Sea Sew

I've felt twelve kinds of love for Lisa Hannigan's music since hearing her with Demian Rice years back. Her new solo album Sea Sew is love, lovely.



She gave a great interview about her creative process and the album on NPR that you can read here. The liner notes include a photo of all of the song lyrics that she herself stitched on linen. She explains her song writing by saying:

"It's that moment where you see the turn of somebody's elbow or a book peeking out of someone's bag on the train," Hannigan says. "And — I do this anyway — I sort of construct a person behind it, invariably positive. And I think that song is about that moment, where you're sort of full of hope about someone you really have no idea about."

I love that. That's the beginning of every story that has already been going on without you. You just want to jump in. I feel that way when writing or taking photographs, too.


By the way, the pub where this is filmed, Dick Mack's Pub, is in Dingle which is in County Kerry, Ireland. I have never been to this pub, but I have been to Kerry and it is beautiful. Here's a few images of the pub (from a traveler on flickr) that make me a little thirsty for a pint.
Cheers.

Waiting for this moment to arise

On the cover of our wedding program, I asked them to print Blackbird lyrics. It probably seemed like an odd choice for a wedding, but it was perfect for us. We were together 4 years before our wedding day and during the planning, I kept hearing in my head, "All your life, you were only waiting for this moment to arise."

I love this version of the song, taken from the album McCartney, because you can hear Paul's toe tapping and Linda open a door in another room of their house where he was recording. Her with her camera, him with his guitar, in their little cottage.




They felt like home to us. My husband even had a coat just like the one Paul has his little baby in when we met eleven years ago. And that photograph on the back of the album with the baby face in magic hour has been my favorite since I bought her book of photography called Sixties as a high schooler. We listened to that record, the one with the cherries on the cover and Linda's magic hour photos inside, a million times. We listened to that record during times when our visits were sandwiched between Fridays and Sundays because we lived so far apart and didn't know if we would ever be in the same place at once.

The beatles BlackBird (répétition)

I loved what seemed quiet and peaceful about their life together. Now I realize that I've been waiting for THIS moment to arise, too. And that it has. I see how so much of their story has influenced ours. Eleven years later, we live in a little cottage with a baby girl and a dog and cat and cameras and books and music. I realize now that we already have all that we dreamed of. We have our tea in the afternoon and I can hear his toe tapping to music as he types with headphones on. Our story built on theirs and so many others. I have to think this is what love stories do for us. We build on them and dream with them.

I've been blessed to photograph many weddings now. But Saturday's will be the first one that I have been with the couple since their engagement began and I am so happy for these very special people. New love stories are being told and stitched together with different songs and light and experiences and each one I capture becomes part of my story, too. And yours.

On their wedding day.

Notes from a small weekend: on things learned

*We had friends over for brunch today who live far away. Brunch is always better when all that is left on the plates is syrup tracks and everyone lingers as a second pot of coffee brews. I love starting the day that way.

*It was a quiet weekend of laundry and movies. Rain and books. Bubble paths and princess costumes.



*We played hard which, according to science, is good for us. This morning NPR's Speaking of Faith ran a really cool piece on the importance of play for all of us. If you missed it, here's a link.

*I read this book by Dr. Chopra this weekend about finding meaning in coincidence. I've read quite a few of his books, but this one may be my favorite. I try to be open to signs in my life, but lately I haven't known what to make of them. I was blessed early in my life to get big, very clear, writing-on-the-wall kinds of signs. But lately, things have been more subtle, and completely contradictory.

*I learned that {thanks to my husband} the Ellie Krieger spicy pita chip recipe is amazing. Great with hummus or chicken salad.

*I learned that Casper The Friendly Ghost is still lovely all these years later. My girl loves it as much as I did growing up. The Pink Panther and Woody Woodpecker are on Hulu too. And I was so excited to learn that HBO made a series Harold and the Purple Crayon based on the book series. It is adorable and available free on Hulu.com.



Harold draws solutions with his purple crayon any time he is in a jam. It's very deep actually and has me thinking a lot about how we, in large part, create our worlds....the architects of our own lives. I need to sharpen my crayons and think about what it is that I most want to create in my life.

*I was enchanted by this sweet wedding story in today's NYTimes. It's cheesy, but man it's sweet. The photograph by Robert Stolarick is what caught my eye.

