tiny abstraction

january week three: instagram photo a day

2012-01-26T10:29:00.000-08:00

15. happiness

16. morning

17. water

18. something you bought

19. sweet

20. someone you love

21. reflection

one more week to go. happy thursday, friends.

more days

2012-01-24T10:43:00.000-08:00

8. Your sky

9. Daily routine

10. Childhood

11. Where you sleep

12. Close up

13. In your bag

14. Something you're reading

week two of the instagram january photo a day challenge.

one a day

2012-01-09T19:43:00.000-08:00

for the month of january, i'm playing along with the photo a day challenge on instagram. it's been fun so far and i'm enjoying capturing the little moments of my day. it's been too long since i've picked up a real camera, sadly. here are my photos from the first 7 days. if you'd like to follow me on instagram, my username is tinyabstraction.

1. you 2. your breakfast 3. something you adore 4. letterbox 5. something you wore 6. makes you smile 7. favorite

4

2011-12-15T07:43:00.000-08:00

4 years ago today, I married the love of my life. 10 years before that, we fell in love. Happy anniversary to my favorite person and my best friend.

lost lake

2011-09-07T10:43:00.000-07:00

i've been enjoying the beauty of oregon during these last few weeks of summer. lush green forests and fresh air, skipping stones through cool water. sipping beers with loved ones and laughing far too much about silly things. these images were from lost lake, a beautiful and peaceful place up a windy road just near hood river. we couldn't have asked for better weather.

oregon coast

2011-09-02T07:56:00.000-07:00

There's nothing quite like the sea air to bring a smile to your face. Enchanted by the calmness of the ocean, the serene atmosphere gave me space to breathe and reflect. The highlight of my summer, for sure.

california sunshine

2011-08-24T06:34:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we spent some time in California. I saw my dear friend get married, ate some amazing food, and spent some much needed time by the sea. Soaking up the Los Angeles sunshine was good for my soul indeed.

at home

2011-08-22T20:24:00.001-07:00

i've been enjoying spending time at home lately. quiet, peaceful moments bathed in lovely sunlight.

recently on instagram

2011-08-22T11:16:00.000-07:00

some random shots of my life lately, via instagram. i've been shooting a bit of film lately too, hope to share some images with you soon.

it seems as if summer's only just begun, and yet i can sense fall's return in the morning air—a bit too soon if you ask me. although, the light this time of year is just gorgeous.

happy monday, folks.

polaroid week

2011-07-11T19:43:00.000-07:00

if you're on flickr, you probably know it's polaroid week. these are my submissions for day one (it's my first 'roid week ever). i'm blown away by the amazing images submitted by seasoned polaroid pros—please do go check out the awesomeness here.

polaroid land camera 100, fuji fp-100c

a tiny cousin

2011-07-05T16:53:00.001-07:00

i took some photos of my baby cousin recently, isn't he cute?

hope you all had a nice 4th, i'm recuperating from a cold and off to have dinner with friends.

happy tuesday, folks.

enchanted

2011-06-24T09:37:00.000-07:00

this past weekend, i went with an amazing group of photographers to the enchanted forest in salem, oregon. the weather was not super conducive to great photo making but i had such a fun time riding the frightening ice mountain bobsled, going through the not-scary-at-all haunted house, and wreaking havoc with bumper cars. it was fun to be 5 years old again. :)

be on the lookout for more enchanted images on flickr from the rest of the crew: annie | dave | whitney | vanessa | bree | summer | liz (some of these folks might be saving their images for polaroid week, so stay tuned.)

pentax k1000, ektar 100

summer blooms

2011-06-21T21:47:00.001-07:00

a few weekends ago, jeremy and i spent the afternoon with his parents, perusing schreiner's iris gardens in salem, oregon. it was a little bit like walking through a monet painting. very pretty, soft, and colorful. my favorite part was the crazy names of all the flowers, i should have written some of them down (spice lord is a good one though).

pentax k1000, ektar 100

number 29: summer jamz 2011

2011-06-19T22:08:00.000-07:00

not much going on here today, but i wanted to share my little 90s mix with you (number 29 on the list!). i had so much fun putting it together, and every time i listen to it i'm instantly transported back to my youth. hope you enjoy it as much as i do! check it out here.

p.s. happy father's day to all the dads out there. hope you had a great one.

