In a New York minute...

A couple of months after I arrived my friend Rebecca asked me when I had my "oh my gosh, I'm in NY" moment. I think my response was every time I look at the Empire State Building as it's a reminder of the streets I'm on. But I really hadn't had this moment until last week Wednesday. This was my first day at work. I travelled from Manhattan to Queens for my first shift. Then treated myself to lunch in Korea town in a place called Mandoo, specializing in dumplings which they make fresh in the window for everyone to see as they walk by. Then I headed home and took Paco for a walk down to Madison square park, which was lovely on a sunny day. I had just enough time to drop him back at home before heading back out, to my art history class at the MoMA. It was at this point that my cheeks started to hurt at the ridiculousness of it all. It was official, I felt relaxed and comfortable. Finally.

And all it needed was a job. I know that on the surface being here sounds like a dream. Oh poor me having nothing to do in one of the most wonderful cities in the world. While my husband gives me money to go out and enjoy myself. But I've always been independent. And what fun is exploring if everyone else is at work? But more importantly I came here to work and my biggest worry was that I would come home having not done so. I would have felt so disappointed. Luckily patience is all it needed. Just as many friends told me.

¡Ai Tulum!

Well, we're back from sunny Mexico. At 11:00am we were swimming in the sea with the sun beating down on us and by 11:00pm we were back on the cold streets of New York. Tulum is beautiful and still underdeveloped, which for me is a good thing. It's colourful and full of character with chic hotels with boutiques selling anything from designer fragrances to designer yoga wear. We stayed in El Pez which boasted beautiful seafront views. Eating out provided a new dining experience, the restaurants and bars are scattered along the beaches, and even those inland are open to the elements such as Hartwood. The fantastic weather makes dining underneath a bed a stars the only option. 

As you know the real purpose of this trip was my birthday. I miss my friends, my family and having to go through such an important milestone without anyone was really painful. This is why we went. So rather than say that no one was able to come, I could say that I had escaped. I had a good old cry in the morning and then went on to enjoy my day which included breakfast on the hotel terrace with a full view of the ocean. Followed by a two hour massage at the wonderful Coqui Coqui, and two hours Skyping friends and family. A long walk on the beach and dinner in one of the fantastic restaurants. Finishing with a glass of champaign and star gazing (for the first time ever I managed to identify a constellation- Orion's belt). Coupled with all the Facebook wished, it was perfect. 

Ghost

So I've not been very good at this whole keeping in contact with everyone via the blog recently. It has been really cold here making going out and holding a camera with my bare hands rather intolerable. I also just don't want to go out, preferring the comfort of my overly heated apartment to the cold streets. But I shouldn't make excuses, I've been rubbish. It's funny though as I found that I really missed it. Not only as a project but also because some of you do actually read it. Right?

I've been trying to use my left over Polaroid film as I've found that when it stays in the camera it doesn't work. And here is the proof. I've been thinking about the plight of the photographer, forever relegated to the back and never being part of the scene so I thought I'd try a selfie. And the result is this ghost-like image. Kinda like my presence on the blog. Ah see what I did there?!?!?

Come out to play-ay

Yesterday we ventured out to Coney Island before the end of the season, the park closes for the summer at the end of October. I knew EXACTLY what I needed to do. Grab my vintage SX-70 folding camera and test out their new colour protection film. This is the film that finally behaves like the old polaroid films. No need for careful planning of how to immediately cover the film so it's not exposed to light. Simply take the picture, place it inside a pocket/bag and let it develop. Then 30 minutes later see what you've created.

I didn't even need to try very hard, every corner was another great potential shot. The camera really captures the vintage essence of the rides too. From the Wonder Wheel with it's swinging carts (very scary actually) to the rickety wooden Cyclone roller coaster. Only the second highest wooden roller coaster in the world I was told. Hipster Dufus somehow managed to convince me to give it a try and...
Well, let's just say that after the third surprisingly steep dip I was so scared I stopped screaming. My mouth remained opened but nothing came out.

So much inspiration to be had that even the iPhone was a usful tool, these pictures were all taken with the phone's native camera and have not been edited at all.

