Friday, June 19, 2009

IPhone Fashion Editorial, Part Four, Magazine




Days of Heaven, Terrence Malick, 1978

I had the idea to do an iPhone photoshoot before CameraBag's recent update and introduction of the new filter called Magazine. It was like they heard my prayers and made it just for me. The first thing that came to mind was one of my favorite films Days of Heaven. The Magazine filter imbues everything with that warm sepia glow of dusktime, especially in late Summer. I feel like I just touched the tip of the iceburg on this one and will definitely be playing around with it more. Hopefully in some fields of wheat in front of a house out of The Hawkline Monster.


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What's your favorite filter? I would really love to hear. And if you have an iPhone but don't currently have the CameraBag app, it is currently on sale for $1.99. I promise you it will be the best $1.99 app you have ever purchased. And if you don't have an iPhone, there is still hope--there is a desktop version in the works. You can sign up to be notified once it's out.

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IPhone Fashion Editorial, Part Three, Pola






Oh dreamy nostalgic polaroid photos. I think the filter gets it just right (the frame dimensions are different but that doesn't bother me). Certain photos are gonna just ask for this one. You'll know.

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IPhone Fashion Editorial, Part Two, Helga







Those of you who know me, know that I am a big Holga fan. When my Canon was stolen last year I was bummed but mostly relieved that my beloved hunk-a-plastic Holga, which had taken most of my favorite photos, was safe and sound. I know it was only worth $30 or so, but I have had it for so long I had become a bit superstitious about it and worried that a replacement wouldn't have the same familiar light leaks.

Well, the CameraBag Helga filter is a little too clean and predictable to perfectly match the look of Holgas but I love it nonetheless. In fact, I think, all in all, it is my favorite of the filters. I like the vignetting and somehow the photos look both saturated and desaturated at the same time. How can that be? Magic, I tell you.

Just for kicks I have included a few of my real Holgas just for comparison below. Which reminds me to ask, CameraBag, any chance of a Black and White Holga filter for the next update?

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Thursday, June 18, 2009

Quick Change Artist


For several years I have been having a ball dyeing clothes but always with very poor results. I mean a few things have come out OK but mostly things are streaky and fade like crazy whether or not I do it in the wash machine or on the stove top. It's still fun but my experiments in dyeing were always kept for throwaway clothes that were already stained or slips and nightgowns, things I wouldn't wear out in public.

But last Winter all of that changed for me when I purchased a few packs of iDye from my local fabric store Bolt. This stuff is magical and has opened up a brand new world to me. It comes in many, many colors--good colors. I have used 4 of them so far and loved them all and found them to be true to the packet swatch. And I no longer have to pass up garments that have a perfect cut or style for me just because the color is wrong.

Beige looks good unless you have beige skin like me but how cute would this skirt be in a nice
dark russet?
Have you ever dyed something that was cotton or wool, a natural fiber, and it came out okay but the thread didn't take the dye which looks okay for OshKosh overalls but not so great on your vintage cocktail dress? That's because the thread is likely synthetic or at least wrapped in a synthetic. Well iDye makes coordinating natural and synthetic dyes. You have to go through the process twice but you can get a uniform look. Oh, the possibilities...

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Friday, June 12, 2009

IPhone Fashion Editorial, Part One, 1962















All photos straight out of the iPhone, touched only with the magical, mystical CameraBag. These shots are all transformed with the 1962 filter. Next up, Helga, Pola, and Magazine.

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Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Box and Flea


I love a brown parcel wrapped in twine

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Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Me And My Camera Bag

Move over Holga, Lomo, and Polaroid, I have a new camera in my bag. I am a longtime fan of toy cameras and vintage cameras--I have 8 of them and most of my alltime favorite photos have come out of my trusty Holga. I usually shoot digital when I'm shooting the online catalog for Le Train Bleu using vintage photoshop actions to subtly approximate a vintage look. But let me tell you about my NEW love: the Camera Bag iPhone App. It allows you to use transform your iPhone photos with a number of different arty filters.

The cameras:
Helga - A square-format toy camera with washed-out highlights and old-school vignetting.
1974 - This is your father's camera. Faded, tinted, and hip.
Lolo - Shoot from the hip and take life as it comes with vibrant, colorful shots.
Cinema - Dramatic, moody, wide-screen stills from the movie of your life.
1962 - Dynamic black and whites from the photojournalists of a bygone era.
Mono - Smooth gradation from black to white.
Infrared - Simulation of the popular landscape photography technique.
Fisheye - Popular fish eye lens effect - try it in combination with other filters.
Magazine-Emulates a common photographic effect used in fashion photo shoots.


Here are some of my Camera Bag photos. The first batch below shows some views of the Le Train Bleu studio.



Magazine Filter--This filter just came out and is amazing and magical. My new favorite. I love the contrast and desaturation.

Magazine Filter--the view from my desk
Magazine Filter showing the new Un dress from Church+State

A "Helga" shot of Mugsy. Doesn't he look like somebody pushed him on stage and he doesn't know his lines?

A Helga of the new Dix dress that I posted to Twitter yesterday. That's the other great thing about Camera Bag--when you're on the go you can use it to include photos with your tweets.

A "Lolo" shot of the giant Jessie Whipple poster. This is printed on gold paper and the eyes glow in the dark.

I think this is a "Helga" but I know it is the Mug of Mugsy.

