Travelblog: Alaskan Adventure on Board Royal Caribbean’s Radiance of the Seas – June 15 – 25, 2011
Travelblog: Day 1
(Wed.)
“I defy you, stars”
Don’t know your intentions, universe, if there are any, but something as inconsequential as a twisted ankle will never keep me from taking this trip …
Not taking any chances slogging up and down subway stairs with my ankle: took the bus to the airport. Flying JFK – Detroit – Anchorage. Did laps up and down Detroit’s 1.5-mile long terminal. Rendez-vous’ed with Virginia (mature model); Kerry (model) and Chip (mature model) just made our connection by minutes; their bags may not. Seven hour flight with a screaming, red-faced toddler 3 rows back, her pregnant, overwhelmed mother completely unable or unwilling to stop her. Michel (photographer), Anne Marie (model) and Toni (RCCL rep) missed their connection in Dallas due to flight delay in Miami, had to reroute via Minneapolis - will their bags and all the photography equipment follow? Guillaume en route from Lyon … Arrive into Anchorage’s impressively large and modern airport, gleaming, enormous and mostly empty, apparently paid for with our federal tax dollars. Cold, rainy, 40’s – brrrrr. Checked into the Marriott, classic view of the mountains in the distance from the window of my single room. Everyone arrives after midnight, but the bags from Miami have gone MIA.
Travelblog: Day 2
(Thurs.)
A day in and around Anchorage
Still cold and rainy in the morning; oddly, I don’t mind wearing my fleece in June. Hope this doesn’t forecast the forecast for the remainder of the trip … Miami bags haven’t arrived; everyone needs to borrow clothes. We begin our Alaska adventure with a tour of town: Alaska Native Heritage Center, Railroad Building, Cook’s Monument, “downtown,” which consists of one cute main street and a few buildings over 10 stories high. Anne Marie, a French-Canadian all-American beauty, wears the mauve fleece Catherine gave me for Christmas in the shots. Purple mountains majesty in the background, when they become visible through the clouds … The skies appear to be clearing as we board the coach, eat lunch, and wind down the spectacular Seward Highway to the Alaska Animal Conservation Center, rescue shelter for bear, reindeer, bison, moose …
Not yet fully defined, but it looks like my function on this trip will be to organize, dress and check wardrobe/make-up of the models, as well as help compose and style shots. Toni, RCCL rep with experience and connections, will handle most of the line production, logistics, etc. On to Alyeska Ski Resort, comfortable, rustic, understated, “the best hotel in Alaska”. Not great ski conditions up here, due to the short winter days and icy snow. Took a gondola up to summit – gorgeous. Clear, blue skies; crisp, fresh air – the weather gods have decided to smile upon us after all, when we need it most -
After dinner in the hotel sushi restaurant, hiked with Toni through the trails around Alyeska. She seems very competent but very cool, professional but approachable. She’s a little nervous about running into a bear in the woods; I’m not. We don’t. 10pm feels like 10am –blue skies as bright as noon on a summer’s day -
Don’t want to go to sleep but exhausted. And can’t fall asleep, even in this glorious single room -
Travelblog: Day 3
(Fri.)
Midnight sun, white nights
Between all the excitement, jet lag and midnight sun, couldn’t fall asleep and when I did, I didn’t sleep well. Up at 6:30am to board the domed Alaska Train to Seward. Oh-my-god. Spectacular. Glaciers and mountains and waterfalls and streams and lakes and eagles, all visible 180 degrees through the domed roof. Shot the talent boarding the train and coach, sightseeing, eating in the dining car. I’m seated behind the talent in several shots, full frontal. Glad I put on mascara this morning.
Boarded the ship, Royal Caribbean’s Radiance of the Seas, just out of 2 weeks dry dock in Victoria, BC. She’s huge, but feels manageable after having conquered the Oasis and Freedom classes. And she looks great. We’re here to capture the refurb, including the new dining venues – Park Café (a healthy option in the Solarium), the Quill and Compass Pub, Giovanni’s Table (Italian), Rita’s Cantina (Mexican), Izumi (Japanese), Samba Grill (Brazilian churrasco), The Doghouse (wieners) – the updated Diamond and Concierge Lounges, as well as the outdoor movie screen by the pool, several excursions, and a few stateroom categories. Manageable. Squeaked out a cabin shot before day’s end.
