2016 Year in Review
It's en vogue to trash on 2016 right now. A spat of celebrity deaths to end the year, plus numerous notable deaths throughout, along with an unsavory American presidential election have lead to dozens of trending hashtags declaring 2016 to be the worst ever. And while 2016 has put me through some of my more devastating hardships, it hasn't passed without awarding me my greatest triumphs.
The triumphs would not be possible without some people in my life. I experienced possibly the worst financial troubles I've ever had to face and I have had to rely on the love and charity of others to get me through. My gratitude has reached levels nearing shame for having to rely so heavily on my loved ones. I shall keep them nameless as their acts were not done for public recognition but were done out of the kindness of their hearts. Much of my adult life was spent believing myself to be lonely and unloved, my shame derives from being proven wrong. I am not lonely nor am I unloved. I am humbled and eternally grateful. My goal for 2017 is to be more like the people around me showing me their love. I can't continue to live in the darkness. I have to live by their example and carry the light.
2016 saw the end of my freelance career. Well, full time freelance at least. I took a full time job photographing jewelry. In an age where the staff photographer position is hard to come by, I lept at the opportunity to fulfill that role. Photographing jewelry was something I had no experience doing but I somehow weaseled my way in to the gig. I struggled at first, but now I am proud of the work I do there. While it's a small family run operation some of our clients include Sears, David's Bridal, and a number of other major retail chains throughout the US. Using my experience there I applied for my dream job at a big name company in the online box subscription world. I was confident in how I interviewed and my inside man told me they loved me. In the phone interview they even talked about salary and benefits, which to me was a clue they had me pegged as a candidate. I was right, but they didn't pick me. Unfortunately, they selected a candidate who had interviewed before me. Not because they liked them more, and not because they didn't like me enough, it was simply because they wanted to go with their first instinct. While I was devastated I go on knowing I am capable of working for larger companies. I have taken this confidence and I am putting more effort in my current job. I hope to leave massive shoes to fill once I move on.
In 2015 I attended an NYCFC game and wondered how I get on the pitch to photograph a game. So, I set a goal - photograph an NYCFC game. But I had no idea how to do that. Then one day I saw an ad posted on CraigsList - Wanted: photographer for local amateur soccer league. Perfect! I can build a portfolio of amateur soccer and use it to get myself a job photographing the pro game. I managed to land the gig and began shooting. Soccer is a lot more difficult to photograph than I imagined, especially when kickoff isn't until 10pm. I needed the power of the sun to pull off what I truly wanted. But, as it turns out, proving I could do it at night is exactly what I needed. I answered another ad looking sports photographers. Turns out they recently got credential approval for MLS and I could start shooting the 2016 season with the NYCFC pre-season press conference on Thursday followed by game 1 on Saturday. Strangely, my first day of my new day job was Wednesday. I found out I got both of these gigs on the very same day. I had also met my girlfriend's parents earlier in the week and they seemed to like me too so overall, March 2016 was a great month.
2016 has set a high bar for 2017. I hope my worst financial crises are behind me and I hope my greatest achievements are ahead of me. I am gearing up to launch my e-commerce page to start selling prints. I plan on shooting more weddings, as I've done two in 2016 and feel great about them. I will shoot more amateur and pro soccer. I will continue doing my best at my day job but will keep my eyes out for bigger fish to fry.
Say what you want about 2016 but I'd do the whole thing all over again.
Onderdonk House
Bushwick, Brooklyn and Ridgewood, Queens have a long history of border disputes, which have resulted in the zig-zag pattern of the border today. But there's one building Bushwick can't claim, and that's the Onderdonk House of Ridgewood, Queens.
The neighborhood where I live is a hotly contested spot. Sometimes it belongs to Queens, sometimes it belongs to Brooklyn. As of right now, the border forms a zig-zag pattern down one street. So when you walk down the street you can say "I'm in Brooklyn. Now I'm in Queens! Now I'm back in Brooklyn!" without leaving that same street. But there's one building in Ridgewood, Queens that Brooklyn can't lay its hands on, and that's the Onderdonk House.
The land was acquired by Hendrick Barents Smidt as a grant from Peter Stuyvesant in 1661. At that time, Stuyvesant was the Director-General of the Dutch Colony New Amsterdam. Which, of course, was renamed New York in 1667 after a trade with the English.
In 1709 Paulus Vander Ende purchased the land from Hendrick Barents Smidt and built the stone house that currently sits on the land, just next to the foundation of Smidt's house. "Onderdonk House" is the shortened version of the full name, which is Vander Ende-Onderdonk House. Smidt's name is not included because techincally, the house that currently stands, isn't the one that Smidt built. The Onderdonk family adds their name later.
1769 is when the border disputes between Newtown, Queens and Bushwick, Kings (Brooklyn) which resulted in the zig-zag pattern we have today. Although the zig-zag has changed a few times over the years as the dispute rages on. Some buildings even begin in Brooklyn and end in Queens.
1820 saw renovations under new ownership. Adrian Onderdonk extended the house to include the foundation of the Smidt's original structure. The house has seen little changes since then, despite a fire in 1975 which destroyed large portions of the house. After years of pulling together funds and getting crews to work, the house opened again to the public in 1982.
You can visit the house on Saturdays between 1 and 5pm with a suggested donation of $3.00. A small price to pay to see New York's oldest Dutch Colonial house. A piece of history few get to see, or even know exists. I'm sure there are people in this neighborhood where I live who have no idea the rich history that is just down the road. Along with tours there are all kinds of events that take place. From live music to various holiday specials, it's a place of rich history that every New Yorker should experience.
What is this?
I am a freelance photographer and this blog is about my life as such. Sometimes I just need to vent. Sometimes I need to write down my thoughts to remind myself how I should be working. Other times I might just want to write about how I love my dog.
Why is this?
I believe it's important to get your thoughts out of your head sometimes. Some people write a journal for their own safe keeping. Other see therapists. I'm going to share my thoughts with the public. Feel free to communicate with me!