PJ's Studio: 2023

Sunday, December 31, 2023

Sunday, December 24, 2023

Lego 2

It’s that time of the year!

I stopped by a toy store the other day and it was filled to the brim with Lego.

I get it. I’m a big Lego fan myself.

I prefer free-form to sets, which puts me in the minority for a change 😉

These days its more popular than ever with tv shows, movies

and even artists exploring its versatility.

The Flagship Lego Store on 5^th Avenue is the newest eye catcher.

Here are some pics from a visit to it…

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2021/08/5th-ave-lego-store.html

The photos in this blog are from the store on 23^rd Street and the “Toys Are Us” that used to be Times Square.

I’m always partial to sculptures with a New York City theme.

Especially those with a sense of humor.

Here’s a previous Lego blog…

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2016/02/lego-store.html

Enjoy!

Sunday, December 17, 2023

Santa Monica 2

I was thinking about the classic Tom Lehrer tune – “I’m Spending Hanukkah in Santa Monica” this week.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LslsgH3-UFU

I’ve never spent Hanukkah in Santa Monica, but I did spend the better part of the winter there once.

I was working on the Scott’s Miracle-Gro account at the time and we went there to shot some commercials for the following spring season.

I had some time off between shooting so I put it to good use taking photos of the pier

and close-ups of nearby flowers.

But in between photos, I was on conference calls. I remember pacing back and forth in front of this tree while I talked, or rather, begged.

The commercial included a dog jumping to catch a frisbee. No problem if it’s your dog. Big problem if it isn’t. And if you want a large dog – like a Labrador retriever – not only can they not jump as high as smaller dogs can, they get tired after a few takes. Sigh.

Luckily, I arranged for a back-up dog (only $250) since the Labrador couldn’t do it. The director said he had shot dog food commercials that were less contentious.

Oh well.

The weather was glorious!

Here’s a previous blog…

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2014/02/santa-monica.html

Cheers!

Sunday, December 10, 2023

Lenten Roses 5

Oddly enough, when I was walking in the neighborhood this week,

I spotted some Lenten Roses.

It surprised me because while they are early bloomers - it’s December!

And while the weather hasn’t been very cold, it hasn’t been unusually warm either.

So, I decided that someone must have just planted them.

They may come to regret it because we are sure to have at least a few frosts in the next few months,

and I’m not sure that they can survive them.

I guess we shall see.

But that having been said,

it was nice to see them since all the other remaining flowers in the hood are looking pretty sad these days!

More Lenton Roses…

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2022/02/lenten-roses-4.html

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2019/01/lenten-roses-3.html

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2017/03/lenten-roses-2.html

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2013/02/lenten-roses.html

Cheers!

Sunday, December 3, 2023

Collaboration with Tim #37: Empire State Building

One of the coolest things about Manhattan is that it has lots of good angles. You can be walking down a block and turn to see a classic NYC building – in this case the Empire State Building.

Other than the juxtaposition of angles, what caught my eye when I took this pic from 42^nd Street was the flag.

Tim liked the subject, and the angles, so he came back with his version – which did not include the flag! When I pointed out that the flag was one of my favorite things about the shot, he revised his work to include it.

What a great collaborator he is. 😉

Here are some of our previous collaborations. You can also follow us on Instagram at @pjlehrer and @timbaynes…

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2022/05/collaboration-with-tim-22-park-avenue.html

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2022/04/collaboration-with-tim-21-chrysler.html

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2022/03/collaboration-with-tim-20-chinatown.html

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2021/09/collaborating-with-tim-16-view-from.html

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2021/08/collaborating-with-tim-15-big-crane.html

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2020/10/collaborating-with-tim-9-keep-moving.html

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2020/04/collaborating-with-tim-6-34th-street.html

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2019/10/collaborating-with-tim-3-guggenheim.html

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2019/09/collaborating-with-tim-2-times-square.html

Cheers!

Sunday, November 26, 2023

Roman Wedding

My friend Doug is an awesome travel guide. He loves art and now that he has relocated to Rome, he has mastered the art of winding through the alleys to find hidden treasures.

Since we had a few minutes free before our 3:00 visit to the Pantheon, Doug put the Basilica Santa Maria Sopra Minerva on our itinerary.

The church houses a Michelangelo statue – “Cristo della Minerva,” also known as “Christ the Redeemer” and “Christ Carrying the Cross.”

But when we arrived, we discovered that a wedding was taking place. So, I figured we would need to come back later.

As it turned out, I was incorrect. We along with a few other tourists entered, albeit while trying to be as inconspicuous as possible.

We had a great view of the ceremony,

the walk down the aisle,

and the pelting of the rice when the happy couple emerged into the sunlight.

Best of all, from our perspective the congratulations included stellar views of Bernini’s Elephant & Obelisk.

I was especially thrilled to see it, because the book I had brought to read on the plane was “The Pope’s Elephant” by Silvio Bedini. The book is about Hanno, the elephant that Manuel I of Portugal gave to Pope Leo X in 1514. Hanno was a big hit with all, including Bernini who in addition to creating this sculpture, also drew him several times.