In the Aeroplane Over the Sea - Neutral Milk Hotel

Par Warhol

make light

Summer's almost over, and it's been a turbulent one. Here's some photos from home and France ((the black and white ones were taken with my Nikkormat)) and a few songs. Amusez-vous.

Songs on my summer playlist:

Beauty False - Martin Solveig

Triangle Walks - Fever Ray

When The Devil's Loose - AA Bondy

Papa Was A Rodeo - Bright Eyes

got your number

Hey, sorry I'm not a very good blogger and haven't updated in a while. But it's summer now so I have too much free time aka time to blog. From here on out, it's just going to be pictures and music.

I got a new camera. Sony Alpha 350. I'm doing a photography program in France during July, so I'll be taking a bunch of pictures, hopefully better than the ones from my point-and-shoot. Here's a few shots I've taken recently. I'm still figuring out how to use it, so they're not the best pictures, but I'm sure they'll be getting better.

sorry

B: Why didn't you show up last night? You've been in a funny mood lately.

A: It's just - I can't meet new people. I'm too tired.

B: Well, these were old people and you didn't show up. You shouldn't watch so much TV.

A: Oh I know.

tempting

Click.

c'est vraiment trop facile

Twitter is foolish.

I want a cheesecake of my own someday.

Blacklight Flashlight - Dreaming In

laugh. laugh. you gotta laugh.

The photolab lost my pictures. C'est la vie.

I recently fixed my parents' turntable, and I went looking for records today. Richard Simmons - Reach, in mint condition. It's a workout album, complete with a book of choreographed exercises for each song.

This sums up the album.

I took a couple pictures with my Polaroid, but I'm still figuring it out. I plan on using most of my film in Florida - two days!

sunday morning

shoot the breeze

I went biking today, first of the season. It was a bit chilly, but the sun was out and it smelled like spring.

I took lots of pictures today. I'm getting a couple rolls of filmed developed ((hopefully I'll have some good shots)), but I also took a couple shots with my digital camera. When the sun starts setting, I plan on heading over to Olana ((Frederick Church's home)) to take some more pictures.

Bike ride.

New shoes - New Balance.

Bike ride.

The tree I climbed. The skills I learned in P.E. actually came in handy.

So I kinda failed at taking pics of my new sweatshirt, but whatever. I'm just lucky a car didn't come and run over my camera.

Sweatshirt - H&M

s-club party

Hey, it's been too long, but I'm back ((and on spring break)). The snow is gone, I'm home again, and I stopped on the path the other day, bent down a tree-branch, and saw pale green buds!

I took this a couple years ago in the spring, at a nature reserve near my school.

So, update on the Polaroid camera. I found one that takes 600 film - at this thrift-store where I volunteer. I was in the back room sorting some donations when I came across a Polaroid Land Camera, in mint condition! The woman next to me - no one likes her - told me to put it on the free rack (aka the rack for crappy, broken things). Apparently, "no one uses those things any more." Plus, "they take such crappy photos." Anyways, I gratefully snatched it up.

Of course, just as I get a camera that works, they stop making the film. CVS ran out when I was there, so I had no film. And they got more right when I went broke. Perfect. But I finally got film, so pictures coming soon! I am so excited - hopefully I'll get some good shots in Florida during break.



















This was taken from http://www.flickr.com/photos/lilylove/2591997015/in/set-72157614387471687/

groove slam work it back

Some pictures I took over winter break.

i got this crazy feeling you are my destiny

Martin Solveig's latest and greatest creation. If you haven't already seen it, his video for Rejection is pretty great. 

konichiwa bitches

Everyone loves Polaroids. They're quick and fun, and their imperfections are half the charm. So I was searching the Polaroid website, trying to figure out how to use my Polaroid Land Camera, when I came across the latest addition to the Polaroid family. Apparently, the PoGo was introduced around the time Polaroid announced they were stopping production of all instant film, an implication that the PoGo would replace the old instant cameras. 

The Land Camera I have.

First, I should say what the PoGo is. It's a portable printer a little larger than an iPhone that instantly prints 2"x3" photos from your camera or bluetooth phone. The technology it uses doesn't require ink, so all you ever have to buy (other than the printer) is paper. 

