this was a good week
This was a perfectly lovely week. Here's why:
• Earlier this week, I went to visit my favourite camera store to pick up a few things. Right before I left, on a whim, I asked, "You guys wouldn't happen to have a Polaroid back for a Hasselblad, would you?"
It turns out they had one, stuck in the bottom of the display case. It was used, of course, but at $30, I was hardly going to complain, since they said if it didn't work, I could bring it back (and honestly, I didn't hold much hope, since I was told that decent used ones cost upwards of $100). But, my darlings, it worked. The images above were the first two shots I took with the new Polaroid back on my Hasselblad. I'm thrilled with the quality, and I sense a new obsession coming on.
(I'm also trying to figure out a cool way to display these shots once I take them -- you know, old-school like. Any ideas?)
• I love following photographers on Instagram, because they tend to use the social media site as their journal -- more than as a practice of photography -- so you can get glimpses of their offline lives. This shot, by photographer Charles Dharapak, shows that his job is possibly one of the coolest a photographer can have.
• Speaking of photographers, here are thirty photographers who are actually celebrities, but not for photography. I was aware of Leonard Nimoy and Jeff Bridges, but some of the others were a surprise.
• I've always been a fan of Shawn Achor (I shared his TED talk here), but I was riveted by this recent article he authored about what happened when a hospital was turned into a 5-star hotel (but probably not the way you're thinking). It's a long read, but such a good one.
• This fictional letter written by Baroness Elsa Schraeder about the cancellation of her wedding to Captain von Trapp made me laugh. The Sound of Music for the win.
• It's graduation season, so in the off-chance a school has asked you to deliver a commencement speech, the good folks at NPR have broken down exactly what it takes to make a moving one. (And they should know -- they also recently put together a database of the best commencement speeches since 1774, many with video!)
• It's also summer vacation season, and my 10-year-old, Alex, has a summer project -- her own blog! Please go check it out -- while I did set it up for her (and will be giving her guidance the whole way), the photographs and the content are all her (including the name of the blog, which she explains here). She really would like folks between the ages of 10 and 15 to read it, too -- so if you know of any kind young people that age who are into giving one of their own a bit of support, please feel free to pass the link on to them.
• Celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain, no stranger to world travel, recently shared his tips on how to do it with aplomb. (I particularly loved his last tip).
• And speaking of travel, this weekend I leave for a week-long trip to Costa Rica. While I anticipate having fun, it's not a vacation: I'm accompanying a group of young people from the church I attend, acting as their official photographer. So for the next week, I'll be largely absent from Chookooloonks (unless I pop in to share a photo or two); however, I'll probably share a few more images on my Instagram account (which you can also see on my new Instagram page), so you can keep up with my adventures there. (I'm also a little nervous about the weather -- predicted rain all week -- so pray to the Interesting-Photo-Ops-Nonetheless gods for me, that I still manage to get good images!)
• And finally, for today's song of the day, this new video for JohnnySwim's song, Home. I share it with you for a couple of reasons: 1) as much as I love travel, I know that I'll be thinking of home while I'm gone (it's always tough to be away from Marcus and Alex), and 2) I love this video because it was shot in Galveston, just south of my home in Houston. The beach in Galveston is really nothing to speak of (compared to other beaches around the world), but I love the town so -- it's such a scrappy little place, and this vid really captures Galveston's homey-yet-gritty vibe.
Click here, or on the image below, to watch.
Have a great weekend (and week!), friends. See you when I get back.