Day 29

Today I was on a shoot for the album cover for Ron Isley's new album. He was great, and he brought lots of his family and they were all really nice and very funny. We were shooting in a studio in the Brooklyn ship yard. At the shoot they were taping a behind the scenes video of the making of the album cover and they asked me to interview for the video. So of course I did, and he introduced me as Clara Seddelmeyer, Art Director on set. I like that title! I was pretty nervous because I don't really know that much about Mr. Isley. We talked a little bit about the project and Mr. Isley and I made it with what I knew about him and then he asked me all about what I do and how set design works. So I laid down everything I have learned over the past 5 weeks. I was excited that I was able to talk for 15 minutes about Mary Howard Studio and all the work I've been doing, I certainly have learned so much!

-Soho Summer Girl

Day 25

So I was too tired last night to blog but, it was an exciting day so I am writing about it now. So I got on set at 8 am for Allure magazine. We were shooting in a really fancy loft on the west side and everyone on set was really nice. Allure wanted to do a piece on famous hairstylists and their signature looks so we were taking the pictures of the 7 different stylists and the models with their signature hair style. Yesterday we did two men. The morning shoot wasn't too eventful, I made a run to a drugstore to get tape and glass cleaner. The shoot went smoothly and it didn't take the photographer too long to get his picture, around 12 we left that location and moved to another apartment. The afternoon shoot was a blast! I ate some lunch and then went straight to work setting up the room for the shoot. We had some wall papered-panels we put up as well as a lot of little decorative props. Once we had set up, we had like 45 minutes until the model would be out of hair and make-up and so we were just sitting around when the photographer was like, "Hey, would you be my model?".....of course! So I got to pose around the room and he changed lighting and we came up with poses that the model could do. It was so much fun and I got to look at the whole roll he took afterwards. When the model came up the photographer told her to talk to me about poses, so I got to direct the model and tell her where to stand and how to pose. Her shots were absolutely gorgeous and I cant wait to see what picture they end up putting in the magazine, maybe it will be one of my poses! I loved working with the photographer and he asked me to stay on set and help move things around. It was another long day but by far the best photo shoot I've been on just because I was so involved in the shots. Look out for November Allure!

-Soho Summer Girl

Day 24

Today was quite a long day! I got on set at 8 am for the magazine Allure. Around 9:00 I had to take a taxi to a prop house called, Eclectic Encore and get 3 chairs for Mary on an Annie Leibovitz shoot celebrating the 50th anniversary of The Pill. I worked on this shoot all day Tuesday and it was very cool to see Annie in action! So I picked up the chairs and brought them to the studio Mary was in and she ended up only wanting one of the chairs and so I took the other 2 to Viki who was working on a shoot for Americana. Then I went back to my shoot for Allure and I got to watch the whole shoot, so that was cool. We started in a studio with one model and then around 2:30 we went out on the streets of Chelsea to shoot another model with an old red mustang. We also were doing a shot with surfboards and I had to run to a surf shop in China town and buy some board wax. That was a fun errand, the surf shop was really cool. I went back on set watched and helped out until 6:00. There is a really neat market called Chelsea Market right near where we were shooting and so I got myself a nutella and banana crepe from one of the vendors since I did work a 10 hour day :). Tomorrow I am back on set for Allure. We are in someones house though, so that should be fun and half way through the day we are switching locations, so there will be lots of moving around tomorrow!

