Dining at Tolani Wine Restaurant

Last month, I kept busy by double booking some of my days. Chris and I started our day with capturing some footage for SHAPE magazine and Donna Kim, this time at Stuart Weitzman's Madison Avenue store. But after the review, I had to grab my bag and run through the rain with my assistant for the night, Rey, to hustle up to the Upper West Side for the opening of Tolani, a new wine restaurant on Amsterdam Avenue. Josie Zohny of WeRoqq PR was there to greet us in from the rain and we were honored to be some of the first to taste the food on Tolani's menu. I think a general consensus between the group agree, you must try their meatball! They have many delectable dishes on their menu and of course, great vino (wine).

Here are some photos from their Opening Night.

To check out the rest of the photos from the night, visit their gallery or their facebook fan page album!

Camera settings: It was pretty dark, limited to candle light and dim lighting so I had my aperture wide open and ISO turned way up. I went as slow as possible with my shutter speed without causing a blurry shake effect since all my shots were not locked down. I used a combination of a f/1.2 50mm prime and a f/1.4 24mm prime for wider shots. I knew I would need all the stops I could get before I even got there (past experiences) and I was right. The down side of the aperture wide open was the extremely shallow depth of field. I would've preferred some of the shots to be much flatter without sacrificing angle or distance. I had a speed light on hand, but it really took away from the beauty the ambient lighting was providing. The only thing that could've improved the shots were longer exposures but things were happening quickly and the place was packed so to lock down the camera would've been out of the question.

Photos: MLS Playoffs - New York Red Bulls vs. San Jose Earthquake

In the most disappointing fashion, the Red Bulls fell to the San Jose Earthquake 3-1 (3-2 aggregate goals). There will be no "star" over the teams shield this year, but there is always next year. Well, for most of the Red Bulls players. As for the team captain, Juan Pablo Angel, it was all that was left to accomplish. One last chance at glory, after two years ago, he was 90 minutes away from being a champion, in the most unlikely fashion too. But it was not meant to be...

Things were looking up going into this game, with RBNY leading 1-0 after the first game of a two leg playoff. But from the beginning it seemed like this was not meant to be. 6 minutes in, San Jose leveled the playing field. The Earthquake then went up a goal later in the second half. But just as all hope seemed lost, it finally happened. Finding a cross from Juan Agudelo, the 17 year old looking to replace the captain up top after this season and filling in for an injured Thierry Henry, Angel buries his first goal of the playoffs to break his scoreless streak and brought the crowd to its feet for the very last time of his tenure as captain. It was truly a magical moment, while for the minute it happened, it seemed like our captain wouldn't allow his team to go quietly, despite his future being in question. He made the stadium shake like it's never shook before. The nervously, quiet stadium awoke in jubilation and the Red Bulls had life.

Sadly, the new life literally lasted 3 minutes before the Earthquake struck back. But I'd rather not think about that, because the moment 3 minutes prior was so special. Angel went out like a champion. His team, not being unlike themselves, could not back up the message he was trying to send. But being the great leader he was, he'd never point a finger, place blame on his teammates or blame his coach for late substitutions. He takes it all in stride and leaves with his chin held high, grateful, not bitter. That, if nothing else, should garner some respect. So to Juan Pablo Angel, a truly great example of what a captain should be. A class act, a leader, and most of all, a winner. We thank you.

OH MY JOSH Music Video Release at Splash Bar

I'm still reeling from last night. I went to two birthday parties at bars, one of which was for our good friend Donna Kim of POSHGLAM who just turned 23 (woohoo!), before I finally made it to Splash Bar for the release of Oh My Josh debut music video "Out My Face (wah wah wah)" (Produced by Joshuah Michael & Chamber Images; Directed by Andrew Makadsi). There was lots of great music, drinks, a live performance by Oh My Josh and of course, the music video premiere to the public. We were wowed by Josh's performance, he has great stage presence and really knew how to work the crowd. It was night filled with fire, confetti and lots of buff male dancers. Sorry, there aren't any stills to go with this story but we were guests of honor that night and left our cameras at home. I know you're anxious to witness what I'm talking about, but it's an experience well worth having in person. You may even get felt up by an inebriated club-goer or two before the nights over! No, but seriously, check it out sometime.

Well, here it is, what you have all been waiting for. The first of many music videos for Oh My Josh and Chamber Images!

Unit Stills: The Drums - Forever and Ever Amen

Some behind the scenes photos I took during the filming of The Drums' music video "Forever and Ever Amen" -C