Erin shoots film

Why do you shoot film, Erin?

I started shooting film about two and a half years ago because my now fiancé, who is a complete photography geek, had two film cameras and I wanted to learn how after seeing the lovely results that film produced in comparison to digital. He surprised me with my own film camera for my birthday shortly thereafter.

The main reason I love film is because there’s something about it that just makes you slow down and really pause to be in the moment. Shooting film somehow has become a metaphor for the way I’d like to live my life- finding something in each moment, waiting and taking my time to try to get something right, and letting myself be consumed with the present moment. Also, is there anything better than that satisfying click when you finally decide to shoot? Probably, but it’s certainly a good one!

There’s also something about having to wait to see your images. I am very slow with each roll so by the time I get them it’s like opening a time capsule. Suddenly I’m flooded with memories of crouching and waiting for the sun to fill the flowers in my father’s garden or how my glasses kept fogging over when it was so cold but I so badly wanted to get that shot of the red berries shining in the orange glow of the sunset. Film, for me, is such a powerful vehicle for memories.

You can see more of Erin's film photos in this set on Flickr.

everyday stories, week 8

Monday February 21
office, Indre Arna

Tuesday February 22
on my way to the office, Bergen

Wednesday February 23
at an ex-colleague's place, Ytre Arna

Thursday February 24
home, Bergen | on my way to the office, Bergen

Friday February 25
home, Bergen

Saturday February 26
home, Bergen

Sunday February 27
home, Bergen

PS: Click on each photo to view them bigger.

look what I found!

This week we have seen it all, weather wise. 14 C below, bright sunlight and blue skies, bare dry streets, 10 cm of fresh snow, heavy rain and wind, +10 C and not a sight of snow in the garden, and then snow again. It's been fun.

Yesterday was one of those mild, no snow days. I actually did a tiny bit of gardening; I cut down the dead irises. (Here they are in full bloom.) It felt like spring - especially when I found these little guys in one of the flower beds. It's coming, you know. In a couple of days it's actually the first day of spring. It will be time to close the winter set on Flickr and open the spring set. Are you ready for it?

everyday stories outtakes

Everyday stories outtakes from week 3 in January. I'm collecting the outtakes in the my everyday life 2011 set on Flickr.

things I like today

All the fresh snow from yesterday was washed away by rain during the night. The streets are once again bare. This Friday is grey, wet and windy. I need some fresh flowers to brighten my day.

- this (via Hanne)
- A very Bergen birthday
- back to the future photo project (via A Cup of Jo)
- There's No Place Like Here: Hindsvik short film
- tiny.k (via Door Sixteen)
- the house (via tiny.k) - Kat Heyes writes this blog, she has been feature in my why do you shoot film? series a year ago | I love her Happy Campers book
- Lorena's latest photobook
- this and this photo by my friend Trine, with whom I'm doing this so far secret project mentioned earlier (the vernissage and official launch has been moved from April 1st till April 2nd)

By the way, I don't know if you know this, but I'm a very organized girl. All the photos in my Flickr photostream is organized in sets and all my blog posts have labels - you can see them all in the sidebar. For example if you are curious about all the posts I have done on my home, click the label "my home". All the posts from the mountain cabin are labeled "the mountain cabin", my musings about the weather and life are labeled "life" and all the posts that are like this one, with lots of links, are labeled "things I like today". Feel free to explore the Hei Astrid archives :-)

- - -

Edited to add another thing I like today
- Wrist Worms galore

hay bed linen

I normally prefer bed linen that is white, but this one from Hay is cute (via Fine Ting og Sjokolade). Even though it's not the right shade of yellow ;-)

colorful dots

I like this poster by Hvass & Hannibal (via Siggelicious). It reminds me of Damien Hirst's Spots.

our garden

Kodak Portra 160vc, May 2010

Sølve planted some flower seeds with the help of our nieces. The seeds were old and there were no flowers.


Kodak Ektar 100, June 2010

Sølve in a very familiar situation; walking around in the garden, talking work on the phone.


Fuji Pro 160S, June 2010

We wanted to save the tulip and daffodil bulbs for the next season. Unfortunately most of them rotted so we had to throw them away.


A little while ago Great BB wrote this comment:

Hi Astrid,
I love reading your blog and I have had a visit to your Flickr pictures as well... I wonder whether (with spring coming) you might consider doing a post focussing on your lovely garden and the flowers in it? There was a photo of it all in full bloom with alliums and lots of lovely English cottage garden type plants... what do you think? Love G

I think this is a great idea for a post. As I have mentioned before, I don't love gardening, but ever since we moved in here and got our first garden in the autumn of 2005, I have grown to like it more and more every season. We have done quite a lot of improvements during the five years we have lived here. We are quite happy with how the garden looks now, but we still have a few projects planned.

Since I don't have any new photos to show you, except the three above, I will not do an extensive garden post now. Once the first seedlings peek out from the soil, I'm sure I will blog more about my garden again. In the meantime you can check the garden posts in the archives - with the label "my garden" and the photos in "our garden" set on Flickr. Enjoy!

6 pm dusk

the view from our kitchen window

This photo was taken just a few minutes ago; a few minutes passed 6 pm. It's not yet dark! Days are slowly getting lighter and longer. Have you noticed?

Marion shoots film

Why do you shoot film, Marion?

