Nikolas Koenig

When is a Peep not a Peep?

Nikolas — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 18:49:43 +0000

Read Amy Kellner’s Blog post on my experience at the Just Born factory in Bethlehem, PA.
http://6thfloor.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/04/when-is-a-peep-not-a-peep/

The “proper” article on the production of Peeps is coming out this Sunday in the New York Times Magazine.

Sporting new trends in PA

Aspen to Denver

Nikolas — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 16:50:07 +0000

I just finished a shoot for Architectural Digest in Aspen. I was working with Michael Reynolds, whom I have known “forever”, dating back to my days as a photo assistant. I have always known, that apart from being a great stylist/designer/editor, he can be hilariously funny, but this time around I actually learned that he has done some incredible things in his personal life.

Coincidentally one of my all-time favorite photographers, Francois Halard, was shooting in Aspen at the same time, and we were able to enjoy a dinner together. In particularly odd seemed the fact that he had arrived in Aspen straight from his first trip to Dubai, where I will be going this Friday, also for the first time.

On the day of our return to New York this past Sunday, we were surprised at the airport with the news that they were shutting down and cancelling all flights due to strong winds. Waiting that one out wasn’t an option for any of us, so we kept our rental car and went for a (beautiful) 4hr drive to the Denver airport instead. When it was all said and done, landing past midnight in Newark, getting a car to drive me to my car parked at Laguardia, I was finally in my own bed Monday morning at 3am. While I logged this as just one more “business as usual” experience, it did remind me of those funny charts about “What people think I do” or “How photographers actually spend their time“, as I can tell from channeling most people’s thought bubbles, that their firm belief is, those rings under my eyes must clearly be a result from too many “Après-ski cocktails” and heavy dancing in Aspen.

Drive from Aspen to Denver airport

Fashion Week Addendum

Nikolas — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 15:04:03 +0000

As I am catching up with my Sunday New York Times, I read this great article summing up the week’s events, echoing some of my own feelings and observations. My favorite quote in Guy Trebay’s article is by RoseLee Goldberg, art historian and director of the performance art-biennial Performa : “No one looks hard enough at the creative energy that comes into it. It’s all rather amazing. It’s not just party time.”

I certainly have gained an entirely new view of fashion through experiencing these shows up close.

Fashion Week NY

Nikolas — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 02:13:27 +0000

Over a coffee at the Mercer Hotel about three weeks ago, Marcelo Junemann, founder & editor in chief of BIG magazine, asked me if I was interested in “covering” one or two of the shows during fashion week in New York. I really had to give it a few minutes of thought. At that point I had not even been to a show before, and I certainly had little interest in trying to do runway photography and competing with my colleagues for coveted square inches of prime location in the photographer’s box. He assured me though that he was only looking for my own personal take on a fashion show, that I could do whatever I wanted and he handpicked the shows that were of obvious interest to me, due to location and let’s call it “production value”. Subsequently on my list were: Moncler at the Wollman Rink in Central Park and Thom Browne at the New York Public Library, both produced by Etienne Russo, and Michael Kors produced by Alexandre de Betak. Yes, I did miss Marc Jacobs by Rachel Feinstein…

I was taken by complete and welcomed surprise, that this assignment has become one the most exciting projects in past years. Seeing the vision, choreography, lighting, music and fashion come together for those few minutes reminded me of some of the inspiring performances I had seen of the Frankfurt Ballett by William Forsythe over twenty years ago when I was still living there. Standing on a rock in Central Park during rehearsals for the Moncler show, Gershwin playing and snow beginning to fall, it was like being part of the opening scenes of Woody Allen’s “Manhattan”: It was majestic, epic, awe-inspiring. For a few seconds, I “knew”, there was no place on earth that could possibly be more exciting than the spot I was capturing that very moment from with my camera.

Marcelo was kind enough to let me post a few of the images on my site as a sneak-peak, until the story has been published in BIG.

Thank you Marcelo!