-Soho Summer Girl

Day 16

A crazy day! I had to be on set at 9:30 for an American Vogue photo shoot. We were shooting around Madison Avenue in the Upper East Side along all the high-end shops. The photographer was the famous Steven Klein! So I got to the set at 9:30 and I am immediately put to work running errands. The first thing I had to do is go to the UPS to get boxes and packing tape. I then went to CVS to look for brown craft paper and twine, but didn't find either, so I went to Duane Reade (another drugstore) and found twine but not brown craft paper. Sooo, then I went to Papyrus and didn't find what I was looking for so I tried Kate's Paperie and was finally successful. I bought 6 yards of brown craft paper and some bags. Then I brought all these purchases back to set and got sent back out because Mary wanted more of the bags I picked up. I went back to Kate's Paperie and got more bags and went Papyrus to get even more bags. Then I ran to AT&T to get Mary an iPhone charger for her car. I then went back to set and gave Mary everything. She sent me back to Duane Reade to get manila envelopes and more bags and I brought them back and there was a problem with the charger I got for her iPhone and so I had to go back to AT&T and find a charger that actually worked. Once I brought that back I went to Gracious Homes and got beach towels and beach blankets. But the Gracious Homes on 3rd ave didn't have one of the colors Mary wanted so I had to go to the Gracious Homes on Broadway and pick up the teal towels. I brought all of those back to set and by this time the shoot had started and so I watched for a little while and helped with props. But it wasn't long before I was back out on the streets running errands. We were using 2 little dogs on set and Mary didn't like the leashes they were using so I had to run to a Petco really fast and buy matching black leashes and collars. I brought them back and put them on the dogs and played with them for a while. Mary had ordered a S550 white Mercedes with red interior with a driver in a tux for the shoot, however we didn't end up using him, so not wanting money to go to waste Mary suggested I take the car to finish running my errands. So I said goodbye to walking and the dirty subway and climbed into my luxury vehicle with personal chauffeur complete with tux. It was a blast. We went to FAO Swartz and I didn't find what I was looking for so we drove to the Toys R Us in Times Square, the one with the Ferris wheel in it. I found what I needed and then we dropped them back off at the set. When I got back Mary told me she wanted more of what I got at the Toys R Us and so I got back in the car and we went back and I got more, and when I was done I walked out of the store and my car was sitting there and the driver in his tux opened the door for me and everyone in Times Square was like, "Who is that famous person?" and this man started taking pictures of me and the car and the driver in his tux. It was funny and we played it off well and in the car the driver and I were laughing about it. So from then on we made a big deal every time we stopped somewhere. At one point we went back to Duane Reade and we pulled up outside the drugstore and the driver opens the door for me and I walk into the store and buy scissors and tape and a little girl asked me if I was a movie star. I was like "Unfortunately no". After that Mary released me and instead of taking the subway home, the driver offered to drive me back to my apartment even though he was done for the day. So I went home in style. Later I met a friend from Dallas for dinner at a great authentic Mexican restaurant in Soho. A busy but fun day in the Upper East Side!

-Soho Summer Girl

Day 12

Today's photo shoot was a blast! I was on set at 8:30 this morning at a gorgeous mansion on the upper west side. The sets were so much fun, we shot in several rooms and there were a lot of animals there. We had several 8 week old kittens that were so cute and a monkey named George that was very talkative. The models were all very nice and were constantly cracking jokes. The shoot was a lot of fun and there was great food there. I had to make a few last minute runs to get things for the shoot. In one shoot they were using strawberries but they thought raspberries would be better so I ran to a market and picked up raspberries. Then the makeup artist wanted to paint the models names a beige but didn't have the color so I located a CVS and found the right color nail polish. For one of the shots we were using a bubble machine but there were too many bubbles and they were going everywhere so I found a toy store and bought 6 bubble guns so we could control the bubbles more. In one of the shots we used a stuffed baby deer, :( poor Bambi, and when we were done I returned it to this store called Evolutions in Soho. This store was crazy they had all these stuffed animals and tons of skeletons of creatures I had never seen before. I had tons of fun on set today but I'm so happy its the weekend!!

