dana

March 30, 2014 in freelensing, portraits

first try at film

March 25, 2014

I bought a medium format film camera off of ebay, having never shot film in my life, and decided to just dive in. The look of film makes me feel something deep, and shooting with it makes me a much more thoughtful photographer, since I only have a handful of shots per roll (and it's ridiculously expensive).

Unfortunately, this camera is manual focus and viewed through a tiny, dark prism finder, which has led to an enormous amount of blurry pictures. Or maybe I am just freaking blind. I don't know. These are some of the only shots, out of three rolls, that were not completely out of focus. Really frustrating! I have a feeling I will be selling this baby in the future for something with auto focus. I'm just not sure I have the eyesight or patience to master it. We'll see.

Anyway, want to know the raddest part of this experiment? I do not have to edit my images. What the whaaaaat?! These are straight outta the camera and scanned thoughtfully by Indie Film Lab. Booooom!!

Mamiya 645 Pro TL, Ektar 100, Scans by Indie Film Lab

Mamiya 645 Pro TL,  TRI-X 400, Ektar 100,  Scans by Indie Film Lab — Mamiya 645 Pro TL, TRI-X 400, Ektar 100, Scans by Indie Film Lab

March 22, 2014

... found a new home ...

March 14, 2014 in personal

... today in childhood ...

March 12, 2014

.. these quiet, frozen mornings ..

March 04, 2014

.. Sean ..

March 02, 2014

I come from a really creative family and when I get the chance I love to hang out and listen to my younger brother make all kinds of gorgeous music. He is usually behind his guitar but just recently started singing and recording in his bedroom studio.

A couple things about him:

He has Becker Muscular Dystrophy and kicks its ass everyday.

And also, he cries when he laughs. A full on torrent streaming down his face. It's so completely awesome.

Sean Wallace: https://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Joyful-Noise/177268295627504

.. the girl and the goat ..

February 23, 2014

.. Interview with Hannah Stoney | Paper-cut Artist ..

February 13, 2014 in portraits

I love when I get the chance to meet someone for the first time and they are totally real, and vulnerable, and just all around lovely. That was my meeting with Hannah Stoney ( http://thethinks.com/). And starting off a photo session with tea and biscuits? Booom!

How did this all start for you?

I have been making art, with intention, for about ten years, but things really accelerated for me a lot last year and it went from being more of a hobby to a career.

This steely determination came over me and I really challenged myself to up my game. I started investing far more time and energy into each piece I made; making large scale works that were full of intricate and careful detail. And I also really tried to sharpen my drawing skills -- I practiced consistently all year long and closely studied the work of illustrators I really admire.

What places or things inspire you?

I normally have these seasonal moods or tones that become really important to me and either represent something I'm longing for or something I'm thinking about a lot or feeling. It's a bit of an abstract answer (!) but to give you an idea -- last summer it was all about the forest and the nighttime, Gothic tones, Victorian theatre sets, lepidoptera and taxidermy. Another year I was really into super heroes and everything was really bright and graphic-y. Like a lomo on acid. Crystal? Ha.

Then I have ongoing motifs like birds in flight (an obsession of mine) and the sea.

What types of tools do you use in your work?

Pencils and pens (microns normally, if you're curious) and of course my exacto knife and self-healing cutting mat. Most of my paper-cuts are made using kids' art roll from Ikea. It's lovely and cushiony to cut and it's an ivory hue which I enjoy.

I really find it difficult balancing being a Mom and being an artist. How do you find time to do what you love while juggling life and kids?

Yes, that's definitely a tough one. I have two little boys. When the first one was younger I used to work around him quite a lot but he's more of an introvert and so we rubbed along quite nicely.

My second child is much more sociable though and I came to realise that it wasn't fair to them to be half-distracted all the time and so I work every nap time and for a couple of hours most evenings. If I have a big show coming up, I'll even try to get up an hour before them to get some work done.

I once read a tip from a writer and mother that really helped me -- she said she always leaves her desk after a work session having set up what she is going to work on next. I do the same -- I have a very tight schedule because when your hours are so limited, you don't really get the time to stare out of the window and wend your way into projects. I miss those times in a way but I ain't half productive these days!