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BIRD food - sliders and waffle burgers in Hackney

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I was back at BIRD shooting some new and classic dishes from the menu the other day. Look at this amazing slider special and their famous waffle burger. And I can't ever leave BIRD without a doughnut! The day I was there it was honey vanilla, chocolate and oreo on the menu.

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The new Hunting Lodge at Cortijo El Carligto in Andalucia, Spain

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A few weeks ago I had the delightful assignment of photographing the newest addition to the Cortijo El Carligto family in Andalucia, Spain. The freshly finished Hunting Lodge lies on the same property as the stunning El Carligto villa - its just up the driveway - but it is very much its own house with a unique feel. As it was a complete renovation, the owners took the opportunity to create an amazing living space. The main room of the house is all open - one big giant cavernous space with living room, fire place, incredible state-of-the-art kitchen (but with a cozy want-to-hang-out-forever feel) and beautifully chosen furniture that is a mix of antiques and locally handmade pieces. Every detail has been thought through. What I love about the spaces that the owners create is that they are all designed with your experience at the forefront. How will a group of friends or a family relax, cook, have a party here, what will the flow be? Everything is tested to ensure perfection! In keeping with this they have created an incredible summer kitchen and dining space -  equally as awe inspiring as the El Carligto pool-side summer kitchen, but very different in feel.   This one features  a Gaudi-inspired fireplace, complete with an inset pizza oven, a BBQ, and a tandoori oven (of course)! Everything is indoor-outdoor here, which is part of the beauty of Spain. It wasn't such a chore testing it all out. Of course there is also the beautiful pool and terraced gardens all over where you can hide away and read a book or just enjoy the view.

If you haven't seen the first house, Cortijo El Carligto, you can take a look at it here.

Both houses are nestled atop the most beautiful ridge in the mountains of Andalucia - just between the white-washed villages of Alcaucin and Canillas de Aceituno (where we went in the morning for our fresh churros and chocolate!) You really feel that you are away from it all up here and the breathtaking 360 views aren't bad either. And it's only about a 20 minute drive down to the beach town of Torre del Mar and some beautiful beaches (and some amazing beach-side restaurants) all along the coast up to Nerja.

The area of Andalucia is just stunning and endless fun to explore - from all the beautiful white-washed villages tucked away in the mountains to the incredible food - I could eat cold gazpacho and those giant salads with big hunks of delicious tuna forever. The old town of Malaga and its amazing food market are just a short drive away and Granada with its great nightlife and of course the Alhambra is an easy day trip. 

As a bonus, I also got to photograph the incredible - and again completely different in style - Casa Wils that is just up on the next ridge from El Carligto and the Hunting Lodge. We stayed in this wonderful villa for the week and got to experience its beautiful views over morning coffee and made pizza and grilled fish in the heavenly summer kitchen in the evening (and by evening I mean 9pm when we started cooking). The owners of El Carligto also manage Casa Wils, which is available to rent. It is perched on a slightly higher ridge where you just feel embraced by the mountains all around and yet you can see clear to the bright blue sea. Best of both worlds if you ask me. My kids (who got to come along this time) just loved it, "look mum we have a garden now", they said as they did somersaults over and over in the grass. City kids.

Who wants to rent all three properties and have a giant party? Let me know, I'm in!

Views and pizza oven at Casa Wils

Photos of the houses and the surrounding area of Andalucia below and in the following posts, enjoy.

The kitchen at the Hunting Lodge

The dining area at the Hunting Lodge

The living room at the Hunting Lodge

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The Boys of Bounce Cars

In the dead of winter the boys from Bounce Cars asked me to photograph them in anticipation of the launch of their new site and app. It was one of the stormiest days I have ever seen in London, but we still managed to salvage some nice natural light in the studio here. We listened to Lourde, drank Starbucks from downstairs and forgot about the rain. Bounce Cars is a new minicab app which allows you to book your closest minicab at a fixed price - much cheaper than a black cab! The cars are all over London and waiting to give you a ride. The boys had a contagious energy and a genuine excitement about their project which was so fun to see. Here are a couple of fun outtakes from our shoot. You can download their app here next time you need a ride home or anywhere else!