33: a list

2011-06-08T12:00:00.000-07:00

today, i'm 33. i'm celebrating by taking the day off from work, doing hot yoga, spending time in nature, and eating dinner at pok pok.

here are 33 things i'd like to accomplish before i turn 34.

1. meditate every day
2. ~~spend time near the sea~~
3. get my hands on a medium format camera
4. eat more fruit
5. sew a tova top
6. make cheese
7. ~~paint my kitchen~~decided not to paint
8. throw a tiny party
9. find the perfect sideboard for my living room
10. drink less alcohol
11. finish knitting my larch cardigan
12. ~~go camping~~
13. make homemade yogurt (buy yogurt maker)
14. try the bar method
15. ~~spend less~~ using a budget!
16. ~~have more photo adventures~~
17. ~~go to the dentist~~
18. ~~read bossypants by tina fey~~
19. learn how to pickle and can veggies
20. ~~try px680 film from the impossible project~~
21. attend a weekend retreat
22. listen to more music
23. ~~work on a personal design project~~in progress
24. run 3-5 times a week
25. run another 10k
26. take a photography workshop
27. make homemade popsicles
28. ~~organize my negatives~~
29. ~~make a 90's jam mix (bel biv devoe anyone?)~~-done! listen here.
30. take a knitting class
31. ~~learn how to cook a sichuan meal~~-made mapo tofu!
32. be kinder and more patient
33. ~~hang art in our apartment~~

now i'm off to enjoy my day!

seattle pt 2

2011-06-07T06:50:00.000-07:00

more images from our seattle trip.

highlights:
-staying at the maxwell hotel (inexpensive, super classy, and free pineapple cupcakes!)
-randomly stumbling across a dueling piano bar. seriously. dueling pianos.
-eating at delancey (number 5 on my list) the pizza and salad are so good!
-checking out the nirvana exhibit at emp (made me totally nostalgic for my grunge days ;)

it was really nice to get away.

pentax k1000, ektar 100

weekend in seattle

2011-06-05T11:02:00.000-07:00

we spent memorial day weekend up in seattle. the weather was nice. it was great to get away. a few images from pike place market. more to come.

p.s. i scanned these images from prints, does anyone else do that? i'm not good at scanning from negatives, and haven't found photo labs to be better at scanning either. how do you scan your images?

pentax k1000, ektar 100

words to shoot by

2011-05-09T12:20:00.000-07:00

i've recently been invited to be a regular contributor at words to shoot by. if you haven't seen this project before, check it out. this week's word is tree—i love seeing all the different interpretations.

these shots were taken with my holga at laurelhurst park (set at 16 shots instead of 12, hence the overlap).

tulips in spring

2011-05-01T12:07:00.001-07:00

after a long, dreary winter i know spring is in sight when the tulips begin to bloom. it's a sign that gives me hope and melts off my winter depression (does anyone else get this?). my friend vanessa and i were lucky to spend the day together at the wooden shoe tulip festival last weekend where the seemingly neverending rows of tulips warmed my heart.

pentax k1000, ektar 100 + fuji pro h; yashica t4, ektar 100

happy friday

2011-04-29T08:41:00.000-07:00

it's friday, and that means the weekend is nearly here! this should be a good one.

i'm looking forward to:

a french dinner party (ooh la la!)
a un-holiday party/pub crawl
getting some things done around the house
a little knitting and relaxing

hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

image from a little photo walk with a friend. kodak nc 120, holga

cables for claire

2011-04-18T19:31:00.000-07:00

a hat for a dear girl who takes lovely photographs. making this cabled hat was such a joy. i love the yarn (shepard's wool from stonehedge fiber mill), may just have to make one for myself.

a garden

2011-03-27T15:40:00.000-07:00

a little early spring walk at leach botanical garden to soothe the soul. nothing quite blooming yet but refreshing nonetheless.

fuji sensia 400 (not too sure about this film)—pentax k1000

japan

2011-03-11T15:43:00.000-08:00

sad news about the tsunami in japan. sending good thoughts to my favorite place in the world. if you want to help, you can make a donation to the red cross.

photo is from a trip to tokyo, november 2006.