Jersey Part 2

On our recent trip to New Jersey I naturally used it as an opportunity to practice my photography. I didn't only take my digital camera I also took my Polaroid 636 closeup. Now I don't really mind making mistakes when using the Impossible films even though they are very expensive and it does make it a rather high cost hobby to have. The frustrating thing for me is feeling that I'm making no progress and worse that I don't actually know how to take photographs. All it really takes is the time to read a manual to understand your camera. I have finally managed to find a user manual online to help me get the most out of my pictures. Most won't allow you to download them but if you search hard enough you can. I've found many and will be passing them along here on the blog. I'll start with the 600 manual.

Polaroid Love

I love my polaroid camera's but I have to say that our relationship is somewhat tempestuous. They behave like Latin lovers and literally only produce the result you want if you rub them up the right way!  I have seen others who have given up on it, becoming frustrated with the Impossible Project and it's lack of film that can actually replicate the original Polaroid format. I love it though, and I refuse to give up on it. Especially when the film still captures the essence of instant photography. You never know what result you're going to get. My only problem was that I was just tired of feeling like a total failure. Like I wasn't a good photographer.

So I did some online research and managed to find some manuals that just explained the basics of photography. Simple things like understanding the light/dark wheel. The first one I came across was this great little page taken from a manual, and immediately I could see the difference in the quality of my photographs.  The images below have been scanned in on a poor quality scanner hence their haziness, but the actual photos are really quite sharp. Not bad for a first attempt. These images were taken on my Polaroid 600 which I wrote about here.

SnapShots

Pensive: Taking a moment at the NYC Impossible walk.

Impossibly fun!

So it hasn't been long since Hipster Dufus and I crash landed in the middle of New York. But we dove straight in and tried to get up to as many activities as possible. Hipster Dufus literally brought a Time Out magazine at the airport and started scouring the listings for fun things to do. I already had an idea of what I wanted to get up to thanks to my passion for photography. One of the best things about moving here was that New York has an Impossible store. Now I've only ever alluded to the Impossible Project and never written about it as London is a bit behind. These guys are the ones behind the saving of instant photography. Instant being a key word as this is not the same as Polaroid. A mistake that many have made which just ruins the beauty of this new medium.

There's no point in going into the whole story when others have done it better here, explaining exactly what this project is all about. The main thing to understand is that it's not for those who want polaroid pictures in the 'shake-it-like-a-polaroid-picture' kind of way. This is for those who love the possibilities that old photography formats offer. Just like still using a film camera and never knowing what your pictures are going to come out like. This is for those who get giddy at the waiting 2-3 days for the results of their film. This is important as their format is not yet perfected. The Impossible team always seem to take the most kick-ass polaroids however for us mere mortals it's temperamental, but when you get a result it's totally worth it. And learning is half the fun. So armed with this I was so excited to go on the NYC Impossible Project's first photo walk. A perfect opportunity to learn and get inspired and also get a tour of our new city.

This was my best shot of the walk by far.

Hispter Dufus with his creation, Photo courtesy of the Impossible Project 

And check out this awesome video made by one of the guys that came on the walk. Very happy to have my photo make the cut. 

Keep on moving

After years of hoping, months of planning, weeks of waiting, days of organising and hours of cleaning finally the night has come. This is the night before the flight. Hipster Dufus and I have literally just finished the last few things we needed to complete now. I'm tired, exhausted, and mentally drained. I'm not sure what to feel now, all I know is that it doesn't feel quite real just yet. Every stage has simply been met with a new wave of emotions.

There was the anxiety of having the flat in piles in a corner waiting for the arrival of the removal men (who never actually showed up, they forgot they were supposed to come...) Then there was the numbness from watching strangers pack up your life, and before you know it all your possessions are simply sitting in pile of cardboard boxes. Finally the most daunting one has got to be the feeling of an empty flat. Imagine what you felt when you first moved into your home unfurnished. It's the same feeling but in reverse. Bewilderment. What do I do now? Everything echoes, time drags (this is probably the lack of T.V. or CD player) and your home doesn't feel like yours any more.

