A Note from FFNY:
It’s been raining a lot. Biking up First Avenue this am there was no one around. It reminded me how small town this city can feel. If it were always this still, I don’t know where I’d go. This city gives me action, and action gives me life. I’ve been deep in the work trying to shape FFNY into what I know it can be. It’s overwhelming, exciting, and sometimes feels impossible, but the momentum and energy is building. Seeing someone in the FFNY Mobb Deep shirt is the dream so that gets me hyped on keeping it going!
I want to build Friends From New York into the full creative company I know it can be. So thank you for peeping this and riding the wave and supporting it all as I keep refining the world building.
Interviewing and photographing creatives, bigging up the people doing what they do best is my favorite thing about FFNY. As well as our community gatherings and DANCING!
As many of you know, we host Breakfast Club every Thursday at 9AM at Eva’s Kitchen on Grand Street. All are welcome, so come shoot the shit with us. Summer has people dipping out to all over so figuring out if we will take a pause but for the moment we are hangin Thursday mornings and looking to see your pretty face!
We have even MORE fun This Week!
Friday the 13th is back-to-back hangs!
12–5PM we @ Grillo’s Pop-Up (2 Rivington St)
Come customize tees, eat Alidoro sandwiches, and hang with friends. Family vibes.
9PM–Late we @ Home Sweet Home (131 Christie St)
We’re hanging out dancing with Eli Escobar. Come get sweaty, LES styles.
RSVP for the fun!
Now to the goods.
I hounded Giovanni Reda for a few Quick Takes on photography, the city, and the energy of it all. Thanks for taking a look!
See you on the dance floor this FRIDAY THE 13th!
-FFNY
How is photographing now different from your 20s?
The difference in my shooting from my 20’s to now is I was so into just shooting skateboarding, all I wanted to get was tricks. I wasn’t interested in anything else.
Now I’m more interested in composition, lighting and most importantly connecting with the subjects and making a timeless picture of someone’s personality.
What’s one thing you tell photographers or creatives coming up now?
One thing I tell photographers coming up is not to undercut each other.
We are all trying to get the same jobs and the same work for cheaper hurts all of us.
Is there a view, street, or secret spot that brings you right back to your youth?
One thing that brings me back to my youth is when I’m laying in bed and I see car lights shine through the window and the lights move across the ceiling.
What’s your NYC theme song?
I have too many theme songs for all different eras of my life. Way too hard to name one.
If you could only eat at one NYC spot forever, what’s the place?
One place to eat forever would be Spumoni Gardens in Bensonhurst
FFNY started as a dance party—what club, party, or night out will always define NYC for you?
Too many dance party nights in NYC to pick one. Maybe The Building on the weekends was pretty sick.
If you could choose one person to show you their version of NYC, who would it be?
I think having a person to show me their version of NYC would be someone like Joe Strummer who has some legendary moments in the city.
I’m sure thought if I sit and think about it I can think of so many more like; Joey Ramone, Frank Sinatra, Martin Scorsese, Robert Deniro, Eddie Murphy, Weegee, Spike Lee, etc…I mean the list is endless
This is Friends From New York—who’s someone you want to shout out, thank, or put us on to?
I think FFNY has all my friends covered, I don’t think there’s anyone that we both don’t know!
How are you still a New Yorker, no matter where you are?
I think the old saying of you can take the boy out of Brooklyn, but you can’t take Brooklyn out the boy kind of says it all.
