Joel is a good friend of mine and an awesome fashion photographer located in Charlottesville, Va. When I first met Joel he mentioned this idea he had about a project he was starting called Photographers 2 Models, and he immediately wanted to make me part of it. I was honored to be chosen, and after seeing his work I became really excited to get involved. As Joel describes it:

“Photographers take tons of photos but are rarely seen on photographs. I took it upon myself to do a personal project to put some of my photographer friends front and center of a photo book I’m trying to assemble. For once, they will be in front of the lens. Looking to push them out of their comfort zones – and mine as well. And in the process, all of us will hopefully learn something from the experience.”

Joel would be the first to tell you that he is a stylist first and a photographer second. His unique approach to photography is humbling to me as he could shoot all day with the most basic camera equipment (no lights, only one lens, and no huge staff of assistants) and produce amazing results. When having lunch one day he explained to me that if you think about the camera too much it’s easy to lose focus on what really matters, the person and [in fashion] the clothes. So it only made sense that the week before the shoot we made plans to go shopping in Georgetown for the perfect outfits! We had a ton of fun and by the end of it I had gone way over my original budget and purchased 22 new items of clothing!

Our inspiration for the shoot was a little George Clooney, mixed with Daniel Craig, and if you’ve seen the show White Collar, add a little Neal Caffrey. The day before the shoot Joel rented an amazing Antique Louis Vuitton Steamer Trunk from Stonegate Event Rentals. My favorite picture has to be the first one with me sitting on the trunk in front of an amazing private jet.

I want to thank Joel for everything he did. I am thrilled with all of the amazing photographs, and thrilled to be part of his great project. I am looking forward to seeing the book he is putting together and honored to be a part of it! To check out more of Joel’s amazing pictures and follow his Photographers 2 Models project, like his Facebook Page!

… yes that’s really me! So what do you think, Aaron Watson: photographer or model?

We made it to Venice after a very long train ride on Friday. The train broke down near the French/Italian border for 3 – 4 hours, but it actually ended up being pretty nice as we were right at the base of the Alps and had a chance to journey into the town to grab some breakfast. So after our 17 hour train ride, we arrived in Venice and hopped on a water bus for the hotel. Little did we know that the stop we wanted was closed, so we ended up going 1/2 a mile further then we wanted and had to carry our very heavy backpacks through some very narrow streets.

When we finally arrived at the Locanda Sturion (our hotel) it was nice to find that reserving a room overlooking the grand canal meant that you were in a pretty large Suite! Definitely the nicest place we’ve stayed at yet! After settling in Jenny & Aaron came over (who you might recognize as I shot their wedding in Olympia/Tacoma, Washington last year and their wedding is featured on the website), and after catching up a little we went out to a very nice restaurant that was recommended to me before we went on a very short gondola ride and then scouted out a place to see the fireworks! I will post some pictures of the fireworks soon, but needless to say they were pretty amazing! We grabbed a few bottles of wine/champagne and sat overlooking the bay/canal where they lasted for about 45 minutes!

Originally Jenny & Aaron were only supposed to stay that one night, but thankfully they decided to stay and the next day we all went to Murano and Burano (two of the islands near Venice) which is known for their glass work, intricate lace, and amazing scenery! Below are some pictures Burano where you will find some very colorful buildings! After a long day of sightseeing we said a tearful goodbye to Jenny and Aaron.

The next day was all Venice: museums, a church, a palace, a prison, many gondolas, and many pictures! Although, through it all I still wanted a little more, so this morning I woke up at 5:20 to catch the sunrise and got some amazing pictures of Venice in the morning without all of the tourists (the last two photos)! It was very peaceful and completely different than you will see during the day. I highly recommend that anyone who visits Venice to take at least one morning and enjoy the sunrise over the Canals!

Now we’re off to Rome, the last city on our trip! Can’t wait!

… Paris was fun! The fireworks on Bastille day were awesome! Taken lots of pictures! Got to see the real Moulin Rouge, reminded me of the Circus, but with half naked women.

Will try to post more soon!

The phone wouldn’t take the picture and I could only smile so long:

Took cover from the rain under an awning. This is the street our hotel is on, very close to La Rambla!

Europe,Barcelona,Spain,Pamplona,Paris,Dijon,France,Venice,Rome,Italy

Status: Thomas and I are currently waiting in Philadelphia to board our plane to Barcelona, yippee!

Since our plane is delayed I figured I would let everyone know our itinerary for our two week Euro-trip. We will be starting off in Barcelona where we will spend a day checking out the sites before heading to Pamplona for the running of the bulls (don’t worry mom, I’m not planning to run). Then we will be heading to Paris for Bastille Day (the french independence day), where we will spend three days before checking out the wine country around Dijon. After Dijon we will be arriving in Venice on the 18th in time for their fireworks festival, which I am really excited about! Should provide for some awesome pictures! After another 3 day stay we will be wrapping up in Rome and flying home on the 24th!

While we are abroad I will try to update the blog with stories about our awesome adventures and sweet new pictures as much as possible, so be sure to keep checking back! If you have any suggestions please leave a comment for us or email me (aaron@aaronwatsonphoto.com). For anyone who needs to get in touch with us you can also call my phone (434.962.7143) which will be forwarded to my Skype account (or just skype me at aaronwatsonphoto). I will try to check my voicemail and email regularly.

Adios!

It was amazing that we found Jake in the hundreds of graduates, but even more amazing is that he saw us in the massive crowd of families.

This is one of my favorite moments from the whole day! Sam was looking on, proud of his brother graduating (maybe thinking that he will be doing the same in another year), and Amy gave him a big hug with a rush of emotions and feelings that only a mother could know.

Uncle Adam in all his jokester glory very proud that his son is finally finished accruing student loans.

From left to right: My grandfather Papa Lee, Uncle Adam, Cousin Jake, Grandma Nancy, Cousin Sam, Cousin Lauren

Sam sporting his retro look. I have a picture with my father in a very similar outfit at his own college graduation!

After a long day I was told I had to get a “slice” from Famous Ray’s Pizza by my good friend and a former New Yorker, Dennis Fryer. After checking in and relaxing for a second I found one directly across the street from my hotel. Let me just say it was amazing, thank you Dennis!

So a bit embarrassing, but I ended up walking the wrong way to what I thought was Times Square and instead ended up in Columbus Circle just outside Central Park. It turned out to be a nice area to sit while listening to the fountain and watch people passing. I also had some fun playing around with my fisheye lens on the Canon 5D…

I ended up finally finding Time Square thanks to my trusty iPhone, and grabbed some more fun pictures with my fisheye.

I loved this wall at the Hard Rock. You could view other Hard Rocks around the world on each TV (I think it was a live feed – anybody know?). You could also see some of the pins from each location too.