Jeff Gladstone - New York Beards - Finding your way in the city, with Jeff Gladstone
One of the many perks of working at my new portrait collection about New York beards, is the fact that I keep meeting amazing people, like Jeff Gladstone. Getting to know so many interesting New Yorkers is an enriching surprise. I am starting to think that New York might actually be one of the friendliest cities I've ever lived in.
Beards of New York is getting more and more exciting every week. With all the New York beards flowing through my studio, it couldn't be any other way. The pictures are coming out stunning and full of the variety that is the soul of the city. This might as well be my best project yet.
One of the remarkable people I met while looking for New York Beards, is Jeff Gladstone. We clicked straight away. Jeff is one of those people you can't really feel anything but comfortable with. Friendly, open, welcoming, Jeff and I (AKA Mr Chatterbox) had a good shoot, a great chat, and discovered lots of things we have in common.
I love to interview people while I am taking the pictures for Beards of New York. And Jeff has a really interesting story to tell (here, I am only going to give you little bit!).
A radiant headshot of Jeff Gladstone - click here for more Headshots "I am a Southern California native. I have lived in Atlanta, Washington DC, Pittsburgh, and NYC over the last 12 years since I left my hometown of San Diego. People always ask me why I left such a beautiful city and my only answer is that I belong in NYC. Despite the craziness of the big city, I wouldn't be as happy anywhere else, at least in this phase of my life.
NYC is not really the big, bad, and ugly place most people see it as- it's full of culture, love, friendship, great food, and many amazing experiences. Everything I've wanted I've found here. I found and fell in love with my boyfriend here. I found my adorable cat here.
I work at The Actors Fund and raise money that in turn helps actors and all in the entertainment industry in their times of need. I'm used to working with HIV/AIDS causes or other LGBT-related nonprofits, but this is definitely one of the best jobs I've had in my life. As long as I am doing something that helps and serves others, I am happy. That's really who I am at my core. That's what I ultimately found here in NYC: myself."
Beards of New York captures the individuality, the fashion, and the sexiness of the contemporary beard.
The collection showcases the beard’s many shapes and styles worn by a diverse mix of everyday New Yorkers from Wall Street traders to East Village barmen, to Broadway actors and Upper East Side doctors. Greg transforms each man into a sexy and playful study of modern masculinity. With these stunning portraits of men, radiant against the candy pink background and hints of glitter, Greg taps into the lumbersexual aesthetic while asking how the beard makes the man."