Artist Feature: Jen Gotch

Jen Gotch takes a damn good photo.
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I love that this set of images capture the essence of Paris without being cliché. What makes Paris so interesting is not really the big monuments, but the little things that Paris is composed of, that make up the city's aesthetic. The way the little round tables and café chairs stand in repetition, how the iron balustrade frames the view from tall windows, and how gritty, urban, and underground the metro is. It's a mix of visuals and feelings, and that's what I love about Paris.



The one below, taken in the Louvre, is immediately recognizable to a viewer who is even remotely familiar with images of Paris; It's the ancient Greek statue called "Winged Victory" that is placed at the axis of a massive room of marble staircases. It's one of the most grand areas of the museum, but the extreme blur makes the photograph unique. The height of the ceiling and buzzing of tourists is conveyed, but through the lens of memory or maybe even "tourist-fatigue" (Seriously, the Louvre is the most exhausting site in Paris).







And last but not least, perhaps my favorite of her Paris set, the Polaroid below. Any depiction of Paris is so easily revered as something so magical and precious. We consume these things up like we're starving, and want to hold on to them with gentle hands as to not damage their beauty. Why is it that anything Parisian becomes a sacred object? This polaroid, at first, gives you that butterfly feeling, because firstly, it's a Polaroid (nostalgia), and secondly, it was taken in Paris. But when you see that absolutely nothing is pictured, you realize that maybe the object itself has less value because of this.

All images of Paris are the same as this Polaroid - actually meaningless and arbitrary material, around which we construct our ideas of Romance and Beauty. It's all in our heads.



She has plenty of other photo sets, not just of Paris. Check out her sites:

Flickr
Website


If you Pin any of these images, make sure her name is in the description!

What catches your attention in these photos the most?



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Beach Camping

This week I went camping in Central California. It was a bit chilly, but so refreshing, relaxing, and fun. I went with five of my best friends (minus a few that I missed terribly). Sometimes the most delicious food comes from cooking over a fire pit in the crisp beach air. You also come up with so many hilarious inside jokes on trips like these. I love my friends so much!

We trekked through Montana de Oro state park. The trail took us along the top of sea cliffs, and then to a beach full of angled rocks to climb and tide pools in which to observe anemones and sea snails. The beach itself was covered in smooth pebbles rather than sand, and my friend Monica and I had fun finding colorful or striped ones, or little shells. It was a beautiful trip. If you're going to be in the area, I would recommend it.
By the way, I took all these with my fujifilm instax, then cropped and edited them digitally. The convey the atmosphere of the surroundings so well. The yellow flowers were blooming, and the hills were covered by a light layer of fog. Even though it's summertime, I was happy to have such cool weather. It was refreshing.

Fujifilm Instax!

I am beyond excited about my Fujifilm Instax! It's like a Polaroid camera, but new, and wide-format! I've had it since Christmas, but FINALLY bought film for it a few weeks ago.

I had been waiting for the perfect moment to use the film, or the perfect subject to capture, but yesterday I realized that any moment can be the perfect moment. So, I whipped that beheamouth of a camera out of its box, inserted the film, got really excited, and then... read the instructions. Anticlimactic, I know. But don't worry, the exciting part is coming.

I had no idea what to take a picture of, so I settled on the Asian paper parasol I've had forever (I don't even remember when I bought the thing), pretty stuff in nature, and my face! "You can never go wrong with paper parasols, nature, and a face," a wise woman somewhere must have said once.

There is nothing like seeing an image develop before your eyes. I literally stood there, holding the developing picture with both hands, really close to my face, mouth open, and eyes wide from anticipation. I'm pretty sure I looked like a crazy person, but fortunately, I was alone in my room and didn't freak anybody out.

Here are the things I learned, things that may help you in your Instax futures:

{ONE}
When your heart rate jumps to 500 beats per second because you're about to take your first instant film picture and you don't want to screw it up, realize that the first click of the button only yields a black sheet of boring plastic whose only function is to cover up the film before use. Don't fall prey to the bitter disappointment that plagued me at that very moment - now you know.

{TWO}
When in doubt, use the flash. I was hoping that my first try at Instax artistry (you only get 10 attempts per film pack) would be perfection, but like anything else in life, it didn't go according to plan. When the source of light is coming from behind your subject, with no source of light in front of your subject, use the flash, or you will end up with a frustratingly dark and useless photo that you can't re-take.

{THREE}
When you're really close to your subject, the viewfinder is extremely misleading. It looks like the subject is in the middle, when it's really in the top, far-left corner, and basically doesn't exist. Position the subject in the bottom right corner, no matter how wrong and contrary to logic it feels. The camera comes with a little attachment that is supposed to help you line up the shot correctly, but I failed - miserably. This one isn't too bad, but definitely not in the center.


And those are my tips! Hopefully they help, if you have the camera, or decide to get one.

I'm really wanting to visit Portland, Oregon this summer, and I think taking this camera along would make for some really cool travel/road trip type photos. Hoping it works out!

Favorite Things - French Films

Instead of going to bed at a decent hour, I started listening to the sweet, jazzy voice of Nikki Yanofsky, and as I hummed along, I started thinking of Paris. As naturally follows such ponderings, I constructed playlist of french-themed songs for your listening pleasure, which you should listen to while you read the rest of this post! You won't regret it.

Today I'm going to talk about some of my favorite films, that is, my top four absolute favorite french or french-themed movies. Not only are they my favorite french films, they are some of my favorite films of all time.


This playlist will get you into the french mood:




{ONE}
Paris, Je T'aime. This means: Paris, I love you, in French. To summarize, it is a collaborative work of many directors, who each created a short segment about love, in one of the most romantic cities in the world: Paris. However, not all of the shorts deal with romantic love; They branch into all sorts and types of love. It is such a beautiful film! Every time I watch it, I have a moment of pure peace and contentedness as the closing credits roll. It is a must-watch. If you see it for no other reason, see it because Natalie Portman and Elijah Wood are in it.




{TWO}
Amélie, or the full title: Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain. The words I can use to describe this movie are: magical and quirky. Amelie has the most endearing personality, and her development from a timid girl to a brave woman ends up inspiring me to be more spontaneous and confident every single time I watch it. On top of the fantastic story line, every single camera shot is like a work of art, if you pause the film at any given moment, at any point in the film, you will have before you a perfectly composed and colored still image. The makers of this film used three dominant colors, next time/when you watch it, notice the colors (HINT: They're in the movie poster).




{THREE}
French Kiss. I know what you're thinking. You're probably thinking that this movie poster looks old and lame. But I'm here to tell you: This movie is fantastic! Yes, it is a romantic comedy, and yes, it stars Meg Ryan, but the simple fact that something might be considered cliche doesn't automatically negate its merit! Take my word for it, and give this movie a shot. It's funny, it's charming, Meg Ryan is a goofball, and Kevin Kline makes a very entertaining pessimistic french man.




{FOUR}
Midnight in Paris. By now, you've probably all heard something about this movie. It's been receiving a ton of attention lately, and for good reasons. I enjoyed watching this film immensely, because it's not your typical "go-back-in-time" flick. It's a smart and funny look into the past. It gives life to artists and writers that I had only read about in school. It sheds new light on an era that can seem so boring on paper. See it!



Do you know of some other French movies? Tell me about them in the comments :)