I’m currently in what seems to be a very slow process of  re-doing the gallery wall in our bedroom.  I just could not stomach the mis-matched (and scratched up) frames that were originally hung, and the art didn’t seem to jive all-together. I want all the frames to be a single color so it doesn’t seem so scattered, and I plan on replacing some of the art that is currently up there.

While I re-work the frames, and the layout on the wall, I’m on the hunt for some cool prints.  In our bedroom, we have various shades of blue, grey, and teal, and I want to bring these colors into the art in the gallery wall, keeping with a moodier, cool color palette.  Nothing too happy, bright, or playful.

I toyed with the idea of all black and white prints or photographs, but I think that might be a bit too boring unless I did the frames all gold – an idea which Kris wasn’t loving. I think he could love it after it was done, but I think I abused the gold a bit in our last apartment, so I’m going to initially try a more understated route with the frames.  I think I’m going to do all grey frames and if it’s too boring down the line, perhaps gold… or even navy might be fun.

Inspiration started with this first print, and kind of snowballed from there……..

So my question for all of you… is all the moody ocean photography too much together?  There are a few prints we have hanging right now that I do love by Claire Elsaesser that these would coordinate with, but I’m worried that more than one will be overkill?  Should I stick with one?  Do you have a favorite?

Thoughts?

You may have noticed that the quality of the photos I’ve been posting have been pretty lack luster… it’s because I’ve been using my iPhone for everything since our vacation (not to hate on the iPhone camera… it’s actually not bad).  On our trip to Cabo, Kris dropped our DSLR camera at the airport, and while the actual camera is fine (thank god) we found the lens in a million little pieces when we took the lens cap off.  Sad!!

Since then, I’ve been on the hunt for a new one, but as many people with these kinds of cameras know, the lens is the most expensive part!  A good lens will run well into the thousands of dollars, but for what I’m looking for, that won’t be necessary.

Basically, I want a lens that takes great shots up close.  So I can document my projects, our life, and take wonderful photos of family and friends.  I was so sad not to be able to bring the camera to my mom’s birthday!

I’m determined to find a good replacement that is a moderate upgrade from our original lens, so I’ve been reading a lot of reviews online.  If anyone else has ever tried to research technical gadgets online (phones, TVs, cameras, lenses) you know how confusing it can be.  There are a lot of resources – some better than others – but even the best end up throwing around super technical terms that are intimidating and unhelpful for us non-savvy photo takers, but one of my favorite bloggers Emily Clark, featured a guest post on lenses recently, and it was SO helpful!

For me, being able to read simple advice from a trusted source (a professional photographer, on a blog I read daily) means more than any CNET editor’s review, so obviously I paid attention!

The recommendation was to go with the Cannon EF 50mm f1.8 ii lens.  Gibberish people!  I have no clue what this lens is!! Luckily, Google has all the answers a girl could ever want, so from there I was able to solidify my decision.  I checked out the Google Images for this lens, and of course came across a ton of pictures that people had taken with it!  Boom.

What else do I love about this lens?? It’s cheap inexpensive – well… inexpensive as far as lenses go.  It’s $104 on Amazon right now, so in comparison to several thousand (or even several hundred) it feels like an absolute steal!

Now that I’ve found the portraiture lens I want, it’s time to start researching wider angle lenses – any recommendations??

Has anyone else tried StumbleUpon?  For those of you who haven’t, it’s basically a service you download (for free), and when you press the “stumble button” your browser loads a new page of totally random, cool content.

This is how I discovered Irina Werning’s Photography – specifically her Back to the Future series.  Her work is odd (after browsing through the rest of her site), but this series is kind of genius, and I could not stop scrolling through the photos.  In this collection, she recreates a moment in time from the past – down to the location, lighting, and people who were originally in the photographs.  It is absolutely fascinating…

I took the liberty of naming a few of my favorites… I especially love Portrait Session 🙂

Hula Dancers

Prim and Proper

Dumbfounded

Never too young for Porno

First Day of School

Skateboarding

Portrait Session

Late Night Bus Ride

I have a total obsession with balloons.

I once saw this wedding show (I think it used to be on TLC) where a couple’s friends planned a wedding for them in 24 hours with the help of a wedding coordinator.  I distinctly remember the wedding planner vetoing the use of balloons, saying that they were tacky, cheap, and meant exclusively for children’s birthday parties.

I could not DISAGREE more!  I think that balloons are charming, whimsical, and just plan fun!  Take that TLC!  This photo is so simple and I am in love!

Enjoy the rest of the wedding / engagement photo’s I’ve pulled together that involve balloons.
xo

Kind of amazing… right?!?!