IN OUR OWN WORDS.

GCYS

GCYS

Photo cred: Cris Crocc, Nick Bellmore

GCYS

Marisa L'amore

Photos by: Marisa L’amore

MEETUP: MASHABLE x STREET DREAMS MAG FOR #MASHMEET So we jumped in the car and headed to Brooklyn for Mashmeet, which was held inside Coney Island’s Luna Park. The park is closed for off-season, but Luna Park opened up just for the event. It was cool running into friends from previous meetups + from the Instagram photography community in general, but I was most surprised to hear how so many people traveled from all over to be in attendance; from Miami to Montreal! My homies that I commuted with had never been to Coney Island before, so it was cool showing them around and giving them some historical facts about this wacky place that was considered the world's largest and premier amusement area during the first half of the 20th Century. We definitely weren’t ready for this kind of cold yet, so after a couple of hours we headed to Nathan’s Original and defrosted ourselves with heat and hotdogs. I got some shots that I hadn’t snagged during any of my other trips to Coney with the team, so that was pretty awesome too. It was a good day with Bianca + Jerry! Marisa L’amore

Marisa L'amore

#StreetMeetNY Hosted by: @thehundreds @van_styles 13thwitness July 23rd 2014, New York City Ok, ok, I admit it. The main reason I wanted to go to Steet Meet NY was to meet Van Styles and 13th Witness. When I first heard Van Styles and The Hundreds were hosting another street meet, this time on the East Coast and within my grasp in NYC, I knew I was going before I could hit the tiny like button on Van’s Instagram feed. When 13th Witness confirmed on his feed that he was definitely going, in my head I mentally checked out from the rest of life, in my head I was already there… Cut out of work early to head to NYC. Meet Van, 13th, and a large group of creative like-minded individuals, I could deal with that. In life you get limited opportunities, and when something like this comes your way YOU GO because it might not happen again. I knew of Van Styles before Instagram, but he and 13th were the first 2 photographers I followed on IG and have been a source of tremendous inspiration, so I knew this was going to be a special treat. The day of the meet I left work, hitched a ride to Union, got on the train and headed toward that place where everything seems possible, New York City. When I stepped out of Grand Central it was hot. That piercing, stagnant heat that only a city of New York’s magnitude can provide. It didn’t phase me though, I had other things on my mind. By the time I made it to The Hundreds store on Grand in SoHo I was literally soaked, dripping with sweat, but I barely noticed as soon as I rounded the corner and saw 30-40 kids already outside the shop. That feeling of excitement that is so hard for me to capture these days was creeping up. All ages, races, genders, rich, poor, everyone was represented. I’m guessing we ended up with a group close to 100. From young kids decked out in all the latest streetwear, to older guys in collared polos, all with every type of camera imaginable. Film, DSLR, GoPros, iPhones, everyone already had them out and were snapping feverishly. Van Styles was behind the counter in The Hundreds store talking lenses with some kid who looked so excited he could have been talking to Jesus himself. Everyone surrounded the front of the store to take a group photo, not even 10 minutes in we were already completely blocking traffic. It was going to be a good day. Everyone waits for 13th to arrive… 13th Witness arrives. Oooohs and aaaaahs from the crowd, a kid in a Supreme tshirt slowly lifts his jaw off the hot sidewalk. More group photos, then we form like Voltron with Van and 13th at the head, and head out towards Broadway. We literally shut down traffic on Broadway. Pause. We shut down traffic on Broadway. Kids are snapping photos throughout the street and on both sides of the sidewalk. Tourists are stopping and asking me whats going on. Everyone’s heads turn as our massive entourage rumbles through the city. All the while everyone shooting photos from every conceivable angle of every object and every human or animal that has the luck or misfortune of crossing our path. By the time we reach Chinatown and I see 13th Witness reach into a bucket and pull out a frog the size of a guinea pig for a photo opp, my head is about to explode from over-stimulation. We roll on, photo after photo, block after block, hour after hour. From Chinatown all the way to the Brooklyn Bridge. No drama, no bickering, no fighting, everyone just there to do what they love. Take pictures. Van Styles and 13th Witness were amazing, posing for thousands of photos, as well as taking I’m sure close to that many as well. The whole time I felt we were all in one large group, not a group with a Van and 13th sub-group. I had the opportunity to speak with both of them briefly and it was just like talking to the homies. No arrogance whatsoever, and I could tell both of them were having just as much fun as we were! It was a sight to behold, photographers completely overrunning the streets of New York City. I would like to personally thank The Hundreds, Van Styles, and 13th Witness for hosting such a special day, and bringing the photographic community together like that. Without you guys an event like that wouldn’t have been possible. I had a blast, see y’all at the next meet! -Jerry @jerryskate1981

TEAM GCYS

TEAM GCYS

CAMERA OPERATORS HAVE SHITTY BACKS FROM OPERATING CAMERAS Let’s be for real for a second and think about the ratio of how many of us operate a camera - and whose backs hurt vs. whose backs feel like a dream. I don’t think that there are many (if any?) of us that spend several hours holding even light camera bodies that don’t feel it the next day - or 3 days later are flat on their back with spasms. What the hell we’re supposed to do about it: Get yourself a good chiro. At the time I was feeling like absolute garbage on a daily basis, I tried ALL of these first: Going to the doctor, the specialist, physical therapists, getting massages, stretching, applying heat, getting electro stimulation, “ultra sound” therapy, replacing my computer chair with better lumbar support, getting a Tempur-Pedic mattress, wearing a posture support top under my clothes every day (EVERY day), and getting my gear custom fitted to me….I was still hurting…. until I went to the chiropractor, who sent me for an X-ray, and told me my neck was in trouble. He applied heat and “stim” at the same time, then, he did something that no one else did. Acupuncture - (which at this point I don’t care if you “don’t believe in it” or not) and he also adjusted me so that my spine could start to go back in the right place. All of the strange positions we ninja ourselves into affect our posture, which catches up to us eventually. My chiro saved my life. Now that the compression in between my vertibraes are being adjusted to give me some relief, I have also had to retrain myself on how to stand, sit, and even sleep. I have to stretch evey day, and work on a core regimen, but it’s a million times better. And I can work again: you know, hold this heavy ass 5D Mark II camera. Marisa L’amore

For a demonstration of interactive living pictures, visit the Lytro Picture Gallery here. The open source code for Lytro’s WebGL Player will be available at http://dev.lytro.com on July 15, 2014.

TEAM GCYS

BTS: SAILOR JERRY (SPICED RUM) PINUP PARTY We rolled up to the appropriately themed SJ party, high fived Lisa DeVito (top, left) who was conducting pinup makeup at her station under the Sailor Jerry tent, and proceeded to the tiki bar where we sampled custom cocktails from the SJ drink list. Sailor Jerry rum is pretty delicious, rated at a 90, AND it was served in a take home reusable aluminum mug. You already know it’s on display like a trophy on my desk at Clique Quarters. Just when you thought it ended at hot broads and good rum, there was also a temporary tattoo station, and check out the pop-up barber shop, while a (good) live band played covers at this outdoor patio party. I know, I wish you were there too. BTS mostly shot with GoPro Hero3+ Photos Copyright Clique Media Marisa L’amore

TEAM GCYS

KELLY TAMALE