black and white love

I have some little sewing news to share (not that I’ve actually made something, ahem *must get back to sewing*), but I’ve been kept from taking photos by a nasty cold which had me in bed for days. So until I get that post up, here’s a peek at a new photo series I’m developing.

I like color photos but in my heart I always love black and white best. Especially those that document connection of any kind between people and animals.


I’ve decided to make this a little series which I hope to add to during the year. If you’re interested in following it, I’ve posted some more images on my photo blog and will continue to add and share them on Facebook!

Advertisement

laying low

My 5/52 photo and a perfect mirror of myself these last few weeks. I am really starting to miss the light. It’s been on the news that this past January has been the dullest (in terms of sunlight) in about 50 years. I crave a sunlit afternoon so bad.
Instead, I turn to the next best thing: sleep. Me and the couch and the hot water bottle, we’re close in winter. Come 8pm you’ll find me fast asleep nearly every evening of the week.


So hard to get anything done when you’re sleeping all the time. Some socks, coming along very slowly. A new skirt, waiting for the finishing touches for weeks. Lots and lots of research for the business (exciting stuff in the works this year!).

Planning and dreaming and waiting for the light.

precious #2

These two get me every time. Be still my heart.

Do click on the image to view it bigger!

So loving imperfect black and white lately.

precious

These moments.

I don’t know if anyone can see in these pictures what I see in them. Maybe all everyone will see is some badly lit, grainy everyday pictures.

To me they are utterly beautiful.

For some more clean-cut, colorful easter shots, head over to my photo-blog 🙂

bits and pieces

The hours are running away from me again this week.

I went treasure hunting (a.k.a. thrift store shopping) again yesterday and came home with the car full for about 15€ all in all! I’ll try to be faster in posting my pretty finds this time.

Murphy deciding he likes the soft flannel that came in the mail earlier in the week. I was really lucky to snag one of Jenny’s patterns a few weeks ago, it was sold out in minutes. So far I bought fabric for it and traced the pattern onto vellum paper and hopefully next weekend I will finally get to cutting and sewing and actually taking photos of it all.

Snapped at the barn on wednesday evening. Wednesdays are my hardest days of the week and I usually get to the barn tired, in the dark and the cold. But then, riding my funny little pony (not the one in the picture, that’s his stall mate) and sweeping the floors and filling water buckets I realize how much I need this quiet evening. It’s a special sort of downtime for me in the middle of my fast-paced week. I will always believe that people without animals to care for are missing out big time. It gives so much more than it takes.

no words

for how much I love these two.

embracing

dark clear winter nights.

The biting, icy wind blew away any trace of stress. Though most of it had been good to begin with, it was just what I needed.

grey

Has been the predominant color around here for days. Even more so now that the snow has turned to rain.

I don’t mind it much during the week when I am cooped up in an office anyway. But at the weekend, some little sunshine would be so nice.

Maybe next weekend.

holga city pictures

These Holga shots were taken a couple of weeks ago, but I hadn’t yet gotten around to sharing them here.
Duesseldorf on a summer weekend, at twilight.

It was still hot, around 30°C and the city center and all the promenades along the Rhine were crowded.


All of these are developed and scanned at home, as always.
I’ve found out that the Holga makes for the most wonderful sun flares (because of its awful lens of course). I am loving this shot of my pony (bestest horse there ever was, loving you to bits baby!):

I’ve really got to try to get those sun flares in color shots as well!

holga street photography

Finally, another Holga post! What with starting a full time job I feel I have been neglecting my photography a little. I’ve had the same film in my Holga for several weeks, but I finally got it developed and scanned.
Since I work in the big city now I have been mainly taking city pictures.
These two were taken in my hometown a couple of weeks ago:


There is a lovely old town hall there with a market square attached, where many little café’s have opened up in the last years.
This next one was in front of a little old bakery shop, on my lunch break at work. I saw the little poodle and had to take this picture. Have I mentioned I love poodles? No, really! If they are not shorn to have this ridiculous haircut I think they are adorable and pretty little dogs 🙂

And then the thing happened that was bound to happen when you carry a Holga around loosely in your bag for days: Unnoticed by me it switched to ‘bulb’ exposure (which means the shutter stays open as long as you press it) and the last photos came out blurry and overexposed. Weirdly enough, I kinda like the result, though I’m going to tape the bulb switch from now on and will be retaking the photos soon (luckily, all of these places are right out the door from work as well):



My scanning technique needs some work as well…it’s killing my notebook because the photos are way too big. Any tipps on how to scan? I scan at 4800dpi and don’t let the program do anything in terms of color or exposure adjustment or dust prevention…I prefer to do all that myself in photoshop but it really is too much for my poor notebook.