In Matching Pink Dresses

This is one of my favorite photos of Anna and I of all time. I look at old pictures of us more often that I like to admit, but I rediscovered this one on facebook awhile back, and I absolutely love Anna's description of it - I had completely forgotten the black dragon hoodie!

"back when we wore matching dresses and bows and pink before we started beating each other up and had to be put in separate rooms before we sent a one dollar black dragon hoodie back and forth in the mail and before natalie could knit and tried to teach me and it was unsuccessful and then we tolerated each other and started wearing matching guster shirts and swinging from ropes near dams and got matching bows again. i lost my dad's wedding ring in that chair."

New additions to the Photo Arsenal

I've always wanted a little film Pentax to play with. So when we found a Pentax MX at an estate sale for $20 with two lenses and the only problem was the light seals had long ago turned gummy, I felt like I had a gem. So I spent $10 on a pre-cut seal kit from a seller on ebay, and spent an entire morning cleaning up my new baby. Now I have a working Pentax camera and my first experimental shots were on some expired Kodak 200 speed rolls that I picked up at Goodwill.


The photos turned out with a bit of a green cast to them, but I'm still excited to see what will come out of that little lovely from a fresh roll of film.

For my birthday I received a film/slide scanner that has been just wonderful to work with. I scanned not only that picture above but I've been working on scanning my mother and grandmother's old slides so they can be printed as photos and all the siblings can have copies. I can't wait to get it set up again and get cracking on that project.

Birthdays: 24 times!

Yesterday was my birthday, and I certainly had a grand old time! My parents took Richard and I out to dinner at the local steakhouse where we indulged in a bit of wine and all shared a piece of turtle cheesecake for dessert.

It was a wonderful day, and I had a really great time just being with my family. My parents and Richard gifted me with some really awesome presents as well! (I will readily admit that saying that makes me feel ten years old!)

My father picked out a new bicycle for me that I am rather anxious to ride - we're supposed to be going on the interurban trail from Brown Deer on Saturday and I just hope the weather complies. My mom put together a s'mores kit complete with giant marshmallows the size of your fist! They also ordered the film/slide scanner I wanted - but I think they may have ulterior motives :) as there have been a lot of my mom and grandmother's old slides about the house lately! I really can't wait for the scanner to get here because I'm really anxious to start scanning my mother's family memories so that we can more readily share them with everyone. It will also come in handy when I start experimenting with 120 film in my Kodak Duaflex, which Richard is enabling with the dark bag that he gave me.

Two weeks ago today my great-grandmother Jean passed away. I want to write something for her, because I love her so and am so proud to have been named after her, but I'm still finding it a bit difficult. So I'll leave with that.

Holga-moon

Right before Richard and I got married I decided to treat myself to a new camera. A holga, actually. I wanted to do some more experimenting with film since I've really gotten out of the film habit since I invested in a DSLR waaaay back in 2006 while working for the Advance Titan. It was one of those things where I started out carrying both my film and digital cameras with me so I could choose which one was better for the situation. Most of the time, if I was taking pictures for myself it was the Minolta (my film slr) but if I had to be able to email it the next day or send it over for the paper I used my Canon Rebel. After a while of luging both rather heavy cameras around I decided for the sake of my back to only carry one and by default that became the digital.


For ease of use I decided to go with the Holga 135 so I could continue using 35 mm film, after all I have a whole plethora of cameras in my collection that were designed to work with 620 film and are already really hard/expensive to find film for and get the film developed.


I'm still trying to decide how much I really like the holga. I like the style of picture it produces, and I like not knowing exactly what's going to come out of it. But there are somethings I need to work on, like understanding depth of field in this dinky little plastic lens, because contrary to popular belief there is a difference between soft-focus and way out of focus. I think I need to work on taking my small flash with me so that I can work with more than just "available light" - I've already wasted an entire roll because I've basically forgotten how to gauge light without a meter.


In the end, I know its a fun little camera, and as I keep trying to drill into the photo club kids - it's not the quality of the camera you use or even what you shoot - it's how you present it.

Etsy Art Discoveries - Let's Go

Three's Company - 8x10 Print $25
from Believing is Art

Airplane Dropping Hearts - Print of original mixed media painting $20
from Deified Art

Faux-Polaroid Print of a Fountain in London $7
from elizabethonetsy

London Love II gocco art print $15
from artsharkdesigns

2009 Year in Review

It always seems each year has more amazing events than the last, and this year was no exception.

