Welcome. This page provides some basic information and samples of the work produced by Dark Circus Media.
We are mainly interested in covering live events such as music and theater, as well as travel assignments. We currently have a large library of photographs available to license for print and web projects.
I currently have a large collection of photographs from Europe, Asia and the United States. I specialize in architecture (specifically historic buildings) and have images of The Colosseum, Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Victoria Harbour, Temple of the Reclining Buddha, the canals of Venice and a wide variety of other places. I have a large collection of images from Las Vegas, New Orleans, Detroit, New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Flanagan's Pub
625 St. Phillip, New Orleans, LA 70116
I sat last week at the Flanagan's bar, and listened to an argument between the owner and a patron about whether Slash (of Guns N' Roses) was either the greatest guitar player ever, or if he's more deserving to be Justin Timberlakes theoretical prison bitch. It was a colorful exchange, and just the sort of absurd conversation (argued valiantly by both sides of course) that will make people look at locals with both disbelief and affection.
The Griffin Bar & Lounge • 511 E. Fremont St. Las Vegas, NV
Located directly next door to The Beauty Bar, is The Griffin Louge . The Griffin is a bit more low key than it's rambunctious neighbor, but packed with hipsters looking to have a conversation, or maybe even a seat around one of the fireplaces to get a little more personal. It's stone walls and arched ceilings make you feel like you've wandered into a pub someplace in the Uk, but rather than being behind the times, you get the distinct feeling that the Griffin is ahead of them.
The weekends it's packed, so get there early (before 11pm) if you want a seat.
The Artisan is a boutique hotel, located just off the strip, which offers 64 "finely appointed" non-smoking guest rooms. Each room has a different artist theme, and the entire hotel, restaurant and lounge is adorned with artwork and mirrors on every wall and the ceilings. From classical to contemporary, the Artisan pays tribute to painters throughout the ages.
Did I mention it's Non-gaming? That means you'll realize at some point that despite the plush setting, you are definitely free of the sounds of slot machines and crap's table cheers!
You'd expect this sort of place to be quite expensive, but i've found room rates ridiculously low ($32 a night on a weekday!?!) through popular search engines like Expedia and Travelocity
When you want a unique Vegas experience, this is the place.
I'm a big fan of the Beauty Bar in San Fran, as well as the one in Los Angeles, but my Beauty Bar introduction happened in Las Vegas. Located downtown on Fremont street, it's the sort of sketchy scene that is just intriguing enough to draw local hipsters and out of towners into a block that most people who weren't in the know, would avoid. With a wide variety of different themed nights, Beauty Bar Las Vegas i a pretty good bet to find something going on pretty well any day of the week.
Travel expose: Amsterdam
Amsterdam is an amazing place, with a reputation that really sells short the diversity and culture that makes up one of the oldest cities in Europe. Yes, you can do all sorts of things there that have long since been made illegal elsewhere, but that's not all there is to Amsterdam. With museums and architecture that by far predate anything built in United States, Amsterdam is a wonder at every corner, whether you've sampled the space cakes or not.
The first thing that you should understand about Amsterdam is that it's culture is based on the concept of freedom and tolerance. The reason why people have the right to smoke a joint or find other fun in the red light district isn't because Amsterdam caters to vices, but because it is a culture of personal responsibility and choice. unlike the United states, where we have to protect the ignorant from hurting themselves, the Dutch culture has sort of a "play at your own risk" approach to some vices that it's deemed less harmful to society.
The diversity of food is amazing in Amsterdam also, with more real vegetarian options than you find in most European cities (in Paris, it's apparently common for vegetarians to eat fish). It's also reasonably priced (compared to Paris or Rome) an reasonably good too! I didn't have high expectations for dutch food, but I'll say that "average" food there tends to be better than average food in some of my other favorite places.
My first trip to Amsterdam was after an extended stay in paris, so the first thing that struck me was the warm, welcoming attitude that the Dutch had, which was a stark contrast to Parisian life. In Holland, people embrace you trying to learn their language, wherein in Paris, they'll lose patience if you don't speak it perfectly with the right dialect.
The streets and canals are charming, even when they aren't the cleanest. You'll never really forget that you are in an old city, which I really appreciated. Every turn you make brings you to something else that's interesting, and I challenge anyone to not find someway to keep themselves entertained while they are there!
I'm a big fan of anything that lowers it's impact on the environment, being that I live on this planet and all
The World Without Us
My current book recommendation is The World Without Us by Alan Weisman. It deals with the past, present and future impact of our existence on this planet. It's not a tale of Armageddon that you might expect, but rather a thoughtful look at where we came from, the evidence of our past, our accomplishments and their costs.
Below is one of the promo videos that shows how things will break down if we disappeared tomorrow.
