Yesterday 3.22.08

Kore
On Mine
Last night was crazy, in a way that reaffirmed my desire to get the hell out of here. This photo has nothing to do with that though, so ill just leave it at that. I took it at Lucky 13, a metal bar a few blocks from my apartment. I think its like a visual manifestation of beer goggles. I love the effect of looking half through the pint glass.
On Her's
I think em takes incredible posed portraits. Charles oozes cool through the frame. Its contrasty and dramatic and I love it. Somehow, em always knows exactly what to tell you to do to make you look fabulous. I especially like how the black of his tattoos looks against the white of his beater.
Em
On Mine
Kore and I used to get bored a lot in NY and take pictures. Not just candid pictures, but silly dressed up, make up-ed pictures. I think everyone does this. But the results were most often surprising and became some of my favorite photographs of mine and hers. I have not had the chance to take pictures like this since I moved from NY, so when Charles said he was fine with me fiddling around and snapping some slightly more posed shots of him I jumped at the chance. I love when he has this slightly 50's era look, the pork pie, beater, studded belt and boot cut cuffed pants over a pair of jump boots. I wanted to create a more timeless feel to this photo while still retaining a bit of a candid look. I suppose the reality also is that I just wanted to take a sexy picture of my boyfriend. I tend to take darker pictures with dramatic lighting when I go through the trouble. I am happy with the result.
On Her's
I think that we both see our boyfriends as these amazingly wonderful, beautiful creatures that should be constantly documented. I remember Bill being slightly hesitant about getting his picture taken when they first started dating. It seems as though this aversion to having his soul stolen has lessened greatly, which is awesome because Karina's pictures of Bill tend to be amazing. I think it's because she tries to capture him how she sees him, in all his wonderfulness.

Home

Kore
On Mine
Home is a tricky subject. The word implies geography, that is to say, a specific place. But home can mean so much. What about those who do not have a specific place to call home? Surely they must feel at home somewhere or with someone. I wrote about this for my Parsons application. For the "Parsons Challenge," applicants had to pick something in their everyday lives that goes unoticed or unappreciated. I chose Home as my theme and wrote about my grandmother shuttling from Latvia to NYC every 6 months, A couple who felt at home with each other, and the plight of being homeless (or feeling at home with yourself). All of these were accompanied by photos, and I was generally pleased with what I sent out. This photo was taken in my kitchen. I've always felt most at home in my kitchen and my bed. Bill came home early from work and brought me pizza and made me coffee. How more at home could I possibly feel?
On Her's
I adore this photo. I loved it even before I realized em's reflection in the window, though that kind of made me love it more. I've always thought blurry photos look like memories. This photo seems like several memories stacked on top of each other. I really enjoy photos that tell a story. If I close my eyes, I can see em stepping into her house, jumping on the couch and laughing. Why can't all our stories have happy endings?
Em
On Mine
The old colloquialism goes "home is where the heart is" right? I am not going to claim that I love my home in any way shape or form, but I do love the things inside of it. The dog, the Charles and the kitties. The only problem is that sometimes I feel as though those things that make me happy and make me comfortable at home are blurred by the frustration I have had with living not only in San Diego but also with the apartment itself. We have had issues with the electricity since January and just now in March they are going to restore full service. I hate my neighbors and I hate my landlord. The contrast of this happy home feeling and the feeling of being trapped behind a pane of glass at the zoo are confusing and lend to the emotion behind this picture.
On Her's
I feel as though I picked this picture for some of the same reasons that she chose mine. I am often on the phone with Kore or talking to her online when Bill comes home and it most definitely puts her in a better warmer mood. There is a feeling of safety when the people and pets you live with are around and happy, when you have warm food and flowers, that really lend to a level of happiness when you are in your house or apartment. I love the smaller details of the picture as much as I like the composition of it, the coffee on the stove, the hung up kitchen wares and of course, the pizza... great now I am hungry.