We’ll call this traffic report the stay-off-social-media-and-spend-time-with-your-family dip™.
I try to take a social media sabbatical each holiday. Better to enjoy and be present in the moment that looking down at my phone.
No Facebook. No Twitter. No Instagram. Just: life.
And thankfully, it looks like a lot of other people behave the same way.
For a long while, black and white photography was all there was. Then came color, and the color film pioneers, and – like the television – most people went that way.
Recently, I started playing around with monochrome, especially with some of the VSCO presets that look decent. I see what others do with black and white, and have the thought: “I should try that too.”
Good artists steal, etc. But really, it just gives me a reason to experiment with a new process. I’ve toyed around with black and white before, but setting out to grab specific B&W images is something new.
When I finally finish with my first roll of black and white film – that’s when things get interesting.
This stuff from ††† (Crosses) is fantastic. As if the last few Deftones album weren’t amazing, Chino gets his techno groove on.
Just pre-ordered the EP collection.
I wasn’t going to play you tonight,
But I can’t help the feeling’s alive.
As long as you play my game,
I’ll let you win.
One of my favs from the One Hour Photos project I did back in September. More to come.
Leslie has such a great look and vibe – a sweetheart and a fun model.
With Daylight Savings Time coming around again, it’s been nice to have a bit of light in the morning. I’d rather trade the darker evenings for a glimpse at dawn.
This one, though, was back before the gloom and ugliness of November took over – when the leaves were just turning, and that beautiful September light made the commute a wonderland.
Honored to have my “Nixon vs. Elvin” VSCOCam photo picked for VSCO’s curated Grid.
Follow me on my own VSCO Grid.
My work commute has kept me entertained for going on three years now.
Every day, the rural scenery is lovely – not matter what season it is. And I always pass things that I think to myself, “I’m going to pull over and grab a shot of that.”
Sometimes it takes months. Sometimes it takes a year or two. But eventually, I pull over and take the photo.
This barbed post, for instance, is something I’ve had my eye on since this summer. Now, with the autumn colors, I felt like it was the perfect time to capture it.
Patience. Weather. Observation. Scenery.
Albion, Michigan is one of those towns that was hit hard by the flight of rust belt industry. One big employer leaves and the whole town gasps.
There’s the college. And a few taverns to grab a bite to eat. A few manufacturers here and there.
But there’s also quite a few of abandoned spots in town – a glimpse at what this place used to look like, not so long ago.
Some of these structures were built to last. Strong brick and wood. It probably means they’ll last for decades.
They’ll probably outlast their original owners.
But others? The paint’s peeling. The wood is splintering. The glass is shattering.
It’s all going to hell, fading in the sun and the seasons.
There’s that old adage about one broken window in a neighborhood can’t be tolerated, or else more will appear. Here, though, people just drive past.
Jesus fading in the window. Boards protecting the inside from the sun’s rays and onlookers’ curiosity.
I don’t see this stuff as ruin porn or a fetishization of the Rust Belt Economy that’s dying (or in some places, dead). For me, it’s cool history.
Some of these places have a story, and lives attached to them. Who were they? What did they do here? How long did they hold out? Where are they now?
About every year, I need a mountain fix. To fly away from our flat-ish peninsula state and land somewhere above sea level.
Luckily, I’ve kept to that pretty consistently. I’ve used mountain states to escape, to reflect – and to drive.
The driving is therapeutic, too. I take in the countryside by mostly driving through it – with little stops along the way to get out and explore.
It’s not my style to stay in any one place for very long while traveling. I hit the highlights and move on to the next thing in fairly rapid succession.
But it’s important to absorb the highlights. Especially with mountain scenery. Soak it all up.
Michigan is a fantastic state. I love living here and traveling here. Seeing the lakes and the woods and the wilderness. Michigan, though, doesn’t have mountains.
Colorado has mountains. Virtually a whole state full of them.
And every once in a while, I get the itch to see them.
(Photos edited with VSCO Film 04.)
What Monopoly’s Boardwalk actually looks like.
Fun photo project, and has me thinking about a project where I revisit my childhood homes and neighborhoods.
(via What The Monopoly Properties Look Like In Real Life « Scouting NY)
KEEP SHELLY IN ATHENS “RECOLLECTION” [DIR. LAMAR+NIK] (by LAMAR+NIK)
Can’t say enough about this song, and this album, by Keep Shelly in Athens.
Got “Recollection” as a freebie on Amazon MP3 a while back, and put September 16 – the day At Home came out – on my calendar as a must-buy. Now I’m gobbling up everything Keep Shelly in Athens does.
For the video, I had always pictured something a little sunnier in my head: clouds and lens flares and Polaroid color schemes. I guess for that you can check out the promo video.
Anyway. This song has been on repeat since August. Glad to see they made a proper video for it.
Nice photo series at Hudson / Hawk Barber Shop in Springfield, Missouri. (via The Lensman: Hudson | Hawk Barber & Shop)
