abby try again

domy day and some answers

 

 

This weekend I finally headed over to Domy Books. It's less than a half mile from home, but I knew that I could not resist spending at least a little money if I visited so I held off.

In a way I'm sort of glad that I waited to visit-it was a welcome distraction from this weekend's sweltering temperatures.  When I walked through the doors it was almost as if I was transported to a far off land full of goodies that had been placed there just for my enjoyment. In short, it was awesome!

I made a mental list of several favorites (which I just posted over at my other blog) and ended up with this back issue of Aperture. There are several great articles in the magazine, but the one that drew me to it is about the drawings of William Eggleston (pictured above).

I highly recommend a visit to Domy if you are in the Austin area.

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I noticed lately that there have been a lot of questions in the comments about what camera I use and also what "techniques" I use. I decided I'd answer here so everyone could read it.

(Also, I do have a FAQ page that may be of some help.)

I use a Yashica TL Electro for almost all of my shots. I used to play around with all sorts of Polaroids, a holga, brownies and others but it's been awhile since I've done that. If I use something other than my Yashica, I'll try and let you know in the post.

I bought the camera for cheap at a thrift store. It's light meter is broken and the batteries have run out. But the camera can pretty much do everything without the battery. I just load regular 35mm film (I buy kodak from the drugstore or find similar film at thrift stores) and then advance the film manually. I just guess with the settings. What? Yes, it's actually pretty straightforward. I just loaded some film and played with the settings one day-and then I could see what the settings did what. Does that make sense? Notes are helpful with this process. 

Anyway, that's all I do, no fancy tricks or techniques. I just load in film and play with the settings. I have almost no clue what each of them means as I have never taken a photo class or done much technical research on the subject, but I know what they look like and I think that is most important. You should do the same! I bet you'll be happily surprised. I really do try to think about what a shot will be before I shoot it-I think that's my real trick. If something is not the right color or shape or has the wrong light-I won't shoot the photo. I think it's the opposite of what most people do with digital. 

Hope that answers your questions :)

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Happy day, everyone!

day at the museum

 

 

 

 

 

 

What do you do when it's 98 degrees with 88% humidity, you're broke and you've got no car to escape with?

Head to a free, air conditioned museum (and you love the half hour freezing cold bus ride you took to get there).

You then proceed to marvel at all of the beautiful things that have lived upon this earth.

Mash Up

 

 

 

 

Hello and happy Monday!

Well, I went to go pick up three rolls of film only to find out that my photo lab had a bit of trouble with some machines this weekend. While I wait for all those photos I thought I'd share some more randomness from my archives.

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Be back tomorrow with a post about some recent Austin adventures.

five senses friday

 

 

 

 

Hello out there!

Happy Friday to all of you.

For those of you who are new readers (or maybe never understood what I was blabbing about) five senses friday was started years ago by my friend, Shari Altman. I use it weekly as way to sit down and reflect on what the past days have been like for me.

I would love it if you played along-you can leave your own version in the comments or on your blog.

Tasting:

a delicious lunch at The Galaxy Cafe

Smelling:

new castille soap

Seeing:

the Texas Capitol Building in the early morning sunshine

Feeling:

the sun on my neck for the first time in a long time (I cut off my hair!)

Hearing:

a marathon of Radio Lab podcasts (I spent a lot of time with my ipod on the bus this week)

* * * *

Just a little reminder or in case you missed it-I'm having a buy one print, get one free sale over in my etsy shop only-it ends this weekend.

Thanks so much for the comments and orders this week-hope you all have a fantastic weekend!

art and food

 

 

 

You know it's funny.

Sometimes when I'm taking photos I kinda of have an idea of a blog post in my head and other times I don't.

I was planning on doing a big post about the Blanton Museum and then I saw how some of the art looked with some of my food and decided to post the shots together. Random, yes?

Anyway, a couple of weeks ago I ventured over the the Austin Museum of Art. There were couple of pieces that were truly amazing (especially one by Steve Wiman ) but after paying $5 and seeing only about 20 pieces of art, I was a little confused...

Surely Austin has a bigger art museum than that?

I was directed by a friend to the Blanton, the art museum on the University of Texas Campus. First off, the campus is beautiful. Big oak trees dot the landscape and the soft colors of the walls make you feel cool in the Texas heat.