I have mixed feelings about this pseudo Polaroid. It doesn't seem to be as spontaneous or impulsive as old cameras. First of all because it's not actually a camera. It's a printer that you have to send pictures to from your phone after taking them, or go to the hassle of carrying your camera, USB , and the PoGo around with you, plugging in your camera, and then choosing the photos you want to print. But it's definitely more impromptu than sending out to have photos developed, or printing them at home. And the photo paper they use, 2"x3" is just as lovable as the old Polaroid film. 

The PoGo.

Another downfall (luckily not a complete one) of the PoGo is 

the photo quality. The streaks and colour distortion of Polaroids make them distinct and artsy. Today, anyone can take a picture with a digital camera and have it come out looking 100% real, no flaws. In fact, flaws and imperfections are discouraged nowadays. The PoGo however, falls halfway on this issue. The photos it prints are not nearly as faded, discoloured, or flawed as original Polaroids, but they aren't perfect either. It helps that cellphone cameras don't take very good pictures in the first place.

On the right, a photo printed using the PoGo. On the left, a photo printed using a full-sized Canon printer.

Instant photography is dying. The PoGo makes a solid effort to save it, but it's not enough. To be able to take a picture and have it in your hands a moment later is something unique. But nowadays people are so focused on uploading pictures from their cell phones or digital cameras right to their facebooks or flickr, and don't take the time to appreciate them. It could be as simple as making a scrapbook, or hanging up your pictures, but so rarely do people take the time anymore.

The Polaroid PoGo is (hopefully) the first of a new set of digital instant photography products from Polaroid. At $150, it's out of my grasp right now, but in the end, I definitely recommend it for the Polaroid-lover. 

Also, if you're into imperfect photography, I highly recommend the Diana F+ by Lomography ((the girl in this blog's title picture is holding it)). It's pretty bitchin'.

The Diana F+ by Lomography.

Polaroid-esque, no?

Who Knew?

I was recently in New York City, where I ran into this great

store, Muji. They recently opened an outlet in SoHo, and then

in May, they opened a flagship store in Times Square.

The store is a Japanese retailer that sells a range of things 

including a great selection of pens, clothing, and furniture. I 

really go there for the pens. They come in a large variety of colours

and write like heaven. I highly recommend them. Another 

big seller is their toe-socks (below), which are like mittens for 

your feet. They're eco-friendly and very comfortable. 

If you're ever in the NYC vicinity, I recommend checking

it out. 

Also, yesterday I met a friend and some of his friends at 

the Dutchess County Fair. It's a big event where I live, with

lots of rides, fat American foods, and livestock. It's actually 

a lot of fun. My camera stopped working right when

I met my friends, so here's just a couple pictures I managed

to get before. 

  

Muji's cotton toe-socks. Très cool.

Muji's bitchin' pens, and some of their colours.

The flying swings at the fair. 

The Tilt-A-Whirl, which went surprisingly fast. You should have seen the kid in the car next to us. He looked rather...uncomfortable. 

heroes & thieves

Here's a song I really love, and I think the music video

is also very well done. Vanessa Carlton is known for her older 

songs such as A Thousand Miles and Ordinary Day, maybe

even White Houses and Nolita Fairytale. As an artist, 

she has evolved so much from when she first recorded

songs at just 16 years old. Now 28, she relatively recently 

recorded a new album, Heroes & Thieves, which is 

very beautifully done. Her use of strings makes every song

so great to listen to. It's a very summery album, and 

just generally happy. This is my favorite song from the 

album, so I hope you enjoy it!

Hands On Me

cr8tive recreation

Everywhere you look today, someone's wearing a pair

of brightly colored, shiny, or glaringly white sneakers.

They've become extremely popular, and for good reason -

they look great. So here's a company I don't think many 

people have heard of, selling quality footware.

Creative Recreation is a relatively new brand 

of sneakers specializing in shoes that look sophisticated

and modern, feel good, and can be worn to work. Their 

sneakers vary greatly in style, from upscale to more 

casual. Some of their shoes, like the ones pictured

below, could even be moon shoes. 

I recently purchased a pair of more everyday 

shoes from them, which I am very pleased with. 

They're comfortable and look great, and weren't that 

expensive, at least not compared to other sneakers 

being sold these days. Mine were around $90, but 

they range from about $80 to $130. They also just 

released their new fall collection. Check it out at their 

website.