Recently I was introduced by my best friend Dan to a restaurant in the West Village on Waverly called Joseph Leonard. At the time, a new spot that had just opened by restaurateur Gabriel Stulman, an associate & good friend of my friend Dan. We went for dinner that evening and I have to say that the ambience was incredible… small, cozy, “lived in” (despite being brand new), personal with delicious food and Tanqueray’s and tonics flowing (I may have snuck in a rum and a glass of wine as well, but don’t tell anyone). During appetizers, I realized that the owner, Gabe, and I had met before and shared a love for hip hop. Bellied up to the bar, for dinner, my seat of choice in any restaurant, not a fan of tables for some reason, we spoke at length about the state of affairs of the music industry and where we thought it was heading. While MOS DEF pumped through the speakers in the restaurant,  we reminisced about the good old days: Big Daddy Kane, Slick Rick, and The DOC. The vibe was great, a classic night out in NYC. I think that the 3 of us closed the place down that night but agreed that we would do it again soon… a great meal, top beverages and intellectual conversation. 

A few weeks passed and I returned to have another meal, again with Dan. For whatever reason, I was compelled to ask Gabe to photograph him in his space. We tried for weeks to get the schedules to align, but no luck until the 3^rd attempt. A date was finally set. I had no real plan of what I was going to do, just wanted to have a dialogue with him and see where the photos took us. I knew that I wanted to shoot him sitting on the bar like he owned the joint (appropriately, as he does own the joint) but beyond that, just respond to the environment. I have to say that it was one of the most fulfilling shoots because there were no rules… I could create what was in my mind without anyone placing demands on my shoulders of what I HAD to do to achieve what the client needed. I was the client. Look, I’m good a doing that as well, translating what is needed and making a concept come to life for the clients, but in this case, the freedom that I had allowed these photos to happen in the most natural and organic way.

We joked that his modeling career had begun and that he could give up the restaurant business and get a comp card done… the runways were calling this 5 foot 6 supermodel… All jokes aside, I had a really great time working with my friend who I have utmost respect for and look forward to the next delicious meal and dialogue about the takeover of the world.

Joseph Leonard • 170 Waiverly Place • NYC • (646) 429-8383

   To read the rest of this post, click here to visit WeResistSimple.com