The architecture of  the Blanton itself is stunning and has a vast collection that includes just a little bit of everything. I found the small collection of contemporary art to be extremely well edited and enjoyable. And one must see the collection of art from the American West (this is Texas after all).

Right now there's a great exhibit featuring prints made by Matisse. I recommend going on a Thursday if you can, it's the "free day" and there seems to be a lot of lectures, activities and events happening on Thursdays. 

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Thanks for stopping by! Hope you all have a wonderful day.

a little etsy love...

As you may know if you follow this blog; I sell my prints and paper goods made from my photos at my online shop and over at etsy.

Some people have asked why I have two online shops-and sometimes I am ask myself the same question ;)

I love the freedom of design over at my online print shop at bigcartel-but I've been an etsy seller since September of 2005 (back when I made carved custom stamps and made stationary) and I would hate to leave now...

I often feel like my etsy shop is like the little sister that gets left out of sales and big shop updates-so I decided I would do a special etsy only sale. From now until midnight on July 25, a buy one get one sale over at my etsy.

Buy any 5"x7", 8"x12", 8"x10, or 6"x6" print and get a second print of equal or lesser value free!
This offer includes custom prints, too.

Order all of the prints you'd like-and I will refund the second print's value to you via paypal. Does not include a refund of the shipping cost. Open to international customers, too. Feel free to order as many as you'd like
Not valid on prints larger than 8"x12".

Sorry for the shop plug here-but hey, a girl's gotta eat, right? ;)

Thanks everyone!

all around

 

 

 

 

One thing I am loving about Austin is seeing bright colors all around me.

I've got a busy day ahead, so I'll leave you with these images and a wish for a happy day!

See you tomorrow.

happy day!

 

 

 

 

 

Today is the birthday of one of my friends, Summer. Besides being an award winning blogger, she's a talented baker, thrifter, story teller, wife, mum, and friend (and muse for my camera).

Summer, I hope you have a wonderful day-sending hugs from Texas!

five senses friday

 

 

 

 

 

Hello out there! Happy Friday to you! I sorta can't believe it is the weekend already. Am I alone on this feeling, or did your week go by super fast, too?

For those of you who are new readers (or maybe never understood what I was blabbing about) five senses friday was started years ago by my friend, Shari Altman. I use it weekly as way to sit down and reflect on what the past days have been like for me.

I would love it if you played along-you can leave your own version in the comments or on your blog.

Tasting:

a delicious lunch at Asti

Hearing:

the cicadas (beware-the link is loud)

Seeing:

gorgeous art at The Blanton museum

Smelling:

pungent goat cheese from the farm

Touching:

walking through a swarm of bugs (we think they were mayflies) down at the Lake

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Thanks for the comments this week-and see you back here Monday.

boggy creek farm

 

 

 

 

James and I lead an incredibly simple life.

We don't own a car, we don't own a television, no iphones, no fancy expensive cameras. Believe me, if we could afford these things-I'd have them all in a heartbeat, but for now they just aren't within our reach.

So when we are doing sort of normal, everyday things like grocery shopping or running errands we are very mindful of planning the where when and why.

In Portland I was lucky enough to have a natural foods store and a grocery co op within a mile of our apartment. In Austin we live in a place where there is not a proper grocery store for miles and miles.  So by default we've been doing the majority of our grocery shopping at HOPE farmer's market. This has been an interesting experiment that has tested both my culinary skills and our creative ability to make produce survive one week in this heat.

But the other day I stumbled across one of Austin's little gems: Boggy Creek Farm. The farm holds a biweekly market and is just a short bus ride from my home. Not only do they have amazing fruits and vegetables-but they also sell breads, honey, sauces, eggs, cheeses, meats, and yogurts. An added bonus is the fact that you do your shopping right there on the farm with chickens scurrying around you. It's quite charming.

If you are near Austin, I highly recommend visiting the farm. The market is held both Wednesdays and Saturdays and its shady grounds are a nice respite from the heat. 

(The tomatoes above are from the farm-aren't they gorgeous little jewels? And the little mushroom house in the last photo is an old toy of mine. It has nothing to do with this post, but it's there anyway :)