Toni and RCCL made a very wise move in hiring Michel for this refurb/lifestyle shoot: they receive a 2-for-1, times 2. Michel is well known in the cruise industry as the go-guy for architectural and aerial photography, especially for new ship launches; historically, he has been hired primarily to capture a ship’s interior and exterior spaces - its decks, pools, public areas, bars, restaurants, children’s facilities, cabins, etc. – and get dramatic, sweeping views from the air. Our last 2 Royal Caribbean shoots have included models: passengers living in the spaces, enjoying the cruise experience rather than empty spaces. Not many photographers can capture the personality of the venues, alive with believable people living the experience. Michel is creating a very specific, exclusive, promising niche for himself -
Additionally, having Guillaume (or Julien) along as 2nd DP allows for a whole other stylistic dimension. Their eye – modern, artistic, “edgy” – serves as a counterpoint to Michel’s classic, literal, direct style. The client will have a lot to choose from -
Another full day of shooting - so tired but I want to stay up! Our inside cabins (a.k.a., “the tomb”) should guarantee a good night’s sleep –
Travelblog: Day 4
(Sat.)
Arctic abandon
Sailing day – shooting cabins in the am; Hubbard Glacier / Russell Fjord in the afternoon.
Despite our 2pm call time, left waiting in Park Café with the talent without word while Michel, Guillaume and Toni board a rescue boat to take photos of the ship sailing in front of the glacier. It’s times like this when dect phones would come in handy. Feeling a bit awkward, abandoned, not sure what to tell the talent … Captain brought us in much closer than normal to get the money shot of the ship in front of the glacier – which Michel did. Gorgeous.
The muted light of this overcast day allowed for the blues and detail of Hubbard, the largest growing glacier in N. America, to flaunt its glory. Cold but calm on deck, the glacier mirrored in the still waters of Disenchantment Bay. Watched and listened to the calving process, where ice pieces at the terminal moraine (glacier’s front end) split off, creating the sound of “white thunder” before they crash into the water, forming icebergs. Otherwise softly silent, surreal and sublime.
Took me a moment to get over my annoyance at waiting like an idiot for over an hour with the talent to take railing shots before getting word the photogs weren’t even be on board. Michel and Co. got stunning, once-in-a-lifetime shots – the ship with ice floes in front, the glacier behind. The client will kvell with joy. Heard about the thrilling ride between the icebergs in moon suits - would have been nice to share that moment.
(A bone of contention with RCCL: coffee, or rather the absence of it. They serve an undrinkable brown liquid in the Windjammer, and an only slightly better version of what they call coffee in the Park Café. A nice cup of coffee would have been the perfect compliment to on-board glacier-watching. The espresso sell at the on-board cafe, Latte-Tudes, isn’t much better, but desperate times call for desperate measures …)
Travelblog: Day 5 (Sun.)
Alaskans
Shot the Park Café before disembarking in Juneau. Walked around the tiny center of town, nestled at the foot of a hill around a harbor. Just a few streets of tourist shops, the famous Red Dog Saloon, and – a soup kitchen right on main street. Lots of indigents, both indigenous and non, stinking of drink or weed. Not to mention a gay couple holding hands. Just like home! Is this who they mean when they talk about the high ratio of men to women in Alaska??? So far, the menfolk leave a lot to be desired – where are the hunky guys in those calendars???
