kubik*/ 2

kubik*/ 1

happy 100!

as of today, i have been blogging for exactly two months and this post happens to be my 100th. for some reason that strikes me as quite a milestone, so i thought this might be a good oppurtunity to reflect on this here blogging enterprise of mine:

i simultaneously feel as though i've been blogging for my whole life and as though i'm still a complete newbie. i feel like i came to this whole world of blogging out of nowhere but after a year and half of feeling like myspace just wasn't enough for me, i immediately recognized blogging as a form of online communication (and let's face it, entertainment) that truly fits my personality.

the "a flickr a day" idea was a real turning point for me in defining this blog. it has really kept me on task and forced me to blog on a daily basis which was good in the beginning when i really didn't know what i was trying to accomplish. and as i've mentioned before, flickr has become a surprising source of great photography finds. the flickr posts have also helped clarify the direction i want the blog to take as i see the wedding posts playing second fiddle to the photography. the decline in wedding posts actually makes a lot of sense to me because while i always intend to post about weddings, photography is really my first love and will be the main focus of this blog from now on.

i've also spent a significant amount of time in the past few months reading and looking at a lot of other blogs and while i've found many diary based photography blogs (both good and bad ones), i haven't found too many blogs that post about photography as inspiration the way so many bloggers post about fashion and design, so i think i might have found a little niche for myself in the blogging world. it feels so natural to me to post about good photography when i find it in unexpected places since i always have the reflex to share exciting discoveries with my friends anyway. blogging is not really that different from sketch-booking or posting comments on my friends myspace pages clueing them into my latest finds. now i just have this fantastic digital inspiration board with all my ideas organized in one place so i don't have to remember just who it was i told about it and instead of constantly harrassing my friends, they can browse at their leisure or when they find themselves in need of a little photography pick-me-up (as we all do from time to time).

flash-1

i'm a one necklace, one ring kinda gal, but what photographer wouldn't love this charm? i think i'd have to wear it with a much more delicate chain, but that's just me.

"flash-1" is the first piece in RoidRage jeremy kost's collaboration with rusty pistachio's PNUT Jewelry. limited to only 1,000 pieces. $175 (jessica, need i say more?).

BosseB/ 5

heather culp

i love that the woman's feet in the top left photo have dirt on them and i love that it's difficult to pin down just what the light source is. heather culp's images are full of these little mysteries. she skillfully controls her color palette and lighting to craft this gritty beautiful world with run down cars and empty parking lots. i want to invade these images and slip into the lives of the characters she creates. it makes sense that whispertown2000 would employ this talented lady.

BosseB/ 4

iwillshootyou photography

the computer i use at work doesn't have speakers, so i've been known to accept myspace bands without ever hearing their music and basing my myspace 'friendship' decisions entirely on aesthetics. i can't say for sure if whispertown2000 was one of those bands because i happen to really like their quirky music, but i can say that they have an impeccable eye for photography. one of the photographers in their bag of tricks is travis, of iwillshootyou photography, who in addition to taking the intriguing band portraits above, also takes a bunch of other interesting pictures like the one below.

BosseB/ 3

BosseB/ 2

behnaz sarafpour

even though the fashion event we are shooting is still two weeks away, i've been trying to prepare by looking at examples of runway shots to have them fresh in my mind (issues like how far our flash will cover and where the horizon line should hit the models' bodies come to mind), but what this really means is that i've been window shopping at fashion design websites like behnaz sarafpour and drooling over clothes i can't afford.

alissa is this helping you come up with ideas on what to wear or just further intimidating you?

binth

you may have noticed that i love art that tells a story. and more specifically stories that let my imagination meander into magical worlds. not in the way of fantasy really, but in that magical realism way where i can almost believe the illusion is real. this stationary by a collaborative team of screenprinters called binth does just that for me with their graphic use of large areas of bold color and their intricately detailed illustrations.

working on starting a print collaborative with a group of friends myself, this group seems all the more inpsiring to me because i recognize many similarites between their philosophy and ours.

