don’t expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust
fund. Maybe you’ll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when
either one might run out.

Don’t mess too much with your hair or by the time you’re 40 it
will look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who
supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of
fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over
the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it’s worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen.

Portrait: Kurt Peloquin / Great People Unite / NYC / March...

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 15:20:00 -0400

Portrait: Kurt Peloquin / Great People Unite / NYC / March 2013

I’ve been mad busy since end of last year. As director of content & creative on Justin Timberlake’s digital team, the good news is:

We’ve finally kicked out Justin’s new album with a bang
I can finally explain why I’ve been so mum
It’s been fun as hell
The numbers ratify our hard work (968,000 albums first wk. Boom.)
It’s only the beginning…..

The glass half empty side of this equation is I’ve been so slammed, I’ve done a shit job of personally communicating, shooting photos outside of work, and sharing news….etc. And meanwhile, this Tumblr - which was supposed to be a gilded vessel for such communication - is as barren as a 40-year-old virgin…….stranded on an island without any type of animal including human.

Long story short, Spring’s here, the album’s out, and my Tumblr lady is ready to get some action and show some leg!

Yesterday I posted a random photo of a hipster. Just cause.

Today, here’s a portrait of my good friend Kurt Peloquin. Kurt’s the tallest guy I know, is engaged to a fab chick Katie Calcaterra (who herself makes badass hand-made suspenders for guys like Reggie Watts. no big deal), and is the type of white freestyler who jumps on a bar and slays it for 30 minutes flat, without apparently breathing. Kurt has also just launched a new company, Great People Unite, to help nurture “the artistic entrepreneur in us all.” He’s picked up on the fact that most artists are horrible at figuring out the business side of their business….and this new company is aimed at bridging that divide. Considering he is a well of good spirit and good ideas, I’d recommend you creatives to check it out.

This photo was taken last time we were in NY together - at an art fair - in a room covered in what appeared like 1000 rolls of tin foil. (Mental note: Try this at home w. strobe lights?) I’ve evolved my photographic style a bit this year…I’d like to say it’s because I’ve been dreaming in neon recently…but I’d be afraid that sort of comment would make my brother vomit a little bit in his mouth - so let’s just end this with - this is a sample of a new direction I am taking. Let me know what you think.

Feel free to share. Or comment. Or like my FB photo page? Or whatever the kids are doing these days.

FAY

I got my eyes on you. New York / March / 2013 This is an example...

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 20:16:00 -0400

I got my eyes on you.

New York / March / 2013

This is an example of why I love New York. This chick was dolled up - as such - to attend the Spring Break Art Show in Lower East side. So to capture this shot, all I had to do was tap her shoulder, introduce myself, and pull her into a corner where there was this frenetic light show going on.

I honestly couldn’t have styled this better in my own studio…..Mostly because I don’t own that baseball cap……Or any other third eye substitute for that matter….

x
FAY

LINKS: Photo District News / Objects of Desire Photo Contest /...

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 17:31:00 -0500

PDN Award Winning Shot: Aymeric Bergada Du Cadet in Paris, 2012.

Aymeric on top / Aymeric and Amelie below on couch

LINKS: Photo District News / Objects of Desire Photo Contest / Aymeric Bergada Du Cadet / House of Drama / faithannyoung.com

Photo

Thu, 06 Dec 2012 21:42:00 -0500

Amelié / Paris / July 2012