Love this quote from the groom about meeting his future wife years after their high school romance: “It was the first time in 16 years that she looked at me the way she used to,” he said. “Some keys unlock doors. Some looks unlock you.”

Sunrise

When I was in college, I went to a sunrise wedding on Sullivan's Island. It was dark when we arrived. The moon was still shining on the water. As the sky turned lighter blue, I could see shapes of people walking down the path over the dunes. Most of the guests were barefoot and carried coffee cups, still steaming. Some of them had sleepy, slowly blinking eyes, like dosing cats. The sun peaked up over the Atlantic turning the sand pink and yellow. The bride's sister handed her some flowers she had put together for her. Everyone whispered.

There were no cameras. That was the part that fascinates me. I thought about the Indigo Girls lyrics, "don't write it down. Don't take a picture. Remember this in your heart," and I have. But as I stood there as a 21-year-old watching this experience, all I could think about was the photographs that I wanted to take: how beautiful the bride looked, how proud the adult children looked and how her golden retriever napped at their feet during the vows. The ceremony lasted 10 minutes and I can think of 100 photographs that I wish I could have taken: photos that would have been nice for the couple to have and return to on hard days. It was so peaceful. At the time, I felt like taking a photograph might have taken something from that very quiet moment.

I think about the peace of that experience every time I see the sunrise, or carry my coffee cup to an early morning destination. I hope I can bring that kind of peace even when (especially when) I have the camera with me.

Photography Inspiration

I first noticed Roger Neve's work in these perfect ads for Isaac.


But his photos of Benjamin Bratt and Talisa Soto in this month's O Magazine will stop you mid page flip. They are timeless and romantic and the colors really pop. This one below is one that I scanned in, so it doesn't do the image justice. There are several pages of photos of them so be sure to check out the hard copy version.

I love stories and photos of married couples that are just as romantic as ones of brand new relationships. Love his work and he has me thinking about portrait sessions in a new way.


He is one to watch.

More Inspiration Fodder

Since I have the journals out, and since we're all mourning the loss of Blueprint and Domino, here's some eye candy for you...

Cut out from House & Garden, this one inspired me to paint our bedroom cerulean blue when we lived in Georgia 8 years ago. Now I just settled for a door this color, but I still love it. It's like Greece, and England all in one.


I adore this house from Cottage Living, I think.


House & Garden. Love the tone on tone matching vase and the close bunching of the flowers.

Love this. I think it's a paint ad, but I just see the movement.

Good grief. So sweet. I think I found this in Working Mother. The story was something from a husband's perspective about his wife and how she was her happiest, most mellow with her children.


My sisters and I would cut out old magazine pages and paste them onto these coloring book style scrapbooks at our grandparent's house. This page I kept. Love the movement, the 1950s fashion, the simplicity of it.

In the foreground I've posted a quote from a famous fashion photographer about photographing people in O Magazine. In the background, I have pulled this page from the Garnet Hill catalogue (which always delivers for great copy) because I've been thinking of getting a lemon tree for the house.

When I went to the Vatican in December of 1998, the lemon trees had all been moved inside and lined a hallway. The smell was amazing and the light came through the french doors all along the corridor making them look like shiny jewels.


I believe this one came from H&G (House & Garden). When I pulled it, I was more interested in the color contrast of pink and black, the roundness of the boxes against the square books than anything else. Very French, no?


This appeared in some Cookie or Wondertime. Not sure. I just thought it was awesome that they took a wall, put in shelves, painted the background and voila! dollhouse wall.


This one was from Real Simple with a great quote about how it's best to be in a modest cottage with books, family and old friends.


I pulled this years before I knew I would be photographing weddings, but it is perfect bridal inspiration. Love the lines- chin, swoosh of hair, eye line. Got to be a Chanel ad. It's text book perfect.


This one inspired me to line up plastic clear containers for all of the brio trains, crayons and little people.

This may have been from Organize and inspired me to get wire baskets for the fridge. I'm still hunting for the perfect wire rimmed basket like Kate Capshaw's character uses to get mail in The Love Letter. Speaking of Kate Capshaw...

