A Deep Hole

Last weekend Hipster Dufus insisted on heading over to the 9/11 memorial. There's a museum there so I was in. It was a beautiful sunny day which of course meant that it was incredibly cold. I was not happy to be confronted with passport security. I mean all of it, plastic trays, x-ray scanners and taking off the shoes and coats etc. Not cool (I understand why, but not cool). However when we arrived inside we realized that the museum is not opened yet and there's really no sign as to when it will be open. With only the memorial to take in i thought i'd be disappointed but actually I really liked it. It's a really calming space, the running water/waterfall adding to the tranquility of the space. And I love that they didn't put anything on top of the original site. I think it's quite poignant that where the buildings stood now fall into an abyss (you can't see the bottom from any angle).

To ge these photos I used the trusty Hipstamatic App. Everyone should have this trusty little app, which operates to some degree like a real camera. You can select different films or lenses and you're more or less guaranteed a fantastic shot. I used this app to take all my honeymoon photos because I didn't want to worry about bad, uninteresting pictures. It's amazing what you can do with it too if you know how to use the lense/film. Just take a look at their new magazine Snap. All the photos in this free e-zine are taken using the app. Get creating guys.

Playing in the shadows

It's so cold here at the moment, that it makes going out to explore incredibly difficult. The only good thing about winter here is the sunshine. I have to say that I'll take this cold over the gloomy overcast days of London any day. Resisting the urge to crawl into a ball to hibernate for the season is hard enough. But if you feel like no matter how wrapped up you are, the wind and rain will bitch-slap you in the face and their cousin humidity will seep into your clothing penetrating your bones. It all just starts to feels a little desperate. Don't get me wrong all this beautiful sunshine comes at a price, it's bitterly cold. Kissed by the ice queen herself cold. To go out is to have a plan, an end point preferably indoors with a tea/coffee at the end of it.

Needless to say that I'm currently suffering from inspiration for photography as I alway want to be indoors. I have however tried to use the sunshine to my benefit by experimenting with light. All the lovely professional photographers I know have always told me that learning to control light and how it affects your photos is very important. So here are my attempts, from the shadows on the buildings to the  shadows in my home.

Lobster & Brooklyn

Yesterday we ventured out to Red Hook in Brooklyn. Hipster Dufus had a burst of inspiration and hogged the Canon AE-1 all afternoon so I was left with only my iPhone. It was such a wonderfully visual place that I didn't want to not take any photos however the iPhone camera made it look so stark and harsh. I decided that I needed to edit my photos to reflect the feel of the area. First I tried my trusty Camera+ app but I wanted a more natural effect so I used the VSCO Cam app instead. Here is an example of how I edited this photo.

Here is the original and the VSCO Cam version side by side. As you can see the VSCO Cam has a warm dreamy quality. It adds depth and a graininess to the photos that completely belies their smartphone origin. I haven't used this app very much so I'm sure I haven't done it very well but its features allow you to add qualities like grain, saturation and enhancing colors. I love it! Check out their website and get some inspiration for other worldliness iPhone photos. 

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As for my opinion of Red Hook? Well it was an interesting place. Little bursts of creativity nestled far between each other linked with abandoned buildings and derelict streets. Which made for a beautiful photography setting, with inspiration everywhere. We walked around and went into little jewelry stores and little coffee shops, however pride place in my stomach was reserved for the Red Hook Lobster Pound. For dessert we had some Key Lime Pie from Steve's Authentic Key Lime Pie. I'm telling you, when you come to New York do venture out and have some as it is totally worth it. There wasn't enough to keep us entertained for an entire day, but I definitely think a lovely Saturday morning or afternoon can be had and then added on to other plans.  

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.

Missing in action...

So I have been absent since Hipster Dufus went away for his first posting in Moscow. I really wanted to be able to find the time to sit at the computer and write however the reality is that life takes over. This has been a good thing for me, it has allowed me to re-evaluate what I want to do here and has made me realise what I do well, what I want to write about and most importantly what I want to cut out.

I have to remember that when we leave London in T - 1 month this will be my main point of contact with a lot of people, so the shift into postcard like posts is on it's way. It will be a way of letting my friends know what we're up to and how we're coping and of course it'll become a city review.

So, what have I been up to? First I have been practising with photography a lot!I love it! It's great fun and so rewarding. My favourite photography tool at the moment is the iPhone. Once you know which apps to use, and how to use them it can become such a powerful photography tool. The benefit of the iPhone is that if you forget your camera you always have it on you so you never have to miss a moment. Look at all of the shots below I have posted pictures before and after editing all with the camera + app.

I have also been busy visiting Hipster Dufus in Russia. First I got to go to Moscow (all the picture below were taken on the iPhone). It's one of those places that you don't necessarily have a desire to go to but also realise that you probably should say that you have seen at least once.I had a fantastic time although I really think it helps to have someone who know the city and better still someone who can speak the language. It's not really set up to welcome tourists and you really feel it as soon as you arrive. It's also ridiculously expensive so be sure to save before you go. It really is a city for the rich...

Finally I got to see St Petersburg. This was much more fun and accessible than Moscow. Being a museum professional I had always wanted to see the Hermitage collection so it was a defining moment for me (geek alert!) Again all of my photos below were taken on my iPhone. It was a beautiful place to explore if only the Russian manners could keep up with the beauty of the city.