A Lolo (check out the wild, vivid colors) and view of the Foxy Wall which was wallpapered with leftover Fox Masks from the Pattern People designed Flora and Fauna show we did with Kimberly Baker.


This next group if from a Sunday drive to Sauvie Island where I was scouting locations for a personal photoshoot.
A "Magazine" shot of an old train.

Another Magazine shot. Creepy roadside restaurant on the old highway. Peeling paint. Beautiful old door hardware.


This is a Magazine shot of a loop trail on the island that takes you through some fields, trees, and past a couple ponds. Prime bird watching, if you're into that, which I am.

Magazine shot of an old gnarled tree on the beach.

Matty being walked by Dutch. Another Magazine.

I really love the convenience of my iPhone camera and have been using it to record my garden through it's stages of growth.

A Lolo of my garden this morning including my newly planted ebay Brugmansia in the terracotta. Grow Brug, grow!

And a Helga of my prized Steroidal Giant which is just getting started. It already has 6 leaves to the 3 you see here.


An "Instant" of the first bouquet of roses of the season.
Another instant of the Lula top that Julia of Manisse made for me. Thank you Julia, you're the sweetest and I love the top.


Okay, just a few more random ones just to show you how spontaneous and fun this app can be.

It was Jen's birthday and she made up a new drink to commemorate the occasion: the Gummy Bear Sunrise. The gummy bears at the bottom get the weirdest crunchy, bubbly texture. A Lolo, but you probably guessed that.
And while we're on gummies, I took this shot today using Lolo. They are gummy eggs and the label isn't in Englsih but thankfully they translated the important info for us in big bold letters: "NATURAL IS BEST"

And in closing a couple shots of the very cinematic Dutch, the Boston Terrier. La Nouvelle Vague.


1962

1962 Again

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Friday, May 22, 2009

Read And Weep, Out Of Towners

It's a long weekend, the kick-off to Summer, and I hope you all get a chance to spend time with family and reconnect with friends who you haven't seen as much as you'd like to over the Winter. My weekend will include: blanket in the grass, pickled cucumber sandwich, some Malian guitar music, and Kir in the afternoon.

If you are lucky enough to be in Portland this weekend I would also like to recommend a few things to do in town.

You have just over a week left to see the Beneath The Surface print show at Nemo, curated by dear friends and Le Train Bleu collaborators Pattern People.
Opening Night Reception

Anna Giertz

Kustaa Saksi

Katrin Wiens

Pattern People

I would also like to recommend a visit to my favorite Portland boutique Una. The New York Times just ran an article on Portland (AGAIN, sheesh...and thanks!), and they named this as a spot to hit. I would also recommend it to any visitor who likes fashion, antiques, jewelry, the beautiful life.

This might surprise people to hear but I'm boutique phobic (one of the reasons I love shopping online). However, Giovanna the owner of Una is so charming and at the same time laid back that I find myself "popping in" to her shop and then turn into the dinner guest who hasn't left even after the hosts are in their pj's brushing their teeth and taking the recycling out. Oh, and she sells amazing stuff, always amazing stuff. She has some new deliveries that have just arrived AND an awesome sale going on. P.S. if you don't live in Portland, sniff sniff, you can visit the Una Blog and if you see anything you'd like to order just email or call and they can ship it to you.

Album di Famiglia
J. Dauphin Road Runner Bracelet

What else should you do? Go to the sale at my other favorite boutique in town, Narcisse. They carry the exquisite brand Noa Noa from Denmark.
Oh and seeing those beets and leeks reminds me to remind you to hit the farmers market. I had my fist ever Oregon Truffle purchased there last week. They are pretty and smell like Pecorino and were shaved thinly into a moutwatering potato gratin.

Friday, May 1, 2009

Beneath the Surface Show Opens Tonight





BENEATH THE SURFACE: FLORA, FANTASY & FABLE IN SURFACE DESIGN

MAY 1ST THROUGH MAY 31ST


FRIDAY MAY 1ST - OPENING RECEPTION 6 to 10PM

Music provided by Spencer Product


NEMO HQ

1875 SE Belmont

Portland, Oregon


BENEATH THE SURFACE is curated by surface design studio, Pattern People, and highlights the work of influential, contemporary surface designers through the mediums of wallpaper, prints, and 3-dimensional objects. The work presented demonstrates how patterns can give dimension to an otherwise flat surface and create a world that pulls in the viewer. Focusing on escapist and fantastical themes, the exhibit features utopian landscapes, folkloric fables, and interpretations of magical inner journeys.

The exhibit includes designers from the U.S, Japan, Finland, Germany, Sweden, and the U.K:

  • Anna Giertz
  • Chelsea Heffner
  • Dan Funderburgh
  • Deanne Cheuk
  • Eno Henze
  • George Moskal
  • Joanna Bean
  • Jo Hamilton
  • Katrin Wiens
  • Kinpro
  • Kustaa Saksi
  • Laundry Studio
  • Linn Olofsdotter
  • Marc Curtis
  • Michael Leon
  • Mike Perry
  • Nama Rococo
  • Osmose
  • Pattern People
  • Timorous Beasties

For show details visit: www.patternpeople.com/beneath_the_surface

For more information on Nemo HQ, visit: www.nemohq.com







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Monday, April 27, 2009

Treats for Tweets!

HEAR US TWEET, GET A TREAT: Follow us on Twitter. Look for Le Train Bleu or go straight to our page.

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