I recently picked up a second hand copy of The Family of Man, first published in 1955 for The Museum of Modern Art, New York. I first came across this amazing book in high school, where it was handed to me by a teacher in the hope I would learn and be inspired. I was 15 at the time, and the concept of this book completely escaped me. I looked at the collection of black and white photographs from another era, at the faces of this family I am part of, and it all slipped by me without a second thought. My attention was focused on other “more important” things… like the boys next to me in the darkroom.
Side story: I see so many amazing and talented young photographers these days, there are kids out there who have filled me with inspiration and left me wondering what the hell I was doing at the same age. Oh that’s right, I was skipping class, surfing, working on my tan and pretending there was no time but the right now.
The second time I came across this amazing book, it had my full attention. Six months ago, I jumped on a plane and crossed the Pacific to meet my best friend for the first time. I think it was my first day in Berkeley when Leah placed her favorite photography book in my hands, and we finally sat on the couch together to share our thoughts and inspirations in person. I could say that this book had a profound effect on the way I approached photography from that moment onwards, but that’s not really true. It was Leah’s interpretation of the book, seeing through her eyes and with her inspiration and approach to photography pushing me that was truly effecting. I found myself wandering the streets of San Francisco, and taking photos with a brand new perspective. For the first time, I was really seeing this Family of Man, the women, men and children around me, and turning my lens on them with fresh inspiration.
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Ever since then, this book has held a place in the back of my mind, and finally adding it to my collection has been a much needed reminder of that flood of inspiration six months ago, and of the photography path I’d like to continue down.
It now sits on my bedside table, and I often pick it up before drifting off to sleep. Every time I do, I find something new, an expression, a gaze, a feeling. Here are a few favorites….
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U.S.A Elliott Erwitt, Magnum
U.S.A Paul Himmel
U.S.A Russell Lee
U.S.A Jerry Cooke, Life
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A book for every photographer’s bedside table I think.
Quiet days spent at home are few and far between. Life seems to be pushing on at a crazy pace lately. So when I found myself at home this weekend, with peace and quiet (and a whole lot of house work), it was a nice surprise. Saturday spent hiding from the summer heat and chasing sunbeams is fine by me.
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I finally used the last few shots in my polaroid SX-70, they had been sitting there for quite some time, waiting for the perfect moment. The moment may not have been perfect, but it felt good to shoot just for the love of it.
Hope life is treating you nice… xo
For these posts, I usually choose a particular artist who inspires me, and feature pieces of their work that speak to me in a certain way. Well this time I’d like to rock the boat a little, this week has been a special one, with a celebration of all things Polaroid going down on Flickr. Polaroid Week 09 has just come to a close, and I would like to share some special polaroids by various photographers.
Here are a few of my favorites from the pool, some that had me going back for a second look, some that had me glued to my seat searching the tiny details, and some that just plain blew me away…
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{top to bottom}
1. misty morning, by lawett
2. spectre, by Leah | salome_st_john
3. untitled, by swelly
4. Mildenhall Woods in Time Zero, by jakem
5. sunny, by joie butter
6. cowboy, by mrs. french
7. Polaroid: Trastevere, Rome, by tsillipines
8. 836 ways, by phamalamb
This is just a sample, it was so hard to pick just a few. If you’d like to have a look at some more of my favorites, you can find them here. And the “roid week 09″ pool here.
xox
A few shots from a roll of film shot in a favorite cafe of mine.
It’s a lovely spot for a coffee, but I always end up going home with much more, it happens to be an antique store too.
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Hope the week is treating you kindly, I’m looking forward to more outings like this on the weekend… how about you?
xo
