Valerie Caddell (2 of 13)

Here's the latest edit from Valerie Caddell's calendar shoot:

Completed Cabled Tam!!!

I started on this on Wednesday evening and finished it tonight.

I used a pattern from the Fall/Winter 2008 issue of Knit.1 magazine, but used acrylic yarn instead of the CRAZY expensive hand-spun wool that the pattern recommended. I love my new hat- the gorgeous crimson color, the complicated-looking cables, and the enormity of the darn thing. I didn't really think it was going to be a huge as it turned out and first thought that I made a mistake,  but I measured it and I did it correctly- it just happens to be big enough to conceal my schnauzer if need be.

Here is the hat:

Here is how big the hat actually is:

SEND HELP.

I cannot stop knitting. Absolutely cannot. And I am spreading the addiction to others, like Maile and Lauren.  I want to knit these mermaid fingerless gloves soon, but with black yarn. Joel shot these on Wednesday. That's Maile in the background. She is also knitting.

I wish my demons were that pretty...

Photoshoot with Valeria Caddell (assisted by Amanda Watts.)

She's making a calendar for her marine boyfriend and commissioned me to shoot all of her photos. They are supposed to be silly and cheesy. 

Here's my favorite edit so far!

We did the shoot in my room, but you'd never know it...

© 2009 Katherine Gehl Donovan

the economy is so bad...

...that even the magazine "The Economist" seems to be having a rough time, as it appears as if they've laid off some of their graphic designers. The cover of this week's print edition really bothered my eyes at the newsstand.

 

It just seems as if Obama is placed WAY too low, and the shot is cropped at an awkward place at the neck. They couldn't have tightened up that layout a bit? Why are the featured topics double spaced? Why isn't the title of the magazine just a bit higher, so they could scoot Obama up a bit? Unfortunately, this image is without the barcode and price listings (I'm pretty sure that's what they are) that are on all of the newsstand copies, so you're missing out on what really bugged me. So, imagine what it what look like, looking at the placement of the text below Georgie's hand, if all of that text was on top of the President Elect's freaking chin:

And not only that, but the text was much higher up than it is on this cover. 

They either need a shot of Obama that isn't as tightly cropped or they need to tighten up other aspects of their layout.

I'm a snob. Sue me.

explanation

So, I was listening to Pandora Radio yesterday (it was my "Mellow Electronic" station, pooled from the Postal Service, Junior Boys, Hot Chip, and the like) when I happened across Mike Milosh. I loved his music immediately and investigated him further. I found his photography blog and enjoyed that just as much. I shot him an email:

"So, I first happened upon your music via Pandora's radio. My ears perked up as soon as I heard "It's Over", so I looked you up and then found your photography blog, which was just as impressive. I love your emotive female portraits, especially. I am a photographer and a musician, too, and I feel like both endeavors fight for my full attention. How do you balance it out, I wonder? It's nice to see someone succeeding in both areas.

Thank you for sharing your artwork, both visual and musical."

I didn't expect a response, but I received one, only hours later. And it floored me:

"Interesting question. Basically the balance is that I just can't always be making music, I have to intentionally slow myself down, that way ideas mature, you take more time on the details make things more complex. Photography is the perfect alternative for me because it is so immediate. It just takes the time that I actually shoot and a little post but even that is really immediate, I don't think about shots for days on end. I love the contrast with it and the more time consuming act of composing, writing and recording music. I am a very visual person and I think it's no secret that I love shooting women, their faces and bodies. There is something so satisfying to me about capturing something rather subtle but alluring about someone I am visually drawn to. Also it is a beautiful outlet for a specific side of my sexuality."

!!!

!!1!!1!!!!

He articulated something I've been struggling to explain ever since my interest in photography developed.

If I'm not producing something, I get antsy and feel stagnant artistically. Photography is the perfect outlet for me- not only because of the immediacy of producing something the moment the shutter clicks, but because I can spend time editing them later in Photoshop. If I'm feeling anxious and unproductive, I find myself going through my most recent photoshoots for photos that I love whose tones I want to tweak until I get it just the way I like it, satisfying my need to produce.

However, since music was my first interest, with the introduction of photography in the mix, I've been feeling guilty for not balancing the passions properly, when really, my idea of "balance" didn't really apply to those activities because they are so different in their processes. I can't churn out music as quickly as I can churn out photos, is all. I've been struggling with this ever since I fell in love with photography. I knew that it never had to be a battle between one passion or the other, really, but his explanation just tied a bow around the whole thing.

I feel relieved.

Thank you.

ffffound

If you are a visual artist, photographer, painter, graphic designer, or if you plain just like looking at pretty things, you need to go to this site: http://www.ffffound.com

Simply, it's an image bookmarking site whose members submit images with proper identifying tags, which are used to bring you images similar in style, subject, color, or...something. I'm assuming this is how it works, as the membership is invitation only (though anyone can browse through all of the images.)

Anyways, this has been a GOLDMINE and...a problem, because there are just too many things that I like! I go from one image to the next to the next to the next, let alone all of the links to the home of the original image, which is usually either the artist's site (which gives you even more to look at) or it's a blog dedicated to the discovery and sharing of pretty things (hence, even more to explore.)

So, upon discovering the site, I got lost on ffffound.com (oh you know I know about my stupid pun) for about three hours before I had to force myself to get off of the internet so I could finally poop. 

See? The site was so great, the importance of my own bowel movement was diminished.

Here are a couple of gems that I ffffound:

I love how wide this shot is...the composition is perfect, as is the focus, and the beautiful tones just seal the deal (for me.) 

By Fogke.

When I can afford to get another tattoo, I want to commission this artist to design it for me. You NEED to check out his flickr site...I love his style and his use of maritime and folksy subjects.

By Evan B. Harris.

Lauren

Here are some recent portraits that I shot of my favorite Pole, Lauren. She could outsmile the cheshire cat.

She also made these FANTASTICALLY CUTE hamburger cookies for the vegetarian she is dating, which made my YEAR when I saw them in all of their glory. (BUN SEEDS!!) She shot a picture of them, and I won't be a photo nerd even though her composition and focus is fantastic.

you stopped me and said hello.

Every normal person I know wrinkles their nose at the stench of stale beer. It's an odor reminiscent of alleyways, college parties, and of general squalor.

When that scent reaches my nose, I welcome it. Rather than turn away and find something else to sniff, I breathe it in and I cautiously think of him. No flood of memories, here, for I built a dam to ensure that. I can't have an uncontrolled onslaught of memories of you, as that is far too dangerous. 

It would be far easier if you hadn't shown any semblance of owning a heart or conscience. There's just enough good in you that someone can potentially "overlook" the bad. My inherent disposition to excuse inexcusable behavior in exchange for a harmonious relationship is far from under control, so while I'm grappling with that issue, I've found it necessary to build certain defenses. Which include keeping a certain set of memories readily available for when the need arises to chide my insensible heart. But usually one word reminders do the trick. Like alcoholic. Or asshole.

Still, even with these defenses in place, the temptation to bypass them is a strong one. I remember twirling with you, laughing as our poor coordination brought us to the ground, knocking over our glasses and pausing our dance to sop up the mess. When I reached for my pile of clothes on the floor in the morning, I could smell what we failed to clean up. It didn't seem too pressing at the time, as those were not our first glasses of the night, and you had started much earlier than I. As a result, your room always smelled faintly of old booze, though it didn't just come from the site of our spill. I wondered how many drinks had found their way to the ground during your nights alone, but didn't think about the implications of such behavior, and instead joined you with another bottle that I would think eventually led to our demise, when really it was when you stopped me and said hello.