I could not love this portrait of her and her daughter any more than I do. J'adore times 12.
Super photography inspiration, my friends.
The Gap often has killer photography. I still think about their 2001 commercial with Carol King and her daughter Lois Goffin singing a medley of So Far Away {} and Love Makes The World Go Round. I love that ad. So much clean space, hardwood floors, a black piano, her daughter singing, "So far away. Doesn't anybody stay in one place anymore? It would be so fine to see your face at my door. It doesn't help to know your just time away," and Carol answering, "I can't stop believing love makes the world go round." I'm sure I rushed out to buy jeans as result. :)

But the most inspiring thing I have seen or heard in a long time was from President Obama today speaking to graduates at Arizona State after the University chose not to award him with an honorary degree. He said, "I come to embrace the notion that I haven’t done enough in my life. I heartily concur. I come to confirm that one’s title, even a title like president of the United States, says very little about how well one’s life has been led — and that no matter how much you’ve done, or how successful you’ve been, there’s always more to do, always more to learn, and always more to achieve.”

So, enough with the pretty pictures. There's work to be done.

Changing Hats

I've been buried under depositions until Saturday when I was able to put down the redwell and pick up the Canon for the dreamiest engagement shoot ever.

Here's a link to the slideshow. On the same vimeo page, you can watch my daughter (the one over the letter "Y") tap to Chocolate Ice Cream. It's a win-win really. She turns 4 this week. It's amazing the things you learn as a parent in 4 years. That's a college degree's worth of time. And yet, I'm still stumbling around in the library, searching for answers most days.

Captain's Log: Notes While Speeding Through the Galaxy

My friend Ami sent this poem around on Friday and I wanted to share:

Postcard: October 18/01, NYC

On the subway an old

Polish man takes me in charge,

rides two stops past his own

to make certain I find

the right place to get off. When I try

to thank him, he shakes his head

no, forget it. No one, he says,

should be lost when someone else

knows the way.

-Samuel Green

Thanks so much Ami!

***

And, since it is the weekend, I thought I would share this post from Purl and A Bee featuring the book Weekend Sewing.

I love everything about the post and the featured photos. Must check out this book!

***

Our sump pump gave up on us and thank heaven for good plumbers. I've discovered lots of long lost things {as you do when there is a flood} but mostly they are things that I can let go of to make room for new ideas in my life. I'm realizing the only things I really want to keep are quilts, photographs, books and letters. I can replace the vacuum cleaner, but not the letters between my husband and me or photographs of people I can't call anymore.

***

I've had more inquiries than normal for my little photography shop that could which is exciting. I'm relieved to know that even in hard times, people still want to take in and preserve moments from their present lives.

***

Our girl fell asleep in her big girl bed all by herself last night. Normally I lay down with her until she falls asleep. {I know, I know.} It was something we've talked about for months. I told her she would know when she was ready and, much like a year ago when she decided to give up her pacifiers, last night she decided she was ready. We tucked her in and she was all giggly with "the friends" comprised of Bear, a baby doll, Curious George, and a small lamb. I'm sure the promise of the Ariel Bath toy she spotted the other day was a great motivator. As we listened for her in our room, I thought about what it sounded like as I fell asleep as a child. I remember blue light from the television down that hall. I remember hearing The Tonight Show theme song and the occasional laugh from one of my parents. I wonder what she will remember: soft yellow reading light, typing keys or turning pages or none of that at all.

***

I'm teaching myself how to use Photoshop. Wow. So much to learn. I've put it off for so long thinking that I would rather focus on making each photograph better on its own to limit editing time, but I want to stay in the curve with the industry and see what is out there. I'm loving being able to write on photos. Very cool.




***

We are getting excited about a trip to see my parents by the sea. I can almost smell the salty air, a welcomed change from this:


***
My husband gets credit for telling me about Andrew Bird years ago. The embedded version below of his song Lull has been in my head for about two weeks now. It just keeps coming back. The video is odd, but interesting. He performed a different version of this song here in Lexington at Woodsongs and you can see that performance here. It's amazing to see how he puts it all together and how it must sound inside his head. I wrote this post listening to it.



Lull- by Andrew Byrd

Being alone, it can be quite romantic
Like Jacques Cousteau underneath the Atlantic
A fantastic voyage to parts unknown
Going to depths where the sun's never shone
And I fascinate myself when I'm alone

So I go a little overboard, but hang on to the hull
While I'm airbrushing fantasy art on a life
That's really kind of dull
Oh, I'm in a lull

I'm all for moderation, but sometimes it seems
Moderation itself can be a kind of extreme
So I joined the congregation
I joined the softball team
I went in for my confirmation
Where incense looks like steam
I start conjugating proverbs
Where once there were nouns
This whole damn rhyme scheme's
Starting to get me down

Oh, I'm in a lull
I'm in a lull

Being alone, it can be quite romantic
Like Jacques Cousteau underneath the Atlantic
A fantastic voyage to parts unknown
Going to depths where the sun's never shone
And I fascinate myself, sure I do
When I'm alone

I'm rambling on rather self-consciously
While I'm stirring these condiments into my tea
And I think I'm so lame, I bet I think this song’s about me
Don't I, don't I, don't I?