I shoot with my beloved daddy's vintage Canon AE1 that I named Georges, daddy bought it for my birth and gave it to me just a year ago. Therefore, everything with him is like a big adventure, we went to Switzerland, Berlin, Paris. We mostly shoot colour film but we both have a big big crush on black and white. This self portrait above was taken with an Ilford HP5.

It's truly fantastic to have a kind of companion that is following me everywhere. We love to remember the small details and the simple things of life. I've been testing some expired slide films lately and the result was pretty funky.

Shooting with analogic is such magical, you shoot, take the roll to the lab, forget a little bit what you did and then, you discover again what you did. I like the impatience you can feel, the expectations, and the hapinness or the decpetion that results. A little bit like it is for love...

You can see more of Marion's film shots on her blog and portfolio.

everyday stories, week 7

Monday February 14
office, Indre Arna

Tuesday February 15
office, Verftet | on my way to the office, Bergen

Wednesday February 16
work, Blomsterdalen | office, Verftet

Thursday February 17
home, Bergen

Friday February 18
home, Bergen

Saturday February 19
home, Bergen

Sunday February 20
home, Bergen | Sunday stroll, Isdalen

PS: Click on each photo to view them bigger.

solbriller på*

I feel like I've become a master of seeing beauty in different tones of grey and brown lately. Today has been super sunny for a change, and it was a welcome relief. We have just had a nice Sunday stroll, soaking in the bright winter rays. It felt great.

*Solbriller på is the title of Bergen artist Lars Vaular's song, meaning wearing sunglasses.

puzzle board

I love wooden cutting boards. This one is a winner. From Dutch OOOMS.

The Puzzleboard by OOOMS can be used in more ways than one: each board can be used on its own as a cutting board or serving plate, or put some boards together and you have super-sized your workspace. It’s ideal for cutting those long baguettes! But the best thing is that any wineglass can be fitted into the blank spot of a board. Using the boards at parties allows guests to enjoy both wine & delicacies, while still having one hand free to greet other friends.

friday bliss

Friday February 4 outtake

Tonight: Home alone, cointreau on ice, sofa and a movie. How about you?

random

Kodak Portra 160vc, Canon EOS 500N


Kodak Portra 160vc, Canon EOS 500N


Kodak Portra 400nc, Minolta SRT 101


Fuji Superia X-tra 800, Minolta SRT 101


Fuji Superia X-tra 800, Minolta SRT 101

Random things shot with film on our homemade dining table. I haven't shot much film lately. I miss it. I am shooting a lot of digital though and I like it.

I like this

Cool contrast! Via Hindsvik.

caught in traffic?

I like these London Traffic mugs from British People Will Always Need Plates (via Dwell 11/2010). Check out the site for lots of other cool stuff.

I love your blog

Another glimpse of my new film project, also mentioned here.

Sweet Jenna gave me a "I love your blog" prize the other day. Thanks a lot, Jenna!

The rules of the prize are:
- do an entry with the prize
- answer the questions
- give the prize to 10 blogs

1. Why did you create the blog?

I started Hei Astrid on June 11, 2007 and in the first post I wrote: “A few people have encouraged me to start this blogging journey.” I met those people on Flickr, which since I joined in May 2005, evolved to become like a blog to me until I finally started a real blog.

2. What kind of blogs do you follow?

I follow personal blogs that focus on photography, home and design blogs, food blogs and a few fashion/style blogs. See the sidebar for details.

3. Favorite makeup brand?

I don’t wear a lot of makeup, but the brand that I have most products from is Yves Saint Laurent.

4. Favorite clothing brand?

If I like a piece of clothing, it doesn’t matter that much which brand it is. That said, I often find things I like at H&M, Tiger of Sweden, Filippa K, DAY Birger et Mikkelsen and Hoss Intropia. In New York I visited J. Crew, Banana Republic and Uniqlo for the first time, and I found a lot of nice things there.

5. Your indispensable makeup product?

Any kind of lip balm + Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat highlighter

6. Your favorite color?

It depends on where I’m going to use the color. For my clothes I think my favorite is different shades of grey, for the walls in my home white is my favorite, for flowers my favorites are shades of red and pink, and for the sky my favorite is blue.

7. Your perfume?

Ralph Lauren “Romance” (I have used it for years)

8. Your favorite film?

It’s hard to choose just one, so here are a few that I really enjoyed (there are more in the sidebar list): Be Kind Rewind, Garden State, Little Miss Sunshine, Juno, Kick-Ass, The Men Who Stare at Goats, Pulp Fiction, The Dark Knight, Cinema Paradiso and Casablanca.

9. What country would you like to visit and why?

Right now I would like to go island hopping in the Caribbean because I could need some lazy beach days, snorkeling and good food.

10. Make the last question and answer it to yourself: Will you ever join Twitter?

I’m not sure. I haven’t felt like it so far. I think blogging and Flickr is enough for me.

- - -

I give the prize to the following blogs that I love (some of them I have followed for a long time, some of them are new to me):

1 Hilda Grahnat (found via Ingvild)
2 Mammadamen
3 UNA.dos.tres
4 Fjeldborg
5 Unruly Things
6 l'antipodeuse
7 be a good girl
8 lingered upon
9 fine ting og sjokolade
10 that's just it photo

Jeanine shoots film

Why do you shoot film, Jeanine?

My tendency, when I use a DSLR, is to shoot at will and with abandon. Whereas with film, I am forced to slow down and think before