Boarded a sea plane for a breathtaking ride over Taku and Twin Glaciers and the Taku River en route to Taku Lodge, where we gorged on a salmon bake including beans, biscuits, blueberries, and ginger snaps. Took a little hike into the rain forest for a better view of the glacier where we trespassed on someone’s off-the-grid fishing shack, complete with his and her outhouses. Mosquitoes as big as dragon flies buzzing around -
Chatted up the chefs, notably Adam, baker of the biscuits, who claimed to use 4 lbs. of butter in his recipe. (No wonder they were so delicious.) A former Wilhemena model in Calvin Klein and other campaigns, he offered to show me a real Alaskan adventure, some bona fide northern exposure, and gave me his e-mail address as I run off to catch the sea plane back to Juneau. Guess he didn’t notice or care that I am at least twice his age …
Regarding the P-word: invariably, the question of Sarah Palin comes up now and then when in Alaska talking with Alaskans. Seems that initially, Alaskans were quite proud to have her represent them and their state, very supportive of her as a vice presidential candidate. That changed when she decided to ditch her job as governor to become an insatiable, ill-informed media whore. Now many consider her an embarrassment,
Shot the pub before getting in a quick work-out, quick dinner solo in the Windjammer, and heading to bed –
Travelblog: Day 6 (Mon.)
Skagway: A little slice of “Northern Exposure”
Feeling again a bit like the unwanted stepchild: Only room for 5 in the helicopter, so Virginia, Chip and I were left on board while the rest take a tour to a dogsled training camp. No mushing for me …
So I started the day with a long (considering my injury) workout, followed by a big breakfast and a day meandering around Skagway, formerly a raucous frontier mining town with one of the oldest operating brothels in America! Love this place - authentic, well-preserved, maintaining its heritage … off-the-griddy (but not really), hip without the patchouli and dreads. Nice shops, cool people, young and athletic vibe. Can’t see or smell any public drinking/pot smoking, though I’m certain this town knows how to party. Even spotted a very gay guy walking his tiny designer dog in front of the lone Starbucks. Wrote postcards while drinking coffee in Glacier Café while Irish fiddlers played in the next room. A perfect morning. This is a place I could spend the summer …
Afternoon shooting the Diamond and Concierge Lounges – both turned out beautifully, though photogs blew out not one, but two power packs. Could mean trouble. Up until this point, other some pre-shoot difficulties (my twisted ankle and Toni’s husband’s crushed foot), we’ve had none of the illness, injuries, and/or incidences that sometimes haunt our work. No kidney stones, no gastro problems, no broken fixtures, no lost equipment. Let’s hope the smooth sailing continues …
Really enjoying working with Anne Marie and Toni. Both very cool, AM in a European laissez-faire kind of way, Toni in a conservative middle-American sort of way. Professional but flexible, always acting with aplomb and grace. Virginia, mature but still lovely and photogenic, an Upper East Side princess living in Trump Tower with her rich boyfriend, can sometimes be a bit high maintenance: she likes her bags carried and her cocktail glass filled … The male models tend to drift off: Kerry, who resists direction (from me, in any case; he might ask for assistance/advice but rarely accepts/follows it), the lone wolf prowling about, chatting up everyone as he wanders from deck to deck; Chip, reliable yet often wandering off in his own world, always resurfacing before it becomes a problem. And of course there’s Michel and Guillaume, the dynamic duo, joined at the hip, working together like a well-oiled machine …
While everyone has his/her defined role and is very good at what they do, the lines are porous and we often cross over to assist each other. In addition to styling and art directing, I’m sometimes placed in the shots and sometimes offer direction; the talent makes wardrobe as well as direction suggestions. Toni does everything save the shooting: she manages the production, organizes the schedule, handles logistics, liaises with the crew, art directs and styles. One exception: Nobody other than Michel and Guillaume touch the camera; they alone capture the magic – sometimes several angles simultaneously as they both click away – in addition to framing the shots, art directing, and directing the talent.
This is highly unusual for most productions, hierarchical in structure like the military, where everyone has a specific job description and everyone follows the established chain of command, familiar with the pecking order and their place in it. However, with our small and talented team, the overlap and exchange of ideas has made for some extraordinary scenes. Synergy in action. Except that Toni, hands full with other matters, has made it amply clear she prefers not to focus on some talent-related issues. I try to impress upon the models that one person (med) asking once about wardrobe is better than 4 people asking numerous times. But the message doesn’t seem to get through to one or two of them …
Day’s end, sitting here in the Park Café, typing on my laptop, gliding by densely-forested, waterfall-sculpted hills and snow peaked mountains … not a bad way to travel, this.