BosseB/ 1

schohaja

alissa and i, along with our friend krista, have been hired to cover the fashion show of emerging designer samantha pleet. i don't know how to fully express how excited i am about this (you might remember i posted about samantha's line a while back). while i try not to post a lot of commercial photography on this blog, i found some great inspiration for our adventure in photographer schohaja's backstage images.

shatneresque

linotte

the illustrations of german born, london based illustrator anke wekman (pen name: linotte) seem equally suited for both adults and children. her charming assortment of zany characters of both the human and animal variety both delight and amuse me. and by her own desricption of her interests, it seems that she would as well: "she has a fondness for black ink, harriet the spy, small birds, stripey socks, documentaries, sketchbooks, spring, and potatoes."

the above image is from "it's a moustache world," a book about moustaches in which she juxtaposes her illustrations and her photographs.

save a tree, carry an enderby...

i've been following meg allen, of nest, through her myspace page for a little while now, and after shamelessly promoting my own blog on her space we've gotten in contact (god bless the interweb). her earth-friendly accessories are available at enderby designs.

hoboartist

ziasaurus

my dear friend zia has decided to start a photo blog appropriatley titled the heart you call home. i couldn't be more excited about her endeavor and i can't wait to see the many secret treasures she'll post.

congratulations mark diehl!

after reading my post on sunday, my good friend mark diehl diligently applied to the "hey, hot shot!" contest and they liked his work so much they posted him on their blog as a conteder for their show. woo hoo! congrats mark!

withaplomb/ 2

karen walker jewelry

karen walker's elegant jewelry gathers inspiration from a fairytale-like set of imagery. her regal lions, soft leaves, axes, and crosses mixed with ribbons, half moons, and other classic charms leave me with an overall impression that hovers somewhere between the feminine and the macabre (one of my favorite places), and these descriptions could also be applied to her masterful fashion designs as well.

but let's remember, this is a photography blog: her photography kicks ass. her (and by 'her' i of course mean her uncredited, although i'm sure well paid, photographer) unexpected use of animals more associated with fairytales and myths than jewelry, and her mixture of a warm color palette with soft lighting combine to create a beautiful magical world. i'm in love.

lastly, as someone who has mixed feelings about the idea of wearing an engagement ring (not that i'm getting engaged any time in the foreseeable future), i love the diamond studded band around the crow's beak in the above image (go to her website to see the image enlarged) as an upgrade from an unadorned band.

jessica this jewelry screams your name, although i'm pretty sure it's out of your price range. i couldn't say: the prices weren't listed.

via seamsters.

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hey, hot shot!

ATTENTION ALL PHOTO FRIENDS (i never use caps on this blog so you know this must be important):


jen bekman exhibits the work of emerging artists in the mediums of photography, works on paper, paintings and mixed media and they are hosting a contest in search of ten talented young artists (they host this contest four times a year).

they seem primarily interested in formal color work, think stephen shore et al (are you reading this zia, mark, alissa, alexandra?). the $60 handling fee might be the only real drawback, but here's the thing: the submission is digital, i know you all have scans of your images so you have no excuse not to apply once you pull the money together. unfortunately i can't tell you anything about the gallery's reputation as i've never heard of them before, but their east village location probably means fairly decent exposure. plus, you still have three whole weeks to pull this off as the deadline is tuesday, february 6, 2007 (and of course, i learned after visiting jen bekman's flickr page, go figure).

above photo: christine collins

2 great new blogs!

i found two great new bloggers today who discuss their respective obsessions as dorkily and devotedly as i do photography:

1) i'm a jinius

the byline: "the search for intelligent signs of life in new york city."

an intelligent, humorous, and insightful peek into a new york writer's life that continually surprises me in its similarities to my life and i can't decide if it is because we truly are kindred spirits or because she so skillfully expresses experiences universal to all women. either way, i'm always looking for a good diary/memoir to read and this one is irresistible in my opinion. she also gets points for being a foodie (andrea go read this, you'll laugh your ass off in a good way).

