Wednesday, December 17, 2014

The London Plane

Finally we were able to pay a visit to The London Plane. On an overcast day, my beau and I got on our bikes and rode along south of the waterfront towards Pioneer Square. I thought I had timed our arrival perfectly to avoid the brunch crowd but ended up missing brunch altogether. The London Plane was between meals and wasn't serving food. The host recommended we check out The Little London Plane just located at the other end of the building and that's where we spent the rest of our afternoon.

Over a glass of wine and charcuterie we watched the beautiful light dance across the room. We also browsed their extensive wine and book selection. I love the idea of carrying books in any place that offers wine, selfishly because I can read while my beau drinks. I was also happy to able to pick up a copy of the latest Cereal Magazine.

Someday soon I'll be back to try brunch and pick up the next Cereal Magazine.


The London Plane The London Plane The London Plane The London Plane The London Plane The London Plane The London Plane
Pioneer Square 
300 & 322 Occidental Ave. S
Seattle, WA 98104

Friday, November 28, 2014

iPhone snapshots of London

A picture heavy post of iPhone photos captured while exploring London... 

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More on London: 

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

London

Looking through my scans I was really disappointed in the lack of photos I took while in London especially since the bulk of our time in Europe was spent there. Thanks to our friend D, our experience in London will always be one I cherish and feel so lucky to have. Despite warnings on the bad food we'd eat, with the help of D, my beau and I lucked out and got to enjoy some really good food.  We also stayed at D's place in Islington, outside of all the major touristy spots and got a feel for being a Londoner.

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Sweet recollection of London:
  • - Staying at D & G's place! I loved the garden and all the natural light. 
  • - Eating at some great local places: Fig & Olive, Selale, and Udderlicious
  • - Reading the Londoners and Four by Three Blog to really get a feel for life in London. 
  • - Most museums are free with the exception of the exhibitions. At the V&A we saw Horst: Photographer of Style and Wedding Dresses.  The British Museum is also a must see. 
  • - Grabbing a drink and checking out the view at Aqua Shard
  • - Spending hours in a bookstore is like heaven to me and I did just that at Daunt Books and Foyles
  • - Taking a break from all the walking and enjoy tea at The Savoy
  • - Attempting to eat Sunday Roast twice in one day. It was that good and reminded me very much of a Thanksgiving meal. 
  • - And because we love food we visited Borough Market to try a little bit of everything. They also have champagne which we sipped on while people watching. 
  • - I'm sure Londoners avoid this street but I didn't! I shopped my heart out at Oxford Street
  • - Riding the bus and using my oyster card was the best way I learned my way around London. The nice thing about the oyster card is it doesn't expire. My beau used his which he bought two years ago.
  • - As much as I enjoyed London we must part and I love that London is a hop skip boat train ride away from Paris and easily accessible to so many other great places. 
"When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford." - Samuel Johnson  As read from the book, Londoners.

Monday, November 10, 2014

The Study of Light

I took a black and white photography class back in spring and as part of a homework assignment we were asked to focus on the lighting in our photographs. Of course I picked to study the light with my favorite subject: peonies. You can see a little behind the scenes in this Instagram photo.

In preparation of this shoot I bought the peonies a week prior which allowed them to fully bloom and open up; almost to the point of the petals beginning to turn into a darker color and dry up. For the background, I wanted to use something different from a traditional seamless white backdrop. I wanted to use something with a subtle texture to add another element the creation/movement of the lighting and settled on a cardboard box. I shot these both on black and white film and digital but wanted to share the digital versions.

I hope these peonies brighten up your Monday.

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Thursday, November 6, 2014

My Cup of Tea

It’s amazing how passion can fuel you. After spending most of September in Europe, my first priority once home, was to get my 20 rolls of film processed. To shoot on film requires patience and love of the artistic medium otherwise you’ll find yourself pulling your hair out. To travel with film can sometimes be frustrating too, if not for me, for those I am traveling with (sorry, Babe). I always have to take into account the time TSA will need to hand check each roll of film and when you’re out and about discovering your surroundings the roll of film typically ends at the worst time such as a geyser shooting water a few feet away from you. So to bring it home safely; I get a little antsy to see it to the end of its creative cycle.

My first day home was spent in the darkroom processing my black and white film. It is so gratifying to be able to fly across the world and capture as much of the experience through each click of the shutter, protect the images to see its way home with me (seriously though, you should see me going through TSA), carefully developing them with my little hands and watching the images appear on the strip of film as I remove it from the reel. That instant of rediscovering those moments is absolutely wonderful!!! Yes, shooting film may be a nuisance at times but the benefits outweigh it. 

The first stop on our trip was London. My beau’s friend, D who lives in London graciously offered us his place to stay and provided us with the best recommendation on places to eat. Of course you can’t go to London without having high tea and he recommended The Savoy. On this day we visited Buckingham Place, walked through St James Park and made our way to The Savoy. Our experience at The Savoy was great; the customer service was exceptional. I was never able to pour my own tea because somehow our waitress would beat me to it. We enjoyed a long afternoon sipping on bottomless tea, eating unlimited pastries and sandwiches while listening to this talented lady play the piano. 

The Savoy The Savoy The Savoy The Savoy The Savoy The Savoy The Savoy The Savoy The Savoy The Savoy The Savoy-10 The Savoy

The Savoy
Strand, Savoy Way, London WC2R
0EU, United Kingdom

Shot on Kodak Tri-x 400. Developed with love by yours truly. Scanned at home.