Travelblog: Day 6 (Tues.)
Summer Solstice in Alaska
Just keeps getting better and better: an early morning rise (5:30am) to go whale watching! Never been before. Boat only 1/3 full, and the company guarantees we’ll see at least one whale or your money back! Not five minutes off the dock and we spot a baby and its mother – right in front of the Radiance. Already have the money shot –
A cold but clear, windless and nearly cloudless day. Perfect conditions. Captain takes us to Adolphus Bay, fertile summer feeding ground for humpback whales. And we’re not disappointed – whales spouting and diving (but, alas, not breaching) everywhere you turn. A pod of five or six head straight for us before descending under the boat. Crew drops a microphone, and we hear them clicking and singing to one another … Holy fuck - Michel got an even mo’ money shot – whale tail with water cascading from it – the most artful, beautiful shot of its kind I’ve seen. Another winner.
Getting ready to shoot Giovanni’s when a bit of drama arises: Michel asks to borrow the on-board photogs’ power pack. They refuse. Now this is just bad etiquette on the part of the ship photographers, a breach of professional courtesy. In response, Michel gets all French and furious, and makes matters worse by pointing out that they’ve been selling one of his shots without his permission. People get nervous, tempers flare, the Miami office is contacted. Tension ensues until Toni steps in and unruffles feathers. She is a Zen master – she remains dispassionate, doesn’t get angry or crazed, always finds a solution … For lunch, we devour the props – assorted antipasto, filet mignon, spinach and ricotta cannelloni, gnocchi with lamb ragu, red and white wine. Squisito!
Samba Grill tonight, both our team dinner and location shoot. Fabulous meal, one of the best on board. Great salad bar, followed by 7 meat dishes (sausage, chicken, pork, peppered steak, ?, lamb, and Argentine filet called lomo), carved at the table by a “gaucho.” Meanwhile, we have a spectacular show out the window: peak after peak of snow-covered mountains veiled in low-lying clouds …
Problem: RCCL bigwigs including the Hotel Manager are seated late in the window, right in our frame. Not the level of crew the restaurant manager can easily ask to move. We set up around everyone, but, despite the fact that it’s the longest day of the year, we’re losing the light. We try to reframe the shot but it’s too late – we miss the blue and will have to come back. Dommage.
Travelblog: Day 7 (Wed.)
Arriving in Ketchikan, the Salmon Capital of the World!
Cute town on a relatively developed island. Lots of houses, nice shops, a surprising number of people milling about.
Apparently, Ketchikan gets over 300 days of rain a year. Today, however, we enjoy partly sunny skies. Miraculously, the weather gods continue to smile upon our shoot.
Our day includes a tour of the Tongass Temperate Rain Forest, the 2nd largest rain forest after the Amazon. Spotted plenty of bear poop – but, alas, no bears. Fed some reindeer. An abandoned lumber mill, eagles, cedars, a rescue owl, and a totem carver … relatively speaking, kind of lame, this tour, but smells great -
Worked for our meal: dungeness crab (in the king crab family) lunch still in the shell – a delicate, elegant taste and texture encased in a craggy, hard shell - followed by New York cheesecake topped with blueberries. Absolutely scrumptious. In pig heaven yet again -
We immediately reboard the boat to see if we can catch the snippets of sun that have been peeking though the clouds to shoot the pool. Talent is on call, asked to wait in the cabins until we decide if conditions are favorable. And glory hallelujah – we have a skyfull of blue. I call the talent, and no one but Virginia is where they were asked to be. And so begins the mad dash to round up the talent before the sun disappears, the window closes, and Michel bursts a blood vessel –
Clouds and people begin to roll in. A few great whites (bodies, not sharks) install themselves in the Jacuzzi. When stressed, nervous about missing the shot, Michel can become very French, “raleur”. Everyone is accounted for within 10 minutes and on set within another 5. We just squeak by and get what we need before the sun mostly disappears and the great whites take over –
Shooting the Chef’s Table later in the afternoon, leaving some time to go ashore for a brief visit. Toni, Anne-Marie and I hit the shops – surprisingly great deals on climate-appropriate clothing at the tourist traps. Fudge. Salmon. Native artwork. Just enough time to check out Creek Street, maybe have a coffee before we have to get back –
Chef’s Table at 4:30, formal private dining room. Toni arranged to have RCCL staff model for us. Great angle, great shot, great energy. The props were delicious: A light dinner of lamb and broccoli rabe, followed by the gym, tea at the Park Café. Alone time. About half-way through “The Help”. Wonderful.
