Michael Gross Photography :: Blog

Plasencia Cigars - Esteli, Nicaragua

2011-06-15T06:00:00.002-04:00

These are images from a recent trip to Nicaragua. Esteli is located in the northeast of Nicaragua, and is producing some of the finest tobacco in the world. This is a project I've wanted to do for a long time and I was thrilled to work with everyone at Plasencia Cigars. The particular cigars these guys are smoking are their new organic line, and like everything else they make, these are 100% by hand. It was refreshing to step out of our high speed, technology driven world for a minute. I got a first hand look at the entire operation, the tobacco smelled and tasted amazing.

Cooking With Herbs

2011-06-07T06:00:00.001-04:00

The Bull Moose Party

2011-06-02T06:00:00.000-04:00

Promotional images for a new theater production company whose debut production, Woody Guthrie Dreams has just been approved by the Woody Guthrie family and is slated for a four week run this September in New York City.

You're Fired!

2011-05-30T06:00:00.002-04:00

I photographed Comedy Central's roast of Donald Trump. This picture was shot during the rehearsal, I photographed The Donald for about 15 minutes, he looked at me for exactly one frame.

Anais Mitchell

2011-05-26T06:00:00.000-04:00

This is the second time I had the privilege of being in the studio with Anais Mitchell . The new album sounds amazing.

Marcus Milius

2011-05-23T06:00:00.000-04:00

These were shot this past winter as possible covers for Marcus' new album.

Chocolate Cake

2011-05-19T06:00:00.000-04:00

This delicious chocolate cake was shot for Newsday.

Prime Rib Dinner for Newsday

2011-05-16T11:39:00.003-04:00

A few images from a recent food shoot for Newsday.

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-23T16:15:00.000-05:00

These are a few of the images I made a couple of weeks ago of a delicious turkey dinner. This ran as a feature in Newsday. I hope you have a great Thanksgiving.

Tuthilltown Spirits

2010-11-18T15:11:00.000-05:00

Had a brief visit to Tuthilltown Spirits a couple of weeks ago. They've made some great changes and now have a tasting room. Definitely worth a visit, bring a GPS!

Hudson Valley

2010-11-12T00:37:00.000-05:00

It is an amazing time of year to check out the Hudson Valley. These were shot right outside New Paltz, about an hour and a half north of Brooklyn.

Westside Pistol Range

2010-10-11T22:05:00.000-04:00

Wow, I thought shooting cameras was fun! A couple weeks ago I checked out the Westside Pistol Range with ace photographer Chris Goodney. We had a blast...literally.

Bedford L Station, 2:06 am

2010-09-27T23:22:00.000-04:00

Fireworks and 5 yr olds

2010-09-15T14:54:00.002-04:00

L.E.S. KUTZ

2010-08-26T11:38:00.000-04:00

I was finishing up a job yesterday and walked by L.E.S. KUTZ, a barber shop in the lower east side of Manhattan. I stopped to photograph the style board that was out front and met T Black who invited me in to check out the shop. These guys do some pretty high end design work with a straight razor, and the vibe in there is great. This is Lou Da Barber at work, and T Black and Dave hanging out. Next time I'm in the neighborhood, I'm stopping by to photograph Slick, the only barber who wasn't there. Thanks guys!

Mischief and Mayhem

2010-07-28T13:28:00.003-04:00

Mischief and Mayhem, a four headed musical monster led by violin diva Jenny Sheinman. The collaboration between her, Nels Cline, Todd Sickafoose and Jim Black falls somewhere between a wild love fest and a UFC cage fight. I shot these at the Village Vanguard in NYC.

Beer

2010-07-15T13:25:00.000-04:00

I don't think I need to say anything about this one. I hope you're all having a lovely summer!

Edible Manhattan - Cover

2010-07-13T10:25:00.000-04:00

I am thrilled to have the cover of the current Edible Manhattan for a story I did on horchata last month. This will be on newsstands through August.

Wolfgang Puck

2010-07-06T09:44:00.000-04:00

I shot these a few weeks back at Rockefeller Center. Wolfgang was just as warm and charismatic as you might expect. And the duck was fantastic.

Pan Roasted Asparagus

2010-07-01T08:19:00.001-04:00

This shot is part of of an on going personal project that I'm working on with west coast food photographer David Reamer . I met Dave when we were both shaggy haired teenagers, recently, we re-connected through a mutual friend and discovered we are now both working photographers. We started this project to have some fun, get some feedback and hopefully eat some really great food.

