After Enid and Edgar, I shot over to Silverlake to pick up some product for Epitaph Records’ merchandise division. On my way back into town, I stopped at Target and picked up an outdoor solar light to help light the area near my studio and a cheap battery powered press-light for the door. AJB and I got side tracked playing with a set of old “wireless” intercoms (which sort of work) along with his amazing new Flip HD video camera.

I waded through hundreds of Enid and Egar images and took a dinner break around 8pm. Father Nature! The Epitaph Records items were a rush because for some reason, I told the guy I could have them shot and edited by morning. Somehow, my brain neglected to remind me that I would be shooting still shots for a web series pilot in Santa Monica at 6am. Or maybe I remembered, but I imagined I could actually do that much work in so little time. I’m also highly aware of other people’s deadlines rather than my own.

By the time I started working on the Epitaph images, I was already tired from being on the go all day. By midnight, I was dragging. Exhausted, my mind was starting to fuzz over like a moldy peach. I powered through. I encountered several challenging items that required a level of thinking my brain wasn’t capable of at the moment. Frustrated, I began to unravel. AJB made every attempt to help me, but I was too far gone. Angry at myself for saying I could do heaps of work in a short amount of time, annoyed with anyone that talked to me, tired, fuzzy-brained, I lost it more than a few times. It’s not that I didn’t realize that in the grand scheme of things, missing a deadline isn’t half as important as say…world hunger, but no matter how I tried to convince myself, the exhaustion absolutely took over and I was irrational.

By the time I finished everything up, it was after 3am. I needed to be at a bar in Santa Monica by 6am which meant by 4am, I had to shower, get my equipment together, and leave the house by 5am. AJB convinced me to take a short nap on the couch after my shower. I could have slept all day, but I got up, got my gear, put on some make-up, downed a big fat cup o’ coffee and drove to the coast. I got there in record time. It’s always so disorienting when you don’t sleep and somehow, you’re on the road in the wee hours of the morning and the moon is still out. That’s Winter for you.

At the shoot, I was only half lucid. At times I found it difficult to communicate or say certain words. My joints ached and my head was stuffy. Regardless, I had a great time. This was my first experience on a real film set, even if it’s just for a web series. I got to see how things work, who does what, and why it takes so many takes to get it right. I haven’t looked at my images yet. I expect I won’t do that until tomorrow. I joked around with one of the extras that because I was so delusional, I will have imagined that I took the best shots of my life, but in actuality, I’ll find that I spent 4 hours shooting pictures of a strange hot dog statue that was on the set. It was funny. You had to be there. Or perhaps I was so delusional, I only thought it was funny.

The producer, the guy who “hired” me, was abundantly thankful, pleasant, and easy to get along with. The cast and crew were a mixed bag of actor types, laid back extras, and miscellaneous crew. Most people were nice although it was immediately apparent that everyone hangs out with their own group. Who knew film sets were so cliquey? The director was a really nice guy and I marveled at his ability to direct. As a director, you really need to be comfortable with ordering people around and do it in a way that doesn’t make you seem like a douche; which this guy did.

Overall, it was a fantastic experience. I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s shoot. More of the same. I basically just get to walk around and take pictures of whatever I want. Sure I’m not getting paid, but it’s not about that. This is one of those times where the experience outweighs the financial gain.

Tonight, I have even more Epitaph merch to shoot. I’ll get as much done as I can and try to be in bed by 10pm. At 33, I no longer have the stamina to go two days without sleep…as much as I wish I could.

I’ve been with Enid and Edgar for about two months and I keep meaning to post my favorite image from the week. There’s no better time than the present.

Enid and Edgar Vintage Clothing

You can see more of the work I’ve done for Enid and Edgar at my website, their website, their eBay store or their Etsy store. I have to say, it’s some of my best work.