Well that was a bit of a rant really! It wouldn't be real if I made it out to be amazing. The prospect of a new city is incredible but what comes before is not so fun. The process hasn't been easy and we haven't received much help from relevant organisations. I was expecting it to be better planned, to go a lot more smoothly especially since this is a regular occurrence. What we found is that no one really cares. Everyone has a job to do and they don't care about what that means for you as the person that has to live this life, everyone is simply out to tick boxes. I have to say that at this point I'm really looking forward to the other side.

Do put baby in the corner

While the removal people busy themselves with packing away my life, I have continued to busy myself with my tour of London. Hipster Dufus and I have been thinking about what the last few tastes of London we should be. I thought that I would be desperate to try out something new, that I'd never done but this just left me with the sense that London is just too big. It made me wonder what else I would be missing out on. Instead what I have loved is going to all our regular hideaways in London.

The Corner Room is definitely one of my parting tips. The affordable option for those interested in the michelin starred Viajante (also in the same building) Corner Room is high end dining with a laid back flair. If you're a foodie the name Nuno Mendes will mean something to you, and if you're not then introduce your palette to the always surprisingly weird but deliciously inventive food that they consistently produce.

To D.I.Y for

So I'm unlikely to give you great tips on a D.I.Y project based on the latest fashion inspiration, but then that was never my goal. I am however very crafty in my own way and my anniversary yesterday got me thinking about the whole of my wedding experiences including the preparation. I'm not going to romanticise it at all. Weddings are a pain in the 'behind' (for lack of a ruder word). I still don't understand how one is expected to plan and organise the most important day of their life without the qualifications of those who have actually trained for it. I'm not speaking of the wedding planner, just an event manager! It's a job people! 

Being crafty what I did enjoy thoroughly was the creative side of it. Dreaming up the theme, searching for inspiration and looking on the internet, vintage stores and second hand shops for the items that would build my wedding. The extra added value was being able to involve friends and family in the process. From helping to set up the venue to creating all of my beautiful flower arrangements. From block printing and hand making my invitations to managing to translate my bridezilla ramblings into beautiful centre pieces, decorations and generally an amazing venue. 

Here are a few pictures that I along with maid of honour Pamela Lathbridge took documenting the hard work needed before the finished product. To see the wedding photos click on the image below. It will take you to RockN'Roll Bride where the wedding was featured. Enjoy!

 Our Wedding

SnapShots

Colour study:

I love exploring themes, colours and textures. Been practicing with my Fujifilm Instax Mini and got "purple".

SnapShots

Whitstable:
On our recent trip away on the one day of sunshine, Paco soaked up the sun.

SnapShots

Polaroid:
Playing around with my new Polaroid 636. The one I wrote about here.

SnapShots

Me and my bestie:

Overexposed and faded out, but you can't deny how much I love my girl x

Instant gratification

After the end of Polaroid I was so upset. I totally missed the boat with Polaroid and got into them rather late, by the time I wanted to invest in one I found out that the Polaroid company had gone bust. Was this genius art form really gone? The man at the specialist camera store laughed at me when I went in inquiring about film. However I had seen rumblings on the internet suggesting that a wealthy Austrian had bought the factory and was planning on bringing back the format. I quickly invested in my SX-70 just in case and was right to do so as my £55 camera soon rose to £300 when the announcement was made that it had been saved. It shows that people's love of vintage can at times be so strong that we can stop the charging train of technology to enjoy the simplest of pleasures. Just like the battle between the vinyl and CD (in which it looks as though vinyl is about to win by the way). Polaroid too is clinging on and refuses to make way to digital photography. With the start of the Impossible Project "polaroid" cameras are making a comeback. They're going to be huge too. I've noticed high street shops selling camera's instore and online for £135, when you can find the same camera in full working order for just £35 on ebay!

The proof? Here's my beautiful limited edition Polaroid 636 Close Up. It came in this great collector's silver tin, inside a silver mini backpack, in full working order for £35. It's truly a one of a kind and doubles up as a little fashion accessory. I can't wait to do a fashion post with it.