Wine Pairing - Part Two

2010-05-20T10:57:00.001-04:00

Wine Pairing

2010-05-13T11:13:00.002-04:00

Dovetail, NYC

2010-05-05T14:10:00.000-04:00

This is Amanda Reade Sturgeon, the Sommelier at Dovetail in NYC. I shot these images a few months ago for Edible Manhattan , it's in print in the current issue.

Against Nature - NYC

2010-04-30T14:32:00.001-04:00

Just had a great shoot at Against Nature in lower Manhattan. Amazing handmade mens clothes, great style, everything is made on site.

Pizza

2010-04-28T09:23:00.001-04:00

The kitchen has been smelling great! This is a cherry tomato pesto pizza and the remains of a roasted brussels sprout/ black olive pizza.

I've been working on my crust for a while, and it is finally, exactly where I want it.

Mirepoix

2010-04-22T08:49:00.000-04:00

Mirepoix (pronounced /mɪər ˈpwɑː/, in French [miʁəˈpwɑ]) is the French name for a combination of onions, carrots, and celery (either common pascal celery or celeriac). Mirepoix, either raw, roasted or sautéed with butter, is the flavor base for a wide number of dishes, such as stocks, soups, stews and sauces. The three ingredients are commonly referred to as aromatics.

This became a pretty fantastic soup!

Proud Simon - New Album

2010-04-01T14:20:00.000-04:00

Had a great shoot with Proud Simon at a studio in New York last week. The new album is amazing.

Motion

2010-03-29T10:24:00.000-04:00

Shot this last week in the rain.

RIP - Jim Marshall

2010-03-26T14:10:00.000-04:00

I was fortunate enough to have met Jim last year and have him sign his book Proof for me. He is a complete inspiration.

Sake and Cheese

2010-03-26T13:48:00.000-04:00

I photographed a story for Wine and Spirits magazine on sake and cheese pairings. The story is in this months issue. And the sake was tasty!!!

El Almacen NYC

2010-03-25T10:21:00.000-04:00

The website is now up for El Almacen, my favorite Brooklyn restaurant. I've been photographing here for the past year and shot all the images on the site. The site was created by the fantastically talented Anabella Vitas in Buenos Aires, and it looks amazing.

Ridgewood NJ - Part 2

2010-03-18T14:45:00.001-04:00

Ridgewood NJ

2010-03-17T12:31:00.000-04:00

This was a few days ago at my sisters house. A wild storm came through and took down dozens of trees and her garage. Nobody was hurt, we spent a day with no electricity...which was actually kind of cool.

Nejecho Beach

2010-03-16T09:25:00.001-04:00

This is a neighborhood in New Jersey where I spent summers growing up. I learned to ride a bike here, caught fish,went crabbing, all that good stuff. My father lives here and I've been photographing the neighborhood for the past few years. I made these images a couple of days ago. It's been great exploring this space again with photography, I feel a very strong connection to this whole area.

New Jersey Transit

2010-03-16T08:39:00.003-04:00

Heading to New Jersey.

New York City

2010-03-08T11:18:00.000-05:00

These are images I've been collecting for a little while. Trying to capture some of this big crazy city. The idea is that this will be an additional section on my website, but until then, I want to throw a few out there.

City Winery - NYC

2010-03-03T14:25:00.000-05:00

This was my first visit to the City Winery , an actual winery here in New York City. This is a very impressive endeavor by Michael Dorf, who started the Knitting Factory in the late 80's. I felt just at home here as I did there. I'm looking forward to shooting here again as wine making resumes.

Jarrod Lacks

2010-03-01T10:43:00.001-05:00

This is Jarrod, a fashion editor at Allure Magazine. I've been fortunate enough to have worked with him for the past two years on Allure's total makeover story. Jarrod has an incredible eye for detail combined with a relaxed attitude that makes every shoot flow smoothly. We shot this last week at Conde Nast's new studio.

Nice Buns

2010-02-11T18:02:00.000-05:00

Work has been pretty good for the last few weeks. I'm making a lot of new images, I can't share them until they're published. Here's an outtake from today, I'm eating really well!

Granada, Nicaragua

2010-02-09T09:32:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago I was in Granada, Nicaragua. I spent a week photographing and catching up with some wonderful people. Since then I've been hard at work on the re-design of http://michaelgrossphoto.com , take a look, I would love any feedback, so far the response has been very good. These are a few of my favorites from the trip, still working on a few more...