Another spectacular day. Need to put the breaks on all the eating, though – this may be the first shoot on which I actually gain weight, God forbid. Can’t do my usual workout, can’t turn down this phenomenal food …
Travelblog: Day 8 (Thurs.)
At sea through the Inside Passage
The weather gods spared us the Pacific Northwest’s famous rainy skies until today, our final day on board. Sucky weather on deck; feels like the coldest temperatures we’ve had. Dramatic change in landscape – no more snow-capped peaks in the distance; now a maze of ever green, forested islands, hills shrouded in low-lying clouds. A different beauty.
Day shooting new dining venues: Dog House in the am, Rita’s (Mexican) at noon, Izumi (Japanese) in the afternoon, Samba (Brazilian) in the evening. Around the world in 4 restaurants …
Found the perfect multi-generational family of 9 from Texas to people our shots; they appear in Rita’s and Samba, enjoying free cocktails and food for their troubles.
Crew stays behind after Samba to eat after we wrap. The last supper in the best restaurant on board. Nice. Kind of tired, so no wrap party or drink. Grab a tea with Toni and head back to the cabin to finish packing -
Travelblog: Day 9 (Fri.)
Vancouver. The usual hurry up and wait rush to get off the ship, through customs to the airport … Hugs all around, then everyone scatters. I bump into Chip and Kerry, who tell me they all Skyped Michel before leaving Guillaume as he boarded his flight. No problem getting out of Vancouver; at the port and airport here, personnel literally chase after you, asking if you need assistance; in Toronto, it’s utter chaos: the connection is miles away, and there’s no one around to assist you with transfers, customs, baggage problems. When you do find an agent, they barely raise a finger to help. (“Oh, the bags from Vancouver haven’t come up yet” they insist, even as you point to the family who sat next to you on the flight taking their luggage off the belt, and your flight is boarding, you need to clear US Customs, get through security, and are randomly selected for a full-body scan.) Seems my bag was routed to the wrong place, and I may miss my connection. When it finally arrives at the baggage claim, I dash through all of the above, run to the gate only to discover my flight has been delayed by nearly 2 hours. I’ll be getting home well after midnight. Never liked Toronto ...
Finally land in LGA; hundreds still here at 12:30am due to the numerous flight delays; hundreds waiting outside for a cab. No way I’ll get on the M60 from this passenger terminal, so I walk to an employee facility, and wait. When it finally arrives, it’s packed and hostile, littered with suitcases and tried bodies. This will be long, cramped ride home …
Trying to stay Zen, assisting non-locals find their way through NYC’s public transportation hell. One of the first trips since leaving Club Med where I didn’t feel relieved, happy, even indifferent about coming home; I feel – I don’t know. If this is home, what am I coming home to? Why do I chose to live in this chaos? In the artificial, ill-conceived, overcrowded environment, this labyrinth of steel and concrete leading to nowhere, no one, nothing?
Great, another existential crisis …
Then, when I awoke Sat. at 11am (jet lag kept me up until 4:30), watered the plants and saw the hydrangeas abloom in purple and pink on the balcony, all was well again with the world.
Thankfully, my Achilles heel of a left ankle slowed me down a bit but didn’t give me any real trouble. Poor Michel: he barely arrived home and was on his way over to see his soon-to-be fiancée Lisa, when she slipped on wet marble and shattered her elbow. She needs surgery, pins and plates to put it back together. And Michel seems thrilled to be there for her, to be able to help her in her time of need. Their commitment kind of depresses me.
Now there’s unpacking to do, and a looming birthday to deal with -
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