When I studied abroad in Japan my American friends nicknamed me "paparazzi hentai." The name quickly passed on to our Japanese friends as well as people began to notice a camera was permanently glued to my hand. It was a dream just to be in Japan and I wanted to capture every minute of it that I could. I was predominantly using a simple Canon Powershot, but occasionally brought out my father's old Pentax. No one was really safe from my lens; I loved snapping candid portraits of friends and strangers. While there I found a camera charm necklace at one store; it seemed like the perfect souvenir for my trip. Of course I was on a rather tight student budget then and the price seemed a bit out of my range, so I visited the store several times, pawing at it before I finally bought it. I wore it quite a bit for several years before it broke one day, so now the pieces sit in the bottom of an old jewelry box--unwearable but I'm not ready to dispose it of yet. So, I was rather pleased when I spied this very similar necklace. It brought back a lot of pleasant memories and stirred up my wanderlust.
Outfit details:
vintage dress
Some days it feels as if we skipped past spring and fell into summer's arms. But the humidity isn't as oppressive it will become and the trees are only beginning to bloom. How fun it is to cross a field and notice new tiny buds among the green patches of clover and grass. I'm eager to shed my layers, but it's early yet--spring is a fickle creature.
For as many photographs as I capture in nature, I'm not much of an outdoors person (as my wardrobe should attest). I do enjoy being outside, but I get annoyed with bug bites, sunburns, and lack the motivation for most hikes. Still, it's hard to imagine living so far away from a patch of wilderness to not be able to immerse myself in. It's even a common theme in my favorite poems, novels, and movies: the peace and solace a quiet meadow walk might offer. Perhaps I too find my "wasted spirits renewed" after a short time outside in the evening, as Wordsworth said. I might be moving to a city this spring and it makes my solitary moments by the James River even more cherished.
This sweater reminds me of Charlie Brown comics, which is always a positive association. Cartoon prints really are happening in so many collections right now, so perhaps the next interpretation is merely to dress like your favorite cartoon character? Minnie Mouse is already quite popular in that regard. Anyway, just a rather simple outfit for a rainy day. We're having a warm front lately--I'm so excited to see the trees begin to bloom.
Certain things take up residence in my bed--current books, my camera, far too often my car keys disappear beneath blankets, and favorite accessories. This hat has been added to the list; whenever I start to feel a chill I put it on and wear it around my house. I often forget it's on my head, which usually leads to interesting interactions with people as I keep wondering why they keep looking above my head...
It's interesting to walk down the empty, narrow halls of an abandoned train breathing in the stale air and wondering about its lives past and current. What was it like when it was in use--busy, noisy, crowded? What other strange souls visit it now? The walls are peppered with graffiti tags and the floor is littered with bottles. I always wonder if one evening I'll stumble across another curious spirit who wandered out here to explore a decaying past.
I carry the ocean home with me; a small dune of sand collecting in my purses and shoes, broken shells filling my pockets. The ocean is vast, the sands are countless for every subtraction we make its beauty and size is undiminished. With every visit to the shore there's still so much left to take away with you...
I always feel there's this funny sort of contradiction in the blogs I like the best. So many girls who wear almost exclusively vintage and scan their 35mm film photographs full of dust and grain--yet here they are typing away, plugged into their computers, so thoroughly modern even in their love for antiquity. They seem to live in a golden-sun filled haze of sleepy cats and steaming tea, yet they share these snippets through pixelated screens. That combination of nostalgia and modernity always amuses me; it's quite like the contradiction of so many shy, introverts (like myself) who share a piece of themselves quite publicly online.
Typically I'm rounded toe and chunky heel sort of girl; I like the aesthetic and the sense of security in a thicker heel. But Rochas pre-fall got under my skin a bit and when I saw 
Many of my afternoons feel rather poised in suspense; I check my watch, look out the window, and try to divine the perfect moment to grab my tripod, camera, mittens and go. Every day is a little different--the moment of sunset changes, where I'd like to wander varies, and how cold my hands will get is in constant flux. There are other commitments and things to do, but thoughts of sunset always preoccupy my mind in the last hours before. Even if my venture is short it's nice to escape outside for a little while everyday and the golden light at a day's end is my favorite to see and photograph.