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Superwoman & The Doughnut Hatch at BIRD

I photographed superwoman yesterday - she makes donuts in Hackney at her restaurant BIRD. They are amazing and fluffy and delicious with their coffee served right out the door to you on Kingsland Road. Superwoman, aka Cara, also has 4 kids, the freshest one is almost 3 months old. Her husband - Superman - was doing the school run that morning. Cara gets to the restaurant for 6:30 to actually make the doughnuts...They only opened the doors of BIRD and The Doughnut Hatch about 2 weeks ago, so that gave them approximately 2 months to settle in to life with 4 before opening their new restaurant. Cara and her husband Paul are properly insane - but in a good way. In a - Let's get this going, lets do this thing - way. Only they are much too cool to use those words. They definitely went for it, everything all at once. And they have done it all with grace, style and the most delicious menu to show for it. Truly inspiring.

At our shoot yesterday we were focusing on the doughnuts, which was fine with me - peanut butter and vanilla walnut were on the menu. I just love the way The Hatch is open to the street, giving you that order-from-the-window-summer-feel anytime of year. The interior of the restaurant is bright and welcoming with cool modern touches, a great color palette and the cutest detail on the chairs - see if you can spot it...I'll go back and focus on the extra crispy delicious fried chicken another day - oh and their amazing homemade pickles!

But don't wait for that, go NOW and eat their donuts and fried chicken at BIRD. You won't regret it.

Cara with her own little bird.

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WSJ Story - Real-Estate Roommates in North Devon

I shot a story for the WSJ Mansion section over Easter. It was in gorgeous North Devon in the UK right on the coast. The story was about these 2 families who own the beautiful Pickwell Manor together and live and work side by side. They have holiday apartments for rent and play host to many weddings throughout the year. I loved getting to know the Bakers and Elliotts during our shoot - the kids were all fresh from camping trips, skate parks and surfing and everyone was full of great energy. The house and grounds were amazing to photograph and I loved exploring that corner of the UK. I can't believe I have lived here for more than 12 years now and haven't been down there before. The little surfing town of Croyde was great - it reminded me of towns on Cape Cod or Martha's Vineyard (near where I grew up), but with a bit more of a wild, rugged, end-of-the-earth feel. That's why they get the good waves. Here are some shots from the story below and a link to the WSJ online version. I even shot some film for them and was excited to see it up there. The story came out in print on Friday 1st May 2014.

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Winemaker Jordan Fiorentini & Epoch Wines in California's Central Coast

This sunny London weather is making me day dream about summer. Luckily I get to photograph the incredible El Carligto villa in Andalucia, Spain in a few weeks, so I will get my fill. Until then, I am remembering back to last summer when I drove from San Francisco to LA and got to visit my friend Jordan - she is the head winemaker at Epoch Wines near Paso Robles - on the way. In our senior year at Dartmouth College we started a wine club with some friends, we thought we were cool, Jordan took it a few steps further and is living the dream. It was amazing to see her in action and taste her incredible wines. I can't wait to go back for another visit and photograph it all again and more!

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Epoch Wines in California's Central Coast

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Hampstead Heath Cross Country

Last month I shot the sweetest, most heartwarming thing; 1700 primary school children running their hardest in a cross country competition with the gorgeous Hampstead Heath as a backdrop. It was a beautiful, sunny day in March and the sight of kids just trying their hardest and cheering for each other was worth weeks of inspiration.

And the day ended with these muted colors across the Heath. Perfect.

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Hampstead Heath Cross Country

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Voting Campaign - London Borough of Camden

If you happen to be waiting for a bus in the London Borough of Camden you can pass the time admiring the voting campaign I shot for the city. There are a few different versions, see if you can spot them all!

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North Devon Coast & Somerset Pubs

Last week I was on assignment for The Wall Street Journal on the gorgeous North Devon coast. I managed to photograph a bit of the area before and after my shoot. The beach in Croyde, the amazing fishing village of Clovelly where we stayed the first night, it was all a world away from London and breathtaking. On the way back to London we spent the night at The Lord Poulett Arms, a restored 17th Century inn in Hinton-St-George. Every detail was perfect, including the food, the local pub banter and the sweet village of Hinton-St-George. I will definitely go back. More about the WSJ story when it comes out, meanwhile enjoy these!

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The beach near Croyde and the fishing village of Clovelly

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The Lord Poulett Arms in Hinton-St-George, Somerset.

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The beginning...

Guys, I know I am a little late to the party, but I've started this blog of my photography. I will be posting work from my latest projects and travels. I will be playing a bit of catch up from the last few months so stay tuned! Here is one of my favorites from a camping trip in New Zealand to kick things off.