weekend

2011-03-05T11:28:00.000-08:00

it's the weekend and i'm getting off to a slow start. getting some errands out of the way, and looking forward to some major relaxation. hope you have a nice weekend.

images from a recent drinking chocolate adventure. kodak vc 400—yashica t4 super

snow day

2011-03-04T07:25:00.000-08:00

we had snow for half a day last week. i miss it already.

kodak vc 400—yashica t4 super

happy friday

2011-01-21T07:49:00.000-08:00

happy friday, all. here are some images i took from a recent trip to rejuvenation hardware here in portland, such an interesting store. makes me wish i had a house. i like the way black and white film captures the light.

this weekend, i'm hoping to:

take some photos with a friend
work on some more knitting
go on a run (or two)

hope you enjoy your weekend.

january

2011-01-17T17:14:00.001-08:00

january is a quiet month. i've taken to hibernating with my knitting needles, and my camera has been set aside, waiting for light to return. it's so dark here during the pacific northwest winter. i'm constantly on the lookout for a sparkle, a shimmering ray, but i find none. photo above taken with my iphone (lazy me, i know). how do you stay inspired in the winter?

tonight, i'll:

+ attempt to run on the treadmill for at least 30 minutes. i've been so lazy lately and i need to get geared up for the shamrock run.

+ spend quality time with my knitting project (top secret until i finish it and send the finished piece on its merry way).

+ crack open the kitchen diaries. i've been meaning to pick this up for awhile, and remembered when i read this post on his & hers.

hope you're having a pleasant monday.

lovebirds: marc & michelle

2010-11-22T20:45:00.000-08:00

Last month I had the pleasure of photographing the wedding of my cousin Marcus and his lovely (now) wife Michelle at the Marriott on the Portland Waterfront. They are obviously so in love, it was a complete joy to share in their special day. I wish them many years of happiness. Here are a few of my favorite images, hope you enjoy them.

A special thanks goes to Vanessa Morrow (check out her pretty blog) for tagging along as my second shooter.

hawaii part 3

2010-11-14T20:25:00.000-08:00

one of my favorite places we visited in hawaii was the byodo-in buddhist temple in kaneohe, a replica of a temple built over 900 years ago in uji, japan. a lovely place that made my heart smile.

i have a few more posts from our hawaii trip to share, sometime soon.

thanks for stopping by.

hawaii part 2

2010-11-11T18:56:00.000-08:00

here are a few images from a botanical garden we went to in kaneohe. i loved seeing a giant staghorn fern growing out of a tree (sad to find mine half dead when i got home from the trip). there are so many lush and beautiful plants in hawaii, i truly enjoyed seeing them all.

hawaii, part 1

2010-11-10T23:38:00.000-08:00

this past week, i was lucky to spend several days in oahu, hawaii to attend my dear friends' wedding. it was a much-needed vacation—i truly enjoyed soaking up the sun's rays, and will try to remember the warmth and sunshine through this cold winter. i had a blast swimming in the ocean (my first time ever!), and spending time with friends drinking too many piña coladas. i loved playing dress up with all the cute sundresses my fashionable friend beth loaned me for the trip (apparently you can't buy summer clothes in winter). i also managed to finish knitting a hat for jeremy on the flight to hawaii and back.

here are a few images from the trip. more to come later.

neighborhood walk

2010-10-30T10:08:00.001-07:00

these are some images from my new holga (couldn't resist buying my own after borrowing a friend's). there's something so lovely about shooting with the holga, the uniqueness of each shot, the colors, the surprise when you pick up the roll (don't forget to take off the lens cap!). i do believe it's my new favorite toy.

i'm excited to say i'm officially on vacation, heading to a warmer climate. hopefully i'll have some nice images to share with you when i return.

have a good week, friends.

stopping by

2010-10-14T22:32:00.000-07:00

stopping by to say hello.

been pretty busy lately (nothing new there), working, planning, thinking, preparing. good things are happening, but i'm definitely looking forward to doing some relaxing in the next few weeks. i've been feeling discouraged when i pick up my camera lately, so i'm trying to shoot as much as possible to overcome that feeling. this image of my friend amy is one of my favorite shots from my first roll with a borrowed holga, from a photo adventure (it's been two years since our first meetup) with the ladies of fern hill. i'll share more images on flickr soon.