-Soho Summer Girl

Day 11

Today was another exciting day! I got to the studio at 10 and there was a car there to pick me up and take me to the set of the photo shoot for Italian Vogue. I got to the shoot and it was amazing, there was millions of dollars of fur coats there and there were tons of gorgeous models. Steven Meisel, the world renown photographer was there and the experience was incredible. The number of people that get to be on Meisel's shoots is very limited, so I was very lucky to be there today. At one point they needed a sewing kit and couldn't find one, so I ran to the nearest drug store and got one and brought it back and then they needed a certain color thread and so I got that. I also did several Starbucks runs to get Mary her venti non-fat iced chai lattes. The shoot was great and after about 5 hours there I went back to the studio and did some research there for shoots next week. It was a great day and tomorrow I am back on set, but its an early morning!

-Soho Summer Girl

Day 10

Sorry its been a while! I've certainly been busy. Well today I got to the studio at 10 and immediately left to go back to Manhattan to pick up fashion show invitations, to use as props for a photo shoot. I then took the train back to the studio and dropped off the invitations and was given a long list of things to shop for. So I was out all day long! It rained all day today and when it rains in New York, it is so gross. So my first stop was a costume shop called Ricky's and I picked up a bunny mask. Then I got back on the train to go to a specialty light shop. The subway was so unbelievably crowded today, just because it was raining and so everyone was using the trains instead of walking. So I got off at Union Square which a busy stop in the first place. The exit I was using happened to have an awning over it and since it was raining all these people without umbrellas were crowded under the awning. So I in a huge mob of people trying to push my way out of the subway and people are trying to get into the subway and everyone is in every one's way. I am shoved up against two people and I cant move and all the sudden I feel scratching on my arm so I look down and there is a HUGE rat scratching my arm!! This man was holding the rat in his arms and I was pushed up against it and I didn't even notice! So I jumped back and the man was like "Oh, sorry miss this is just my pet rat". I was like get it away from me! So gross! After that I made it to the light store and I purchased tons and tons of red lights for a photo shoot, next I was off to Bed Bath and Beyond. I got back on the train but when I walked down to the platform, there was a man in a penguin suit and another man in a pink gorilla suit playing instruments. It was very strange, you see all kinds of crazy things on the New York subways! I made it the Bed Bath and Beyond and the one I went to on 6th Ave is so enormous, I couldn't believe it. I wandered around for such a long time but made it out with 2 big wedge pillows and an electric carving knife. Some strange purchases today. I hailed a cab because I had had too much of the trains for one day. I dropped all the stuff off at the studio and then got sent back out into the world to go and pick up an order for a photo shoot that is happening tomorrow morning. I went and picked up tons and tons of fabric from this very very cool studio and took it to the studio where the photo shoot is tomorrow. Then I headed home and made myself dinner. A busy and tiring day. Tomorrow I am back in the studio!

-Soho Summer Girl

Day 4

Wow, what a day! I woke-up at 4, because my shoot was moved to 6am. So I made the trek to the studio and got there right at 6 just in time to help unpack and set up all the props that I packed up yesterday. The makeup artist, hair dresser, manicurist, stylist, photographer, and catering all came and started setting up so the studio was very busy. Then the talent (the subject of the photo shoot) came at 7 and she went into hair and makeup and everything else in order to be picture perfect. Around 7:30 we discovered that we didn't have the correct diameter black rope that our boss wanted, so we are scrambling to find a hardware store that is open at 8 and sells black rope the size we need...after about 15 calls to stores we finally come up with a place, so that crisis was fixed. Finally around 9, the talent and photographer were ready to start the photo shoot. It was very cool, they blasted music in the studio and the camera started flashing. After watching the shoot for a little bit, my boss asked me and the other intern, Amy to go run errands for her. So we went to the enormous FAO Schwartz and got furniture for a doll house and then ran to another doll house store and bought more doll house furniture. Then I delivered the tiny furniture and picked up some things. All the while it is raining, so it was pretty miserable on the streets. Then I went back to the office and worked on pulling props for the shoot tomorrow. I pulled and packed 45 various colored pillows and also worked some more on a website I am making for a client. Finally, after 11 1/2 hours of work, I got on the subway and came back to my apartment. Tomorrow, I go into work at 11 and run some errands in Manhattan and then I have to be at the shoot at 1.

-Soho Summer Girl

Day 3

Today was an interesting day! I said goodbye to Leah this morning as I left for work. I am officially on my own in the big city....yikes. Once again the trusty New York subway failed me this morning. I got on my downtown F train just fine but at East Broadway the train stopped. We sit in the subway for about 5 minutes then the conductor comes on the speaker and tells us there has been a power outage and all the downtown trains were stopped. We aren't at a stop so there is no place for us to go, and people are starting to freak out. After 45 minutes we manage to get to a stop and then it was another 15 minutes before they opened the doors. They told everyone to get off the subway and figure some other way to go. Of course the F train is the only way to work for me and I have no idea any other way to get to work using the subway so I had to take a cab. The subway stopped at the last stop in Manhattan so I had to take a taxi all the way across to Brooklyn. It was quite an adventure and I was an hour late to work! But it was okay because everyone trying to get to Mary Howard's was stranded on the subway. Once I finally got to work, I learned that we are doing a shoot tomorrow morning and we needed to get everything ready for that. So I ordered decking for the shoot and then pulled all the props and packed them for the shoot. Then I worked on creating 2 websites full of possible props for 2 clients. That took several hours but I finished both websites. I made several phone calls to companies and sent some faxes. Tomorrow will be my first day on set! I have to be at the location at 6:30 AM! The shoot is from 6:30-11:00, so it will be a very long day on my feet.

Wish me luck!

-Soho Summer Girl

Day 2

My first day of work was a success! The most challenging part was getting to my office. The New York subway is pretty tricky. I walked to the F train which takes me to my office in Carrol Gardens, Brooklyn. I am sitting on the crowded subway when the stops are sounding very unfamilar. So I whip out my subway map and of course I am going the wrong way on the F train. I was headed uptown. So I jumped off at some random station and wandered until I found the downtown F train. 12 stops later I made it to Carrol Street. Today I worked in the main office of Mary Howard. When I first got there it was just me and the woman who hired me, Jennifer. She had tons of emails to check from the long weekend so I just looked around the studio. Then the other intern Amy came and she gave me a tour of the studio/office. Then it was straight to work. Everyone else was on set today, so it was just the three of us working. I looked up the copyright and prices for several images and also made some calls to companies to get invoices for the things Mary Howard purchased for some of her projects. There were lots of deliveries being made to the studio (props coming back from sets) and I put all the props back in the studio where they belong. I made some new files for new clients and started reorganizing all the books in the studio. We had lunch delivered and made some more phone calls for Jennifer and more organizing. According to Jennifer, it was a pretty slow day. She told me that they have enough going on this month so I will get to spend some time working on set. Tomorrow I am back in the office. I am starting work everyday at 10, so I love being able to sleep in, as I am not a morning person! This evening my sister and I went to a pizza place in soho, which claims to have the best pizza in New York. It was pretty good, but since I am living between Soho and Little Italy I am sure I will be eating lots of great pizza. Then we had some Pinkberry frozen yogurt. We watched a movie and now I am ready for a good nights sleep, and another busy day at work!

-Soho Summer Girl

Day 1

Hello. I am creating this blog for the next 4 weeks that I am in New York. Ill talk about all that I am doing at my internship. Today has been my first day in the big apple! Ive bought my groceries and signed up for an art class at a beautiful art studio next to central park. My class is called Painting, Color, Design and Composition on Saturdays from 1 to 4:45. I am excited! I am here with my sister Leah and we are sharing my twin bed in my studio! She leaves wednesday morning though. Then I'm all alone in New York! Crazy! I start work tomorrow morning at 10. Tonight, I think Leah and I will get something to eat then look around soho or midtown. Thats all for now.

-Soho Summer Girl