5 Pointz

2009-12-16T23:44:00.001-05:00

This is in Long Island City and it's pretty amazing. I've photographed this building from time to time over the last 10 years. You need a permit to paint, and you need a portfolio review to get a permit!

Marcus Milius - Harmonica

2009-12-14T00:51:00.000-05:00

I had a a great shoot with Marcus this week. He is being sponsored by the company that makes his harmonica's and needed an image for their site. Great times, and a perfect excuse to have a bourbon with Marcus.

Mexico

2009-12-10T23:31:00.000-05:00

These are some images from a recent trip to Mexico. I hadn't been there in about 5 years, and it's better than ever. All of these images were made in the Yucatan Peninsula.

Char 04.

2009-10-18T14:07:00.001-04:00

These are images from an assignment I shot for Wine and Spirits Magazine a while back. Char 04 is an upscale BBQ and bourbon restaurant in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn. They had the most impressive selection of bourbon I have ever seen and the food was ridiculously good.

San Francisco

2009-10-15T11:41:00.002-04:00

I spent some time in San Francisco a few weeks ago catching up with a good friend. It's been a while since I've made it out there and I had an amazing time. You can't go wrong when you've got great people, food, drinks, scenery. It was the full package.

Fall Food

2009-10-13T12:05:00.000-04:00

This is my favorite time of year. I am eating some amazing food and these herbs make my house smell great. I got all of this at the Union Square farmer's market in NYC.

Napa Valley

2009-10-09T09:01:00.000-04:00

I had a fantastic time in Napa. I was fortunate enough to be able to hang with Ehren Jordan who owns Failla Winery . Ehren is building his winery from the ground up and is producing an amazing Pinot Noir. Ehren introduced me to Larry Turley, who owns Turley Wine Cellars . Larry was more than gracious with his time and showed me around the entire property. Larry is producing a wonderful old vine Zinfandel, which I was lucky enough to leave with a bottle of!

El Almacen - Brooklyn (Part 2)

2009-07-16T11:08:00.001-04:00

I went back to El Almacen, hands down my favorite Argentine restaurant, these are my favorites.

Orange Marmalade - Brooklyn

2009-07-16T09:52:00.000-04:00

A few images from a great Brooklyn shop,Orange Marmalade.

I Take Walks.

2009-06-23T10:46:00.001-04:00

I've been taking advantage of any opportunity to get outside when it is not pouring rain! Here are a few favorites from soggy New York.

Marcus Milius

2009-06-04T12:18:00.002-04:00

Just found this shot I took a while back of my friend Marcus.
Marcus is a fantastic musician and one of NYC's busiest harmonica player's, he has gigs almost 7 nights a week, you should check him out.

Proud Simon

2009-06-03T12:13:00.001-04:00

Proud Simon are recording their new album and I was fortunate enough to get in on the action, these are a few of my favorite shots.

E. Vogel

2009-03-19T16:30:00.002-04:00

I photographed at E.Vogel shoes this week. These guys make custom leather shoes by hand and have been at it since 1879. Everything is done in house by their talented and friendly crew. I could spend days taking pictures in places like this.

Portfolio Update

2009-03-07T20:06:00.000-05:00

I recently updated my online portfolio.

Five Leaves

2009-02-25T23:49:00.001-05:00

A few images from another great Brooklyn restaurant, Five Leaves.

El Almacen

2009-01-28T10:58:00.001-05:00

These were shot in my new favorite restaurant. El Almacen is an Argentinian restaurant in Williamsburg Brooklyn. As of yet they have no website or phone, but you can find them on Driggs and North 7th. Amazing food and people.

Key West

2009-01-28T10:51:00.001-05:00

I spent some time in Key West over the holidays. Great place and the drive in was beautiful! These are a few of my favorites from my very brief stay.

Tuthilltown Spirits

2009-01-07T11:52:00.001-05:00

I am a huge fan of Tuthilltown Spirits. They are a small father and son whiskey distillery in Gardiner NY. They make a variety of small batch whiskeys, rums and vodkas. They are also working on a batch of Absynthe, which is now legal in the U.S. Fantastic people and bourbon.

Chinatown NYC

2009-01-07T11:46:00.001-05:00

These are some images from an ongoing Chinatown project.

Krasdale

2009-01-07T11:40:00.001-05:00

It's been a while since I photographed a band.....I forgot how much fun it can be!