a wedding

2010-09-05T09:57:00.000-07:00

i had the joy and honor of tagging along as a second shooter (a.k.a. the icing on the cake) for a lovely couple's wedding for capture photography with the lovely miss kelly goode). kathleen and matt's wedding was great—the marriage took place in a church, followed by pints at double mountain brewery, and a gorgeous reception with a perfect view of mt. hood. these are a few of my favorite shots from that day (you can see kelly's shots of the wedding here.

a hike to dry creek

2010-08-30T21:43:00.000-07:00

summer's slowly slipping away (was it really ever here?), and i'm loving the little glimpse into fall (my favorite season) we've been having. such nice crisp, clean air and cool nights. i can't wait to curl up on the sofa, knit, and drink cup after cup of hot tea.

photos from our hike to dry creek falls.

newport

2010-08-01T12:53:00.000-07:00

some pictures from a recent day trip to the coast. it was windy and refreshing, hard to believe it had been two years since my last beach trip. really need to work on that fear of driving on the curvy highway thing. (getting closer, still scary but i did it!)

hope you're all having a nice weekend.

a tranquil place

2010-07-01T23:44:00.000-07:00

some images from a recent trip of mine to the lovely japanese gardens here in portland. such a peaceful place, it always makes me smile and brings me back to the moment. see here for more photos.

i spy

2010-06-13T14:14:00.000-07:00

recently, i've been thinking about how i rarely photograph other people. most of my pictures are of my surroundings, my food, or other daily life stuff. so, i've been trying to take more photos of actual human beings. these three photos make me laugh, all taken within the last month or two. i feel like i'm sneaking up on my subject, too uncomfortable to ask them to turn around.

my sundays are for lovers book arrived this weekend. it looks so lovely, i can't wait to see what's inside.

a list

2010-06-06T15:30:00.000-07:00

hi there. it's been awhile, hasn't it?

i turned 32 this week. it's hard to believe it's been a year since the last list. this year, i'm really focusing on simplifying my life. so this year, my list is short and i like it that way.

1. take a photography workshop at newspace
2. spend a day at the coast {done, july 10}
3. join a zen center {done, june 9}
4. make homemade yogurt {done, august 7}
5. eat pizza at delancey
6. try sashiko embroidery
7. find the perfect bag {done}
8. complete a letterpress project {done, july 25}
9. have dinner at syun {done, december 30}
13. organize my tiny bedroom closet {perpetually working on this one}
14. save $100 a month {doing!}
16. practice taking better portraits {trying}
17. go on a camping trip
18. meet with a financial advisor
19. master the red velvet cake
20. volunteer

winter moments in spring

2010-04-04T09:45:00.000-07:00

looking out my window, i see bright pink cherry blossoms and a grey damp sky. it's a confusing time of year. the sun wants to come out to play, yet the temperature refuses to rise and i'm still bundled up in my warm sweaters and cozy slippers. i'm so ready for the nice weather. i'm hoping these images will be the last of the wintry bunch for this year.

some things i've been enjoying this weekend:
hannah has a point
i'd love a photo adventure day like this one
a funny / cute post about cereal

tuesday

2010-03-23T20:29:00.000-07:00

things have been quiet around here, i know. things have been rather hectic lately. do you ever feel that time passes too quickly? what do you do to slow things down?

march is turning out to be a beautiful month, full of foggy mornings and afternoon sun breaks. i'm hoping for a sunny weekend so i can spend more time outside with my camera. i'm having a little love affair with film again, it seems.

today, i'm enjoying:

tommy's photography
this uplifting post
&
pretty, relaxed clothes at coton.

i hope you're all doing well, my friends.

on the mend

2010-02-27T19:27:00.000-08:00

this week taught me a lesson—i need to take a chill pill. seriously. a tweaked shoulder from too much stress and tension put me on a bit of self-induced bed rest this weekend and in a way, it's a good thing. reading, taking things slowly, and trying to take better care of myself. i heard a book title somewhere recently, something along the lines of "stop living life like it's an emergency". the book looked cheesy but the idea is there.

gorge

2009-12-07T18:03:00.000-08:00

on a recent trip to the gorge, it was cold, wet, and beautiful. everything had a kind of warming glow and the air was crisp and refreshing. a quick peek inside the gift shop at the falls was all that was needed to warm up.