My biggest trip was seven months driving around the US and Canada. Quit my job, packed my car, drew some lines on a map. 24,000 miles, 28 states, 3 Canadian territories, one car crash, and a lot of mountains, valleys, and great people later... ended up doing a big circle back to Brooklyn where I started.

I've been in NYC for 20 years now. At this point you won't catch me at Times Square or the Statue of Liberty, but I'll point you in the right direction. Once you're done with the tourist stuff, I can show you the good spots—my favorite oyster bar, that speakeasy behind a phone booth, a tiny jazz club with great Sunday night shows, hotel rooftops with killer views, where to find the best cheap food, how to sneak onto roof decks with a bottle of wine. Basically how someone who actually lives here enjoys the city. (Fair warning: I'm pretty busy during the week, so I'm mostly free evenings and weekends)

Quick heads up about my place. I'm a photographer and my home doubles as a studio on occasion. I shoot fashion and artistic nude work professionally. There's a decent chance a model will be around in various states of undress for a creative project or brand shoot during your stay. If that's going to be weird for you, this probably isn't the right spot. You're not being asked to participate in anything, just want to be upfront that it's a pretty liberal environment.

https://www.instagram.com/toddwshaffer

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I really enjoy hosting. After being in the city this long, it's refreshing to see NYC through a traveler's eyes. Tell me what kind of experience you're looking for and if it's within my abilities, I'll make it happen. I've hosted hundreds of people from around 50 countries at this point, and honestly, I have this fantasy of eventually selling everything, getting on a motorcycle, and circumnavigating the world to visit all the people who've stayed here.

My place is for solo travelers. That's how I travel and the type of person I connect with. You made a plan, didn't wait for anyone to join you, you're doing it for yourself. That energy resonates with me.

Some of the time you'll overlap with another traveler, usually from a different country. I think the best travel memories come from who you meet rather than what you see. One of my favorite things is getting photos from halfway around the world of two people who met at my place and ended up crossing paths again somewhere else on the planet.

Interests

Photography has been my thing for years. Started with street photography in NYC, which led to my first gallery shows. Then I got into landscapes while traveling to some visually stunning places around the US.

These days I'm mostly shooting fashion and portrait work. There's something special about the dynamic between photographer and model—it takes trust, patience, empathy, and a willingness to experiment together. I travel for shoots, work in studios around the city, and some of the models I've worked with have become close friends. I primarily work with professionals, but if you're curious about being photographed and I have time, I'm open to it.

Some photographers whose work I really admire: Helmut Newton, Richard Avedon, Ellen von Unwerth, Russell James, Vincent Peters, among others.

Outside of photography—hiking, climbing, art, cooking, concerts, good cocktail bars. Weeknights I'm usually in bed by midnight since I work during the day, but on weekends I'll stay out until sunrise if the vibe is right.

• arts
• fashion
• photography
• breakfast
• wine
• beer
• wine tasting
• modeling
• nightlife
• camping
• art
• museums
• new cultures
• new experiences
• new friends
• beers
• new places
• beer and wine
• beer brewing
• nyc
• art galleries
• new york
• wine and cheese
• new york city
• fashion photography

Music, Movies, and Books

On the upstairs bookshelf there's a shelf full of large format photography and art books. Koons, David LaChapelle, Steve McCurry, Ellen von Unwerth, Chris Burkhard... On the lower shelves, books on cooking, cocktail making and wine.

Music is all over the place, one minute I'm playing hip hop from the south, the next jazz by Dave Brubeck, then music with banjos, then some trippy downtempo electronic... Really depends on my mood. Feel free to introduce new stuff to me, the radio is almost always playing.

Downstairs there's a couple bookshelves full of travel, fiction, and business. Some of my favorites are:
Blue Highways by William Least Heat Moon, Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe, Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck, Hells Angels, Fear & Loathing Vegas, 72 Campaign Trail all by Hunter S. Thomspon, A Walk In The Woods by Bill Bryson, and Fight Club by Chuck Pahlaniuk.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Hosting hundreds of amazing travelers like you.

Sunrise at Lake Trillium underneath Mount Hood was pretty amazing. But so was bandit-camping on the cliffs of Big Sur. Climbing to the top of Pikes Peak and Mount St. Helens was nice too. The fog burning off in the Smokies was beautiful. Sunset over the black water lakes and cypress trees of my home in Florida, another I can't forget. Surviving an accident where I flipped a car end over end a few times when I was 15, also pretty grateful for surviving that.

I guess I've been lucky to see a lot of beautiful things.

Teach, Learn, Share

I tried to escape my small Florida hometown at 19 and failed. Made it out at 23 and landed in NYC with basically nothing. Figured out how to build a life here—now I run a photography business, still do technology work, and manage another venture on the side. If you want to talk about making it in a tough city, building hustles into an actual living, or navigating that whole "non-traditional path" thing, I've been through it.

I've also spent years developing my eye for photography and visual storytelling. If you're curious about shooting, composition, working with people in front of the camera, or just want feedback on your own work, happy to share what I've learned.

Beyond that—I'm good for recommendations on everything from where to find the best food deals in the city to how to approach creative projects when you don't have formal training. I read a lot, think about philosophy and culture, and I'm always interested in hearing about people's own unconventional paths and what drives them.

What I Can Share with Hosts

One of these days I'll be the surfer!

Countries I’ve Visited

Bahamas, Belgium, Canada, Cayman Islands, Croatia, Denmark, France, Greece, India, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States