Technically I walked for graduation in December 2008, but I officially graduated from university in January 2009. I now have a BA in English and journalism, and have absolutely no idea what to do with it. (I'd just like to point out that this photo shows how my sister and I don't seem to look alike anymore - especially when she has crazy eyes)



Early in 2009 I was employed for a mere two months as a nanny, but now spend my days trying to build a business and a home.

In June my little sister graduated from High School, and now she's off at college. I'm so proud of where her drive has taken her, but boy does she make me feel old.... and like I could be accomplishing so much more.



We got to spend a good chunk of time visiting family, our family threw us a truly wonderful engagement party in Greenville, and Richard got to experience his first Cedar Mountain style Forth of July hot dog roast. (Anna likes to nibble on people she likes)



On August 1st Richard and I got married, and it was such a wonderful and amazingly perfect day. I know things must have gone wrong, or slightly awry, and even though our planned photographer was a no-show, our friends and family are amazing, and I wouldn't have a single thing changed about that day.



In November I started helping with the Photography Club at Richard's high school. It's been fun so far, and I really look forward to meeting with the kids each week.

This year is our first official Christmas as a married couple. That is just weird to say.

After Christmas we made our whirlwind trip south, and saw so many family members! It was wonderful to see them all and get the chance to visit, we just wish it could have been longer.

So many things, and I'm working on my list of things to accomplish this year, and I'll post them either later today or tomorrow when I'm done which will hopefully help me hold myself accountable.

Honeymoon Photos

I finally got a couple rolls of film developed from our honeymoon, including one of my the first rolls I used in my holga and from one from the underwater camera. I can't wait to get prints made and fill up our new photo albums!

Etsy Art Discoveries no.1

I've been having so much fun getting my Etsy Vintage Discoveries together every Tuesday, that I've decided to expand to two more each week with new themes - Etsy Handmade Discoveries (Wednesdays) and Etsy Art Discoveries (Fridays).

If you have a shop you would like to have considered for an Etsy Discoveries feature leave a comment below.

To celebrate my first week working with the photo club at Richard's school this feature is all photography.


Swinging at Tibidabo
from bomobob



Sunshine Motel
from Roadside Photographs


Stalks in Blue
from Citrus Tree


Travel Light
from sfgirlbybay

Home again, Home again

It was a quick trip out across the state to visit friends and we have already returned. But these people are certainly worth driving 10 hours round-trip! I miss them dearly already, and it is hard to deal with the fact that they are no longer a mere hour's drive away.

Ninja Stories II

We even managed to make a quick jaunt to Minneapolis and accomplished wondrous things on a strict time table! We dropped by two locations of Ax Man Surplus stores, and I managed to lose only $16 on complete necessities.... and a pirate flag. I hear rumor, although I'm not sure how true, that they are run by the same entity that embodies American Science and Surplus, which will still hold title of "favorite junk store ever" in my heart. It was a complete and wonderful surprise to discover Ryan, an old friend, working at one of the Ax Man locations. We planned so much on the fly for this trip that I didn't have time to get ahold of him when we decided to go into Minneapolis - it was pure serendipity that we should find him at the first place we stopped.

We also managed a 35 minute trip into Ikea, which is probably record setting. We have been looking for good recycling bins for a year now, all the while knowing they had exactly what we wanted at Ikea but not being close enough to a store to make the trip for just those things worth while. We got in, found the bins, made a tiny detour though toys, bedding, and 'As Is' and got out and onto our next stop - The Mall of America!

Previously, I had never been to the Mall of America, nor had I necessarily wanted to go but I remember how awed we were as teenagers when the Mall of Georgia opened, and I am all for amusement parks in odd places (Dutch Wonderland, anyone?). It was totally worth the 45 minute expedition. I got to see the Apple Store, mostly Richard's doing, and Lego Land, for which we are both to be blamed, and watch the log flume which really does get you wet. It was fun, we didn't spend any money, and while I may not say no to a mall trip the next time I'm in Minneapolis - I never have to do it again.

ps - I'm reopening the photography/art shop on etsy - natajean.etsy.com - there are a few prints up already, and everything should be in full swing by next week

On the schedule for tomorrow:

- Shopping with Mom

- Further organizing the studio

- Stock photos

- Calling about potential nanny job

other people's photos - awkward family photos

As a person who collects other people's photographic endeavors, this really speaks to me.



Awkward Family Photos

subtle, but classically strange.


found through say YES! to hoboken