Photographer's Box at Michael Kors

Public Chicago Hotel by Ian Schrager

Nikolas — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 01:31:54 +0000

Here is an interesting write up by Pilar Viladas of the New York Times Magazine on Ian Schrager’s latest endeavor, the Public Hotel in Chicago. Her article is accompanied by some of my pictures I have taken for the hotel. I am now in my 12th year taking pictures of Ian Schrager’s projects, and I will always remember my very first shoot, which was the model room of the Hudson Hotel in NY. I have probably photographed several hundred hotel rooms by now, and can say that that particular shoot, my first big shoot for him, and as “luck” had it, of this tiny room with dark wood panelled walls, in the pre-digital era, when I was still shooting 4×5″ on chrome and everything had to be lit, exposed & filtered perfectly, was more stressful and felt technically more challenging than almost anything I have ever done since.

For anyone interested in a visual of this little anecdote, I found this link on the web. The image on the left is a crop of my picture from 12 years ago.

Tom Kundig Lecture

Nikolas — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:30:18 +0000

On Wednesday, I attended a lecture by Tom Kundig at the New York Public Library. He recently published his second book called Houses 2, featuring 17 residential projects, of which two I had photographed (Montecito, CA and Sitges, Spain) and some of those pictures had been included in the book.

Admittedly, I have not attended many architecture lectures in my life but I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Tom in person and hear him talk about his background, memories and references that have informed his work. Surprisingly down to earth and accessible human being. What a cool guy! He even managed to get me interested in hot rods (had to be there…).

Architectural Digest February

Nikolas — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 23:50:50 +0000

Here are the links to the stories mentioned in my last post:

James Magni: http://www.architecturaldigest.com/homes/homes/2012/02/james-magni-design-beverly-hills-home-slideshow#slide=1

David Mann: http://www.architecturaldigest.com/homes/homes/2012/02/david-mann-new-york-apartment-slideshow#slide=1

Architectural Digest February Issue

Nikolas — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 01:33:16 +0000

It’s already been on the news stand for a couple of weeks, so I thought I should mention that I have two stories in that issue:
One is the very first shoot I did for AD (Clarity of Vision, p.82) with the amazing Robert Rufino last May of a modernist home from the 60′s in Beverly Hills by James Magni of Magni Design. Given that I had never worked for AD before, there was a natural nervousness on my part going into the shoot. Also, during my “interview” at the magazine’s offices within the Conde Nast building on Times Square preceding the shoot, Robert had flipped silently through both of my portfolios that I had brought into the meeting, and I only recall him saying two things: “hello” when we met and “thank you” when he left the room. So, it is fair to say I didn’t exactly have a good read on what he thought of me and my work and what working together would be like. Needless to say, there was no reason to worry, and Robert turned out to be, beyond the obvious refined taste and immaculate style he brings to a shoot, a “very cool cat” (no further comment) and I consider every shoot I have done for AD in general, and with Robert in particular, to be a great honor.

The second story, also with Robert, is of a beautiful project by David Mann of MR Architecture + Decor (Sparkling Attitude, p.112) for Darcy Miller Nussbaum and her family. A very nice little moment was orchestrated by Darcy, Senior Vice President and Weddings Editorial Director for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, who had learned literally only minutes before the end of the day, that it was my birthday. I was surprised with a cake and little drawing by her, and considering all the things she had going on that day (she was at the time preparing, styling and organizing for an upcoming private event for Martha Stewart at her house with several co-workers), I found it to be a very considerate and sweet gesture.

Darcy Miller's birthday card

Works for me!

Nikolas — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 00:48:55 +0000

This is what awaits you when you enter your room at the Sunset Tower hotel in LA.

My past seven weeks:

Nikolas — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 11:59:04 +0000

San Diego, Helsinki, Chicago, Buenos Aires, Jamaica, Bilbao, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Berlin =
359 GB unprocessed raw files (stills only, no video data)

I received this email from American Airlines while traveling, which made me appreciate the number 1 Million (during times where people own billions and countries owe trillions) in a refreshing new way:

“Dear Nikolas Koenig,

Congratulations on earning 1,000,000 AAdvantage® miles!

Whether you eagerly awaited this achievement or didn’t realize it occurred, I want you to know that we think it’s an accomplishment worth celebrating.”