Winter Landscapes

2009-01-07T11:33:00.001-05:00

I spent some time out of the city right before the holidays and did some hiking. I was amazed by the colors! Being surrounded by buildings all the time really helps you appreciate a walk in the woods. These are my favorites from the day.

Still Life

2009-01-07T11:28:00.001-05:00

I found these at my Dad's house and quickly discovered I can spend hours arranging these things! I loved the shapes of these and also the tarnish and age, I thought the colors were amazing. I showed my Dad this picture, he asked me if I'd ever heard of silver polish! To each their own.

Laviano Magazine

2008-10-03T12:35:00.002-04:00

I went into the studio again and this time I got to photograph people. I don't work with models too often so this was really fun. We ended up in a slight time crunch because the clothes arrived a few hours late, but we pulled it off with no problems.

Journelle

2008-10-03T12:30:00.000-04:00

I recently had a fantastic assignment doing studio still life. I love studio photography and had a great time making these images. It's a real contrast to the available light situations I'm frequently shooting in.

Night Landscapes

2008-10-03T12:28:00.001-04:00

I love shooting at night, here are a couple recent favorites.

Working Artists

2008-10-03T12:23:00.000-04:00

Here are a few from a shoot I did recently for the Elizabeth Foundation For The Arts. I was asked to photograph artists working in the EFA studio spaces.

Todd Sickafoose

2008-10-03T11:38:00.001-04:00

I got together with Todd Sickafoose to shoot a recording session he was producing. The music and the studio were pretty amazing.

Norm's 75th Birthday

2008-10-03T11:22:00.000-04:00

Last month my Dad celebrated his 75th birthday and to celebrate we took a family vacation. It was the first time that all 33 of us(!!!) took a vacation together. Needless to say it was a blast and I can't wait to do it again. These are just a few of the photos.

Tiny Resistors

2008-10-03T11:18:00.000-04:00

I caught up with Todd Sickafoose at Joe's Pub for the release of his latest album. Todd's an amazing bass player, this show was especially cool because Todd wrote all the music and his band is amazing.

Scarpetta

2008-07-11T09:27:00.000-04:00

I photographed Chef Scott Conant's new restaurant Scarpetta for Bloomberg News, Scott is hilarious, and his food is amazing.

The Good Book

2008-07-11T09:15:00.000-04:00

In every hotel, motel, Inn and Lodge in America you'll find this little reminder that you are being watched....constantly.

Busking at Union Square

2008-07-11T09:08:00.000-04:00

busk·er : a person who entertains in a public place for donations.

My friend Scott has the summer off from his teaching gig, and has been taking his act to the street....well, the Subway. I stopped by the other day to document the action.

New Landscapes

2008-05-08T14:53:00.000-04:00

I used to love to shoot landscapes and have recently been getting back into shooting them, These are some recent ones that I really love.

Traditional Chinese Medicine

2008-05-08T14:42:00.000-04:00

I recently shot a series of images for Harmony: Traditional Chinese Medicine
It was a great shoot and I got to learn a little bit about acupuncture which is apparently way more enjoyable than it looks!

Deborah Lee Chaney

2008-05-08T14:39:00.000-04:00

Deborah Lee Chaney with pig.

Girl Fight!

2008-05-08T14:32:00.000-04:00

Some images from the "girl fight" shoot with Deborah, Monica and Massi....this was fun!

Restaurant Reviews

2008-03-20T12:53:00.000-04:00

I've recently been covering restaurant reviews for Bloomberg News. It's exciting because I get to shoot a variety of subjects...food, portraits, interiors and exteriors. The restaurants are always open when I'm there and I usually have about an hour to shoot everything...it's never boring! Here are some of my favorites.

Marc Ribot - Ceramic Dog

2008-03-06T19:21:00.000-05:00

I photographed my favorite guitar player, Marc Ribot with his band Ceramic Dog at the Knitting Factory. I've been such a huge fan of Marc's playing for so long that the one time I got to meet him I got so nervous I didn't know what to say. Anyone who knows me will confirm that I am RARELY at a loss for words. This guy is amazing.

Birding with Scott Weidensaul

2008-03-06T19:12:00.000-05:00

I got an assignment to spend the morning with Scott Weidensaul in Central Park. Scott's a naturalist, author and authority on bird watching in America. Hanging out with Scott was really cool, he has so much knowledge about birds and nature, I felt like I was re-discovering my back yard. I photographed a hawk that morning which wouldn't have happened if Scott hadn't called it over to us.