2) seamsters

interesting fasion blog written by a philadelphia gal. i like that the title rhymes with "teamsters" even though i'm pretty sure it's supposed to be an abbreviation of "seam sisters." a very enjoyable read.

louise enhorning

louise enhorning is an accomplished swedish commercial and editiorial photographer whose work would look as equally amazing in someone's home as it would in the magazines and ads for which it is created (krista, her use of diptychs, formal composition, exclamation points of saturated color, and quirky sense of humor remind me of you in particular). i love photography so much that it's rare for me to see photography that i can commit to buying or even commit to wanting to buy, but i really might purchase the above image through andyland AB.

*credit to lena corwin of ~>o<~ for tipping me to louise.

nicolai g/ 2

kenzie kate has new designs!

kenziekate just released 6 new invitation designs that look amazing. i hope you check them out.

nicolai g/ 1

for jessica

leviathan
main entry: le·vi·a·than
pronunciation: li-'vI-&-th&n
unction: noun
etymology: middle english, from late latin, from hebrew liwyAthAn
1 a often capitalized : a sea monster defeated by yahweh in various scriptural accounts b : a large sea animal
2 capitalized : the political state; especially : a totalitarian state having a vast bureaucracy
3 : something large or formidable
- leviathan adjective

aleksandra radonic/ 4

the sartorialist

i was immediately attracted to the the sartorialist's straightforward portraiture and was delighted upon reading his biography to learn that his emphasis on photography is in no way accidental and indeed intended to express a point of view heavily influenced by his experience in the fashion industry:

"i thought i could shoot people on the street the way designers looked at people, and get and give inspiration to lots of people in the process. my only strategy when i began the sartorialist was to try and shoot style in a way that i knew most designers hunted for inspiration. rarely do they look at the whole outfit as a yes or no but they try and look for the abstract concepts of color, proportion, pattern mixing or mixed genres. i’m always really happy when i meet a designer and hear that they use some of my photos for their inspiration boards. at the same time i’m also really touched when i get emails from everyday people who say they have been inspired to see themselves and others in a new and usually more accepting way."

plus, i learned a new word:
main entry: sar·to·ri·al
pronunciation: sär-'tor-E-&l, s&(r)-
function: adjective
etymology: medieval latin sartor
: of or relating to a tailor or tailored clothes; broadly : of or relating to clothes
- sar·to·ri·al·ly /-E-&-lE/ adverb

aleksandra radonic/ 3

wendy kromer (cake godess) & victor schrager

wendy kromer is a cake making goddess. i'm not going to re-write her bio or anything, but let's just say that she and martha stewart seem pretty tight. which means that aside from designing some of the most spectacular cakes i've ever seen, she also employs some of the best photographers in the industry, like the author of the above image, victor schrager, who i know more for his fine art work, pictured below (i first remember seeing his fantastic series of images of color studies of the spines of books), than i do for his commercial work.

aleksandra rodinic/ 2

aleksandra radonic/ 1

my dream studio

i'm in the process of building/cleaning/painting a studio/darkroom in a room in my house that when last occupied some twenty years ago housed the operating chair of my grandfather's dental office (creepy, right?). i really wish i had thought to take 'before' pictures of the space because i don't think i can accurately describe the piles of crap and dust i had to fight through just to get into the room.

but at long last the space is entirely empty (save for the ikea bookcase i just erected), and is waiting patiently to be painted, or rather i am waiting patiently to paint it and trying not to just call it quits and move my crap in immediately since i still haven't unpacked any of my photo and darkroom stuff since i moved home from school last june. what a relief it will be to finally have my things organized again. the wait is almost over; i can taste it.

i plan to use the room for a variety of art and photography work, so i've been shopping around for a work table that can accomodate my dual needs, which explains how i came across this amazing behemoth work table (pictured above) at pottery barn. the table neither fits inside the room nor into my budget (i'm not even going to bother posting the price) but i'm in love with it's sensible organization, matter-of-fact height, and large working space. i also really want the magnetic calendar pictured on the right hand side of the image.

and just for fun, i threw in a picture (below) of this ironing cupboard for no real reason other than that the very of idea of it makes so much sense to me that i think everyone should have one, although at $279, it too, is kind of out of my price range.

scraps of paper

tiny little notebooks; handmade, one-of-a-kind journals; recycled materials like junkmail, floppy disks, and nancy drew books: these things and more make up the wealth of treasures found at scraps of paper. designer kristin amico will also cater to custom orders and to designing unique sationary for weddings and other special events.

above: 4" x 5" mini book from junkmail collection, $12


post script:
liz if you would just start a blog already, i could stop posting about things that you told me about. i'm not going to quit harrassing you about this; the sooner you cave the better it will be for all of us.

departure lounge

christine castro

christine castro kept an online journal for about two years, from 1999 - 2001. well before this blogging phenomenon took hold, she chronicled her daily life in a quirky tone, revealing through journal entries precious morsels of her life. christine's confessional manner resonates with me as the lover of memoirs that i am, and as she is also a graphic designer, the site has a distinct eccentric aesthetic to which i also respond. and of course, she also has a shop. i found the above sketchbook image on her flickr page.


an aside:

i never imagined that by browsing flickr's endless supply of imagery for my "a flickr a day" that flickr would turn into my prinicpal source of posting material. but, oh, what wonders i've found simply by responding to an attraction to a tiny thumbnail image.

photobrettwalker/ 5

le gray club

le gray club posted this on our myspace page today and i liked it so much i wanted to pass it along.

photobrettwalker/ 4

photobrettwalker/ 3

noah wilson

being able to post about photography like noah wilson's is the best part about having this blog because now when i want to tell everyone i know that i found a great new photographer, i can. wilson's images remind me of robert parke harrison's, only wilson's work is less narrative than harrison's and much more formally composed, probably on account of the square format and the decreased emphasis on a main character. i love that the roots in the image on the left look like they are melting off the page into the earth, while the trees in the right image seem to grow from some dark abyss into an oblivion of white fog. i can only imagine how beautiful his hand toned, hand bleached, gelatin silver prints are. especially since in this increasingly digital age, gelatin silver prints have become quite a rare breed (sugimoto, a silver printing god, recently switched over to digital effectively solidifying the traditional silver print's new postion in the catagory of 'alternative process'). i found the above images on wilson's flickr page, but he also has a really nice website if you want to see more (i know you do alissa).

perfidious

peridious
root: perfidy
pronunciation: 'p&r-f&-dE
function: noun
inflected form(s): plural -dies
etymology: latin perfidia, from perfidus faithless, from per- detrimental to + fides faith -- more at

1 : the quality or state of being faithless or disloyal : TREACHERY
2 : an act or an instance of disloyalty

my sister and i had to look this up tonight while she was translating italian for an aria she is learning (which is just as dorky as it sounds). i thought i'd pass it along for your educational pleasure. i'm pretty sure i used to know what that word meant...

photobrettwalker/ 2

boygirlparty

illustration artist, susie ghahremani, is the artist behind boygirlparty i've been admiring the above pocket mirrors ($6.50) for quite sometime. they are also for sale, as well as mirror designs by other artists, at my favorite mirror. and if that isn't enough, susie ghahremani also has an etsy shop, oh, and a myspace page. i'm kinda of a fan.

photobrettwalker/ 1

paper relics

okay, so paper relics does not technically design wedding invitations. my guess is that if if you pleaded and negotiated you could work something out. but otherwise just buy some birthday cards, or some of her beautiful collages. you can also purchase her stationary here: my bonnie & clyde.