I'm in a lull...

***

Sorry for the scattered post. I am so behind. Hope everyone is having a restful weekend.

Valentines

My husband brought home several bound volumes of magazines from 1959 {there are perks to dating a guy who knows his way around all of the special collection libraries}. There is nothing hotter than a phone call like this, "hey, I'm in the fine arts library. Can I bring you something?"

SUPER HOT. I embrace my nerdiness.

Anyway, each volume contains an entire year of the publication. I have had the most fun flipping though the pages. My initial goal was to just look at the ads for furniture and decor ideas from 1959 to help refine my searches for stuff for my house, born the same year. But there's a ton of inspiration fodder in each volume.


Tomorrow, these will be due and I'm trading them in for Vogue and the second volume of Mademoiselle for 1959 and maybe Harpers and....you get the idea.


I love this coat. It would be perfect over a suit for work or a dress for dinner. I mean, damn. It's classic, looks like Halston and, according to the ad, could be mine with the assistance of Marty McFly for like 20 bucks or something. I Googled the designer and did an eBay search for it. Nothing. One coat on Etsy, but it's not the same one.


I love this ad from the NYTimes that promises to put readers, "on top of events wherever they are hatching." It reminds me of Eric Carle books. And the newsprint is so clever. It inspires me to make stationary with paper cut outs.


Love the chair behind her and just being immersed in the blue. The ad was for the bedspread for 10 bucks.

This ad was for a raceway. So clever. But it would make a great Valentine if cropped and printed on pale pink card-stock, served in a silver envelope. Yes.




Another Times ad that ran in The New Yorker.

I love the simplicity of this ad and as Bob Ross would say, "the happy little trees."

I photograph weddings from time to time.
This shot is so great and inspires me to do some kicky engagement shots. I've been wanting to shoot a threshold shot for a while and this photo is so great...innocent with an edge.
The text was, "You get the license...I'll get the Lenox," which is a bit ridiculous and you can tell that the license nor the Lenox was on either of their minds.
I like a good cup and saucer myself, but, come on.


I have been searching for this font -or something like it- for a few months. Can' t you just see Teaworthy written in that font? I love it. I wear Philosophy's Falling In Love and the box has a similar font and I obsess about how to get that font inside my Mac so that my voice can sound all fabulous in it.



This ad promises wool to be the best for knitting. I changed the focal point and cut off her head when I photographed it a.) becauseI think it makes it a better ad and b.) because I dig it.
That could be me there knitting.
It could be you.
We could be knitting that for you.
The possibilities are endless.


Where oh where have all of the LaVerne and Shirley "L"s gone?
I love these "L"s.
L is my favorite letter.
Hands down.


Again, cropped the photo.
Such inspiration for a wedding shot.
I WILL shoot something like this this summer.
Very exciting.


From a Chanel ad of course. Thanks Coco.

Here's to magazines, and chocolate, and passion and insight.

And thanks to my guy who has always been able to see and understand the shape of my heart.

In Love with: When You Give A Girl A Camera

Have you heard about this project? They describe their site as a mother-daughter photography duet. The work is inspired and I love the play on Laura Numeroff titles like If You Give A Mouse A Cookie, If You Give A Pig A Pancake, etc. Freak out. I love this. A must-add to my bloglines.

In The Details

One of my favorite Christmas gifts I received this year is this little book, A Year of Mornings, taken from the amazing blog 3191.


I've written about them here several times, but if you haven't already, bookmark their new site for a year of evenings in the making.

The book is so lovely and I adore the dotted swiss part of the cover. It's a textual experience. In the forward, one of the authors, Stephanie Congdon Barnes, writes that the work helped her to perfect the art of noticing beauty and finding simplicity in her daily life.

"All that was loud—be it the cries of a child undone by his inability to tie his shoes, the storm beating at the window, the sight of the day's heavy workload, the weight of an emotional loss—was quieted by that click of the shutter.