Westminster Dog Show

2008-03-06T19:02:00.001-05:00

I got an assignment to photograph the Westminster Dog Show...what an eye opener! I had no idea how many kinds of dogs there were or how extensive their grooming could be. I photographed Uno the beagle that eventually won Best In Show. When Uno hit the floor at Madison Square garden...the crowd went wild...seriously!

Argentina - Soccer

2008-03-06T18:58:00.000-05:00

I ran into these guys playing soccer when I was staying in Iguazu, these guys were so cool, they kept playing even when it started pouring rain!

Argentina - Rose

2008-03-06T18:54:00.000-05:00

I made some portraits of Rose Costello, an artist from San Francisco while I was staying in Iguazu, these are my favorites.

Argentina- San Telmo

2008-02-18T11:06:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite parts of Buenos Aires was San Telmo. It is one of the cities older neighborhoods and is a center for Tango music and dancing. Every Sunday they have a great antiques market in the park. After I become rich and famous, I'm going back to buy stuff.

Argentina - Fun With Flashlights

2008-02-18T10:58:00.001-05:00

Every now and then, I take a break from being a hardcore serious photographer and I play with flashlights. My friend Rye got into it to and was excited he could write his name on the photos.

Argentina - Iguazu

2008-02-18T10:46:00.000-05:00

I went from Buenos Aires to Iguazu. It was great to be out of the city for a few days, the country was amzing. I really loved the dirt! It was this really deep red color. The main reason people come to Iguazu is for the waterfalls...which were the best I have ever seen.

Argentina - Buenos Aires

2008-02-18T10:30:00.000-05:00

I was fortunate enough to be able to travel to Argentina at the beginning of 2008. It's an amazing country. Great music, great food and great wine...although it's around 90 degrees in BA so you might wanna stick with beer...or...you know...water.

Dream Machine...

2008-02-18T10:20:00.001-05:00

This is the 1954 Harmony Stratotone that I've been drooling over. I love them because there so simple. They were made out of a single piece of wood. There are very few left...which is why I can't afford one!

Smackdown!

2008-01-28T16:43:00.000-05:00

This past weekend my neighborhood was transformed into wrestle mania! It was really wild...you don't realize how hard these guys are getting hit until your right up in it!

New Orleans

2008-01-27T21:45:00.000-05:00

I travelled to New Orleans with Josh Kessler to work on a shoot for AARP magazine. Travelling with Josh is great because he likes photography and beer as much as I do. Also, I got to eat the world's best baked ham!

George Clinton a.k.a. Parliament Funkadelic

2008-01-27T20:19:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I really love my job! A while back I got an assignment to shoot George Clinton and P-Funk. It was so cool to meet these guys, they are the real deal!

Texas

2008-01-27T17:46:00.000-05:00

I made it down to Texas a while back to visit my friend Jill. She was kind enough to drive me around and show me a little bit of the lone star state. It was a blast depite a serious lack of cowboy hats...and no spurs...at all.

Yosemite

2008-01-24T10:28:00.000-05:00

A few images from my brief visit to Yosemite.

The Boundary

2008-01-23T23:01:00.000-05:00

I had the privilege of photographing some portraits on the set of Julius Onah's last film "The Boundary." They had a great cast which Included Alexander Siddig who starred in "Syriana." It was amazing to watch Alexander work, I felt lucky to be in the room. An incredible amount of work went into the film and I'm very excited to see the finished product. Julius's work is online at http://juliusonah.com

Julius Onah

2008-01-23T22:16:00.000-05:00

I got the opportunity to photograph an amazing new filmmaker, Julius Onah. He's got an incredible work ethic and it shows in his work. You can check out his stuff at http://juliusonah.com/ . These are some outtakes from the shoot that I really liked. I thought it was cool how we made someone as nice as Julius look this bad ass!

Frank W. Ockenfels 3

2008-01-23T21:26:00.000-05:00

This past July I had the fantastic opportunity to study portaiture with one of my hero's FrankW. Ockenfels 3. It was an amazing experience and definitely changed my perspective on making images. These are some photos from the class and a few from afterwards. You can check out Frank's work at http://fwo3.com/

More Photos...old portfolio images.

2008-01-23T21:00:00.000-05:00

Holga Pictures

2008-01-23T20:19:00.000-05:00

I started this blog so I would have a space for all my homeless pictures. These are some images that I just took off my website....they can live here now:)