Nicholas Mendise took me by surprise. I fell fast and hard for friendship with this consistently charming, unapologetically talented and refreshingly unusual character.
He makes me laugh until I fall out of my chair, and then I laugh a little on the floor.
He can go a whole week without sleeping if it means completing a project he is passionate about.
Nicholas takes beautiful pictures with romantic technology like polaroids with instant film. He handcrafts all props and sets and treats every image that slides through the camera as if were the most important photograph he may ever take. (And with what it costs these days he really better!!)
I spent one long year with Nicholas in Savannah. Every Monday and Wednesday we met at 8am for gossip and soy cappuccinos. We brought notebooks and inspiration journals and planned our shoots for the rest of the week, and when Sunday arrived, spent the whole day playing with hair and makeup and pictures and props and taking the pictures that will always and forever remind me of the very beginning of our friendship.
Today, he is living in NYC styling photo shoots with handmade props, shooting freelance photography (look for him as a featured contributer in next month’s issue of NYLON) and every now and then, picking up my calls.
So much love for this kid: www.nicholasmendise.com
And by the way- look at the spreads below! If you can’t view the text, the credits read:
Photography Astrid Salomon
Styling James R. Rosenthal
Make-up Thorsten Weiss
Hat Design Nicholas Mendise
When given the offer to trade the city for a weekend spent in a cabin on a lake, I gave my answer with a packed bag from the back seat of an SUV.
Although primarily a venture to create imagery for Sarah and Bryan’s album cover, this voyage highly surpassed its function as an artistic project and somehow became, down to the details, the perfect fall getaway. We arrived at Lake Quassapaug in Connecticut to fresh grilled vegetables, red wine, and finally, hot cocoa enjoyed before a wood hearth. We thawed our freezing hands and gathered flashlights, cameras, spotlights, and butane and, following a leader with more courage than most, were lead single file into the darkness to begin the shoot.
Afterward we cuddled up in blankets and slippers and likely would have told ghost stories had we not been exhausted from the shoot.
All photographs were shot with a Leica by Veronica Torres, and I took care of styling/hair +makeup.
These two are just a preview. The second image was taken at sunrise before still water and a perfect sky. It was forty five degrees however it was not the fierce cold which took my breath away….
I cannot think of a better way to celebrate the middle of October than to partake in perhaps one of my most favorite traditions.
Mulled apple cider, Misfits, home-made pumpkin whoopie pies, bliss.
Polaroids courtesy of Christian Simmons.
My greatest dreams, wishes, aspirations, and admirations are sent to Sarah Kinlaw, who is on her way to the top.
Below is the biography I wrote for Sarah to be included on her soon-to-be-released EP. (along with Bryan Keller of Brigham!)
“Her biography is a ballad at the verge of its crescendo. Notes of a songstress fueled by tiny fingers and a heart in her lungs. To see Sarah perform is to sit in the presence of a childhood passion for music, manifested over ten years of classical vocal training and finally born as heartfelt and autobiographical lyrics and the careful strumming of a ukulele. Though it is hard to imagine her now without this small guitar, the addition of the ukulele and Sarah’s subsequent writing of lyrics began only two years ago, ignited by the gift of the instrument from longtime best friend and boyfriend, Bryan Keller (of Brigham). Today, Bryan and Sarah often share the stage in collaboration, and are currently working together on Sarah’s first album, ‘Soft Spot,” a record that is the obvious love child of two very passionate musicians and with an expected release date of early December.
Often center stage, adorning sparkles or sequins, Sarah’s passion for her music and enthusiasm for performing is clearly portrayed from the wholehearted manner in which she plays to the way her blond curls are festively secured with a feather. Sarah is clearly a natural performer with an inherent ear for music, but the truth is, her performance today is moreso the culmination of a lifetime of practice in this feat.
The first great transition arose when Sarah moved to New York City from her hometown of Wilmington, North Carolina, three days after high school graduation upon an invitation to sing on a Jazz album. Once permanently residing in New York, though hopelessly dedicated to her craft, Sarah was not immediately able to share her music with the public. She eventually discovered a perfect segue, and began performing at children’s hospitals throughout the city. Although this initially served as practice before an audience, nearly five years later Sarah is still a regular at many of the centers.
However, the pursuit of courage was not the only endeavor Sarah was approaching. After learning the ukulele, she also began to teach herself the banjo, keys, harmonica, cello, and accordion, and it was only a matter of time before her own music evolved as the product of these new additions to her repertoire.
Sarah has spent her entire life wanting to play music and sing her own songs, and today, she takes the stage with a presence exuding confidence and happiness, clearly attributed to the fact that she is, truly, living her dream. The result is music to dance to and music to sit to, music to wake to and music to make love to. For the product of a passionate heart can only have the sweetest of fruits.”
Illustration by www.courtneyreagor.com.
Check out Sarah: www.sarahkinlaw.com and www.myspace.com/sarahkinlawmusic!!
http://fashion.elle.com/blog/2009/10/str-1.html
Got stopped by Elle “street chic” running between the Nylon office and Marvin (editor in chief’s) apartment to drop off contact sheets.
I especially love the comments!
“love the shoes, hate the bag!” “hate the outfit LOVE the SHOES!”