It is my hope that our photos engender a culture of noticing, that they don't represent something lovely and out of reach to the viewer, but instead illuminate what is beautiful at her own breakfast table. People have described the connections between the photos as magic and cosmic. This, I feel, is not Maria's or my doing. The magic belongs to the viewer."

The magic in their work is the celebration of those domestic details that are there in most of our lives, in different manifestations, that go un-noticed. As Barnes writes, "the way the light was falling on the breakfast dishes, the rings of water on the counter, a drawing or toy left behind..."

Only now, I realize the enchantment of my grandparent's home was the attention to the details of the garden, the sewing, preparing food, striking piano keys, helping neighbors and taking time for private prayer. Someone was always up before the sun. Chocolate milk was heated on the stove for me in the morning. Butter was brought home for lunch that my grandfather made that morning. Grapes were grown on vines. Tomatoes were canned. Pillow cases were stitched with love. There was a romance to me about putting love into daily chores.

It makes sense to me that all places where people devote their existence to worship and meditation (Ashrams, Convents, Monasteries) suggest chores—scrubbing floors, chopping wood, carrying water. There is something spiritual about carrying out the tasks that the day requires. My mom always says that pulling weeds is great mediation time. I am actually enjoying working in my house with this in mind.

The past few months, I've felt the weight of emotional losses at the same time that I've been on the road, away from what Barnes describes as "the inexplicable calm of domestic life." I realize now that photography has been grace for me during this time, stepping stones in choppy water. It has helped me to stop, to notice and to hold on to glimmering sandcastles for a moment before they are washed away. Looking at photos from this time is bittersweet, like finding grains of sand in my shoes after a vacation I don't remember taking.


I am enjoying being with the details of my life that make me the most happy right now: my husband, my daughter, and little creative projects.

My hope is that when the holiday is over, I can continue notice more, be more present, be better.

Holiday Card Resource

I have a weekend gig as a photographer. Lately, I've been taking photos of families for their holiday cards. Here, in no particular order, are links to this year's holiday photo card offerings. All of these options allow you to upload your jpeg into a fabulous card design. The links should take you directly to the holiday photo card browsing page for each site.

*Exposures

*Hallmark

*Shutterfly

*Zazzle

*Kodak

*Tiny Prints

Dioramas

This post from 3191 is exactly what I've been thinking about doing as a holiday card for us. I love the outside looking in. I've been trying to photograph our family from the outside the cottage looking in for a while now. I'm waiting for perfect autumn light.


I think this appeals to me (and photos of a room taken from another room) because I have always had a big time fascination with dioramas. Remember making them for school? The smell of Elmers glue, construction paper, clay figures. Taking acorns, sticks and leaves to make 3 dimensional details.

There's a place near my parents house where you can see seemingly life-size ones as you float behind them on the waterway. They are giant doll's houses, all lit up in yellow on the inside against the blue evening light. People are at the dinner table or walking through the house. It is so peaceful to see them living their lives silently, walking up stairs and moving through their days. It reminds me of the scene in Steve Zissou where he takes you on a cross section tour of his boat. (I love that this version of the clip is in italian. I adore Wes Anderson movies and Mark Mothersbaugh who does the amazing music moves me so much). There's something about floating on the waterway that takes the eerie Rear Window voyeur feeling away. Their windows are open after all and we keep moving on.

There's an old Indigo Girls song that I love from Swamp Ophelia called Language or The Kiss, that says something like, "There was a table set for six and five were there. I stood outside and kept my eye upon that empty chair. There was steam on the window from the kitchen. Laughter like a language I once spoke with ease."

I really love that.

We Feel Fine

Cha Cha Cha

Love this shoot from the amazing Davina Fear.

It captures that feeling of just moving in together and so much more. I love the dance photos - light and movement - the ones taken outside the window, and from a distance. So great.

I've been experimenting lately with setting up scenes inside the house to photograph while I stand outside. It is so much fun, like setting up a diorama, but so challenging.

Welcome Summer! We've missed you.

"And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight inside the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom."
-Anais Nin.

Quote discovered in Ali Edwards's wonderful collection of quotes archived here.

This morning in my yard...a new addition. I hope I can keep her happy here.


Morning dew in morning light.


My husband (in the watch) buying vegetables at the Farmer's Market today.


The first pant of Summer. It's good to be warm.

"Summer afternoon - summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language." -Henry James.

Discovered in Laura Stoddart's beautifully illustrated, The Sweet Life: Reflections on Home and Garden.