Quality #2

Writing this blog is a fun, yet weird learning experience. I think of a topic and then as I start writing the initial theme changes. I guess it's just a learning experience. If I wanted to become a true writer I would search in google for the top 5 writer websites, subscribe to a writers magazine, search out the best writers...... see it's so easy to change topics.....

Back to the quality thing. As we have traveled and experienced many incredible things our perspective has changed.

Take food.

We love sushi. Nearly as much as I love Starbucks. For the past few years Marianna and I have eaten sushi in Toronto, New York, Boca Raton, Orlando, Los Angeles, Tokyo, London and Cancun to name a few. The art of making sushi is very much like photography. There are so many ways that it can be made. Everyone thinks they can do it and few people know how to do it right.

In Tokyo of course the sushi kicked ass. So many varieties and the rice perfectly made - always.

In Cancun, let's just say the place looked nice but I was sure I was going to be sick. The fish just wasn't fresh.

My favorite sushi story involves a trip to London. Marianna and I flew Air Canada to Gatwick overnight. Serious how do people actually sleep in these tin cans? Anyhow we were tired. By the time we got to our hotel room it was 11:30am London time. We were hungry and decided to go for sushi. I had purchased a Foders guide (something I always do for every city) and it said there was a sushi restaurant a few blocks away.

After getting lost, visiting 25 shoes store (damn I hate shoe stores) we ended up across the street from the Metropolitan hotel that had a sushi restaurant on the second floor. The thing was we were like on one side of six lane street with barriers that made it impossible to jaywalk. Click here to see a map

At this point we had been walking for 4 hours Marianna had to pee, I slept like 2 hours and we wanted some damn sushi.

30 min later we finally made it to the restaurant. The time was 5:45 I remember cause they still weren't open and Marianna made them open the door so she could go to the washroom. When she got back we told them table for 2 and they looked us like we were crazy.

The really trendy looking women/girl asked us if we had a reservation. I like laughed and said - "seriously guys we've been walking for 4 hours, we flew in overnight we just want to eat and go to sleep, so just seat us quickly cause were going to pass out" So girl's eyes bug out and she says I sorry if you don't have a reservation I can't seat you. Marianna and I look in the empty restaurant look at each other and laugh" the I get pissed.

"Look there's no one here, save the sales pitch get us seat. Get your manager do what you have to do. The sushi probably not even any good - this is London after all.

Anyhow the girl chokes out OK and takes off to the back. A Japanese dude comes back and says - look we are fully booked but if you promise to be finished by 7:45pm I'll get you a table. I remember Marianna being annoyed that they were trying to rush us.

So we followed him into the dining room. Wow this place was amazing. Very expensive contemporary decor. Waiters dressed black, and when we entered fully intro the 400 seat restaurant the sushi chefs welcomed us with a great big "Irasshaimase" (please come in),we were definitely not in a Kansas anymore. As we began to order I look at the prices $24 buck a plate for a roll, wow a bit expensive but hell we're on vacation.

When it was all done the sushi was really good, if fact the best we ever had. The manager came by to ask how it all was. Since we had put down all our bags, ( in those days I always traveled with a Nikon F4s around my neck) we finally relaxed to a point where I could take everything in.

Looking around us at 7:15 the restaurant was packed. Every single table full. And not just full but every person was dressed to the nines. I saw some business men pull up in a Rolls Royce and be told they had to wait for their table. And the guy happily took a drink at the bar.

In the end we left. The bill was 98$ -

Marianna to this day never figured out the 98$ we paid for Sushi at Nobu in London actually cost us 268$ Canadian.

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OK this post was supposed to be about quality. Seriously as we have tasted the finest foods, visited the most expensive shops throughout the world, made friends with exclusive jewelers and artists (tell you about the time Marianna and I went to Faberge in Paris another time), we have seen the difference.

When we shoot at a wedding our perspective is influenced by things we have seen.

Below is a photo that is a copy of a shot Marianna took of me on some Cruise ship in the Mediterranean recreated at Queeen's Quay. Funny how things repeat themselves.