238/365

things I genuinely love about ava:

appreciates a beautifully, perfectly ripe peach as much as a fresh bag of sour gummy worms
never met a book store (or library) she didn't instantly love
eats her breakfast outside in the morning, even when it's ninety degrees before noon
has covered the walls of her room with thrift store landscape paintings of faraway places and bits and pieces of world maps
laughs with her whole body, eyes squinted shut, tears streaming, just like the women on my mom's side of the family
watches all of the cat videos with me, all of them, tirelessly
is fluent in german and additionally, is currently teaching herself three different languages
never fails to ring her bicycle bell when she pulls into the driveway
once thought she might like to get married at voodoo doughnuts
gets as excited as I do about yard sales and junk shops
wholly understands the profound nature and importance of the old school photobooth
actually reads the books I recommend and then lets me tell her why they're important
knows the names of the stars and the constellations, often wanders outside at night to look at them
loves traveling by train (almost) as much as I do
loves sufjan stevens (almost) as much as I do
is fiercely individualistic and deeply compassionate
is the feminist it took me yeeeears to become
pours her whole self into the art she makes
is always, and I mean always, up for a movie
is always, and I mean always, up for a road trip
is the cool girl I always wanted to be

(happy 19th birthday to my favorite girl in the world and someday when you are reading through this strange little digital document of a sliver of my time here in this world, I hope you find this and I hope it brings you so, so much joy) 

girls on film

new orleans with friends, october 2016. new orleans with friends, I highly recommend it. 

(along with a polaroid land 250 and some fuji FP-3000b, if you can swing it)

(more nola to come, more more more)

//polaroid week///

have yet to find other cameras that make photographs like polaroid cameras do. photographs that feel like what I remember, look like how things feel.

(above selections from fall polaroid week 2017)

everywhere instant

polaroids look and feel like stills from old home movies that play out in my head. I suppose that's why I love them so much.

(selections from polaroid week twenty-seventeen)

(more over at everywhere instant)

polaroid week!

(day one)


(day two)


(day three)


(day four)


(day five)


(day six)

polaroid week was a couple of weeks ago and I just love how everything sort of stops for a sliver of time, for a sliver of people (for instant photography-loving people). admittedly, I hoard all my best polaroids, save them all up for the two different weeks out of the year that polaroid week happens. I sort of love hoarding them. I don't know why.

the entire week's offerings are here and a few of my favorites are here and golly, I was honored to be included in this best-of list over on pryme.

day two, guys. I made it to day two of nablopomo. small victories.

not one thing

hello internet, on this monday afternoon I present you drop-in-the-bucket evidence of a well-loved film--the now discontinued fuji FP 100C.

no matter what happens to the film, at least I have these. and others. and the last two packs sitting in the fridge. and doc's vaguely hopeful travelogue updates over at savepackfilm.net.

and, the experience of holding that beastly polaroid automatic 100 in my hands, the 250 too. of anne teaching me how to load it with film, how to shoot it. the 1, 2, 3 muscle memory pack film cameras require: press the shutter, click the lever, pull. and then the dance that follows: cross your fingers, hold and count. wait for the right moment then slowly peel that gooey, chemical magic apart for the big reveal. the photograph.

there's nothing like it, not one thing in the world like it.

mum's the word

the pull is strong these days, I don't exactly know why. black and white, black and white, black and white. reaching for black and white film more and more.

shhhh, don't tell the colors.

hi

the internet never stops and sometimes I don't know what I'm doing here.

it's an ocean of voices and ideas and sometimes it feels like the most beautiful place in the world and sometimes, the ugliest. turn your back on it for a second, lose sight of things for even one second and it will yank you by your ankles and pull you under. before you even know what is happening. isn't this what it feels like? the internet? sometimes? maybe all of the time.

but whenever I go through the thing where I question why I'm here, I come back to this: I like sharing the photographs and the stories. I really do. inevitably, the online landscape will change again and again but for me, it will always come down to this one very simple, basic idea.

I am not alone in this thinking. there are more of you out there, I know this. we are all still navigating the infinite, voices small but mostly steady, clear and true. the internet never stops but neither do we. and for this, I am thankful.

aka happy week

('roid week summer 2011)


('roid week fall 2010)


('roid week summer 2012)


('roid week fall 2010)


('roid week fall 2010)


('roid week spring 2009)


('roid week fall 2010)

('roid week summer 2013)

'roid week 2014 aka happy week. folks, it's nice to do something normal. 'roid week feels normal. it's nice to throw myself into something like 'roid week and not think about cataclysmic life changes. it's nice. is what I'm sayin.

if you believe in instant film

this is a photograph of ava, taken the day before she turned thirteen.



this is a photograph of a man named ray, taken as a train was passing in cairo, illinois.



this is a photograph of ava and ezra, at the edge of the columbia river in astoria, oregon.

each one of these was taken with a polaroid pack film land camera using the incomparable fuji FP-3000b film. which, sadly, fuji has decided to discontinue. this is no bueno, folks. no bueno at all. this is the film I took with me to kosovo, the film I used in my workshops, it's what I used to take portraits of the high school kids I met there, portraits I left with them to thank them for the time we spent together. this is the film I use in my middle school instant photography classes, the film they shoot with, the film they ooh and aah over as they peel those images apart. this film is a staple. it's the red beans and rice of the instant photography world. and so I won't let it go without a fight.

if you have a minute, please sign this petition to save fuji FP-3000b film. what will a petition do? I don't know. nothing, maybe. but it's something. there has to be something.