Week 8: Life in Black and White

Last weekend and first days of this week I spent road tripping around Southern Spain with a friend. Places visited: Sevilla, Arcos de la Frontera, Ronda, Gaucin, Bornos, Tarifa, Cadiz, Jerez. So while there was a lot to be shot in color I also tried to capture some moments in black and white. All taken with Olympus E-420, 25mm. Hope to upload rest of the photos on Flickr sometime soon. 

xoxo

Inspiration Hiding Behind Every Corner

Hey-hello! I am back from my highly successful mini break to southern Spain. Can't wait to share some photos with you. Because of my offline rule for holidays I have some catching up to do. The offline rule really comes down to being too busy with discovering new places and not having my laptop with me. Also, it proves that I can live without being online. ;) Anyhow, black and white photos are coming up soon. Oh and this week's topic is solitude. 

Being back online I can't help, but share an inspirational quote:

 "Photography helps people to see." 

-Bernice Abbott

Gotta love The Reconstructionists project. You can find out more about Bernice Abbott and other great women there. I especially enjoy the art by Lisa Congdon. 

xoxo

Black and White Life in Summer 2007

I am in a process of creating the perfect (ahem, not gonna be perfect, but I have good intentions) photo library and I came across those older photos. Shot with Canon EOS 3000v and kit lens 28-90mm. On black and white film. ISO400. I wonder why I haven't shot more b&w film. Digital world took over? Anyhow, here are some shots from the three cities that were really close to my heart back then - my hometown Tallinn; Helsinki and Riga. 

Tallinn is pretty even in black and white. Kind of cool to have one of the prettiest towns for a home town. :) 

Riga:

Helsinki: 

Oh and in summer 2007 I also made my first trip to Moscow. 

With this little trip down memory lane I will try to find inspiration to capture some black and white life this week. I am taking a little road trip with a friend and get the ever needed break (seriously, is there a time when breaks are not needed?!). Hopefully will return with a bunch of cool photos to share next week.

xoxo

Black and White

So this week I will shoot life in black and white. Right away this song by Gary Go started playing in my head.

xoxo

Week 7: Sounds

There is no absolute silence, we are constantly surrounded by sounds. From water drops dripping when icicles start to melt to airplane engines - all kinds of sounds. However, with my undying love for music I tried my best to capture some musical sounds.

I was lucky enough to go to see Glen Hansard and Lisa Hannigan play live in Madrid. I don't know what it is with the Irish, but they just know how to steal your heart away. 

This one's my favorite. It reflects all kinds of sounds created at a super amazing concert - on stage and off stage. 

Olympus E-420, 25mm

My camera is not really designed for low light photography. However, can't help but share some more photos from the night. It is the atmosphere that was so special that I can overlook the quality of the shots from a technical point of view. I am sure that's not something a pro would do, but luckily I am not one. ;)

Olympus E-420, 25mm

Olympus E-420, 25mm

Olympus E-420, 25mm

The colors change alongside the sounds.

Olympus E-420, 25mm

And colors alter images, Lisa's guitar was not really red... or was it. Love this girl!

Olympus E-420, 25mm

Of course there is this whole another angle one can take on sounds - the machines that control sounds.

Olympus E-420, 25mm

Olympus E-420, 25mm

And of course there are the instruments that create beautiful (and less beautiful - you should hear me learning guitar) sounds.

My guitar, tambourine and triangle - anyone wants to start a band? :) 
Olympus E-420, 25mm

In action
Olympus E-420, 25mm

In this whole shooting process my guitar became my new favorite model.

Olympus E-420, 25mm

Olympus E-420, 25mm

Olympus E-420, 25mm

Olympus E-420, 25mm

Olympus E-420, 25mm 

I guess I wasn't thinking outside the box when shooting sounds. Music is such an obvious choice. I "blame" Glen and Lisa for making this week super extra musical for me, so it was impossible for me to think of any other sounds. Music is the ultimate sound.

 xoxo

App Love: Hipstamatic

Time for an app love update! Planning this post re-united me with an old crush called Hipstamatic. So we spent a day taking fun shots and enjoying a lot of exciting art - yes, it is one of my favourite weeks of the year, the time for ARCO Madrid - International Contemporary Art Fair!

So as you might have guessed Hipstamatic is something hipsters might love - photos come with this old film camera kind of look. Yup, that's it. It's your old school film camera and a pile of film rolls tucked into your smartphone. You can hand pick your "film" and "lens" and "flash". You also don't see the photo on the screen right away, but need to wait for the "film" to be "developed". I must say my favorite option is to let the app choose a random film-lens combo for me (just shake the phone and you get a new combination). So the same location can offer differing results. It's maybe like shooting with a Soviet film camera using expired film - there's surely an element of surprise.

Thinking of getting one of those old school film cameras? Get Hipstamatic first - it's cheaper, handier and packed with retro look and surprises.

And last, but not least I'd like to end with a quote I stumbled upon today: "All you need is love and more coffee." 

xoxo