Category Archives: quotes
Dark Side of the Lens
DARK SIDE OF THE LENS from Astray Films on Vimeo.
Beautiful video that I first saw on Briony’s blog as linked from Chase Jarvis’s. Love the quote that they each pulled from it as well:
“I never set out to be anything in particular, only to live creatively and push the scope of my experience through adventure and through passion.”
Giant Frosted Mini-Wheats
8/365
“Sometimes our fate resembles a fruit tree in winter. Who would think that those branches would turn green again and blossom, but we hope it, we know it.” —Goethe
New York, New York
It was cold from the blistery wind but warm with the laughter, smiles and embracing hugs from friends I hadn’t seen in way too long. The annual pilgrimage to my third home was made this past week, and though my father thought we were absolutely nuts for taking a vacation in December to a place much colder than where we hailed, it was totally worth it. Though I do see his point :)
Also, I took the plunge (while dancing my way to the end of the diving board) and finally purchased the Canon 5D Mark II (!!!). This baby COMPLETELY changes the photo game for me and I could not be more content with the investment. I know it’s not about the camera and that it’s about the photographer … but I’d be lying if I said this piece of beauty didn’t make my job a gazillion times easier. And beautifuler. Can’t wait to start experimenting with the video functions as well, but for now, I’m still trying to get used to the backwardness of the buttons and barrels compared to Nikons. I read the entire manual on our train-ride to NYC (I received the camera the night before) and wasn’t bored in the least bit. I still love Nikons and will never ever give up my FE2 but the new toy definitely brings me a bundle of joy.
The New York leg of the trip basically consisted of me getting my fix of Vietnamese cuisine and bubble tea. And steamed pork buns and $1 bags of sweet chinese cakes from the street cart on the south end of Canal Street. And bacon-wrapped hot dogs with fried eggs and cheese (together, in a bun). And dim sum in a gigantic banquet room with several hundred others. I fell straight back into the groove of walking several miles, subway hopping and car-dodging (the yellow ones don’t stop), only this time my heart didn’t break as we left. I don’t think I was quite ready to move back to Roanoke that cold snowy day two years ago, but I am definitely blessed with a husband and home and job that I probably wouldn’t have, had I not left.
On sort of the same note:
“Life is full of choices if you have the guts to go for it. That’s why I get immediately bored with anyone’s complaining about how boring their life is, or how bad their town is. Fucking leave and go somewhere else. Or don’t.” —Henry Rollins
Pardon the french but I don’t think you’d get the same je ne sais quoi without it. (Pun totally intended.) To my friend who was venting about your job and knowing what you have to do but willingly deciding not to do it … that one’s for you. In the most loving way possible.
I have mucho updates to make on the website so keep an eye out for that if you’re interested. Meanwhile, check out some of my latest photo inspirations:
Miha Matei Photography
And I have a Pinterest account for other likes and loves.
Oh … the photo above is of my friend KnitKnit in her apartment/studio space in Brooklyn. While some may say it’s a horrible picture that’s out-of-focus, this one jumped out at me as I was making my edits. I think she looks timeless here though you can barely make out how she really looks at all. Maybe that’s exactly why I love it. She could be any woman.
Having a Coke With You
is even more fun than going to San Sebastian, Irún, Hendaye, Biarritz, Bayonne
or being sick to my stomach on the Travesera de Gracia in Barcelona
partly because in your orange shirt you look like a better happier St. Sebastian
partly because of my love for you, partly because of your love for yoghurt
partly because of the fluorescent orange tulips around the birches
partly because of the secrecy our smiles take on before people and statuary
it is hard to believe when I’m with you that there can be anything as still
as solemn as unpleasantly definitive as statuary when right in front of it
in the warm New York 4 o’clock light we are drifting back and forth
between each other like a tree breathing through its spectacles
and the portrait show seems to have no faces in it at all, just paint
you suddenly wonder why in the world anyone ever did them
I look
at you and I would rather look at you than all the portraits in the world
except possibly for the Polish Rider occasionally and anyway it’s in the Frick
which thank heavens you haven’t gone to yet so we can go together the first time
and the fact that you move so beautifully more or less takes care of Futurism
just as at home I never think of the Nude Descending a Staircase or
at a rehearsal a single drawing of Leonardo or Michelangelo that used to wow me
and what good does all the research of the Impressionists do them
when they never got the right person to stand near the tree when the sun sank
or for that matter Marino Marini when he didn’t pick the rider as carefully
as the horse
it seems they were all cheated of some marvelous experience
which is not going to go wasted on me which is why I am telling you about it
— Frank O’Hara
Priceless Bargains
Tonight we tore apart our big closet in the second bedroom, unstacked and ransacked each plastic tub in search of the velcro dividers for my camera bag. We did this twice which reminded me why you should never do things half-assed the first time around. We never found the dividers, but I did stumble upon this gem which was hiding in the midst of empty electronic device boxes and a William Byrd High School terrier mascot.
When we were in college, Jeff and I spent a lot of time antiquing and going to yard sales. I found this camera case (and land camera) with the Roanoke Airport travel tag attached and it was love at first sight as I have a fondness for both Polaroid and old travel stickers/tags/boarding passes/etc and suitcases. I haven’t been to a yard sale, Goodwill or antique store in a while but I have to say that some of my most special things were found in these unlikely places. My absolute favorite camera in the whole wide world that I’ve taken my best photos with, the Nikon FE2 was purchased for just $20 at Goodwill (although I tossed the lens it came with). I also found this crazy looking flash bracket and bought an enlarger with developing trays and easel at a garage sale for way cheap which I used to set up a darkroom in my bathroom in college. Unfortunately my bathroom was way too small to be used as a darkroom on a regular basis but I hope that in our future home, we’ll have a space large and dark and ventilated enough for me to re-indulge in the dying art.
I’m still on the hunt for a medium format film camera like a Hasselblad, Mamiya or Rollie and of course a new digital Canon system (I’m almost there!). I also want a puppy. But that’s a whole ‘nother story. Know of any good sites to check out? I used to visit shopgoodwill.com for old cameras all the time and I’m a little iffy about ebay. Also, the craigslist for Roanoke is a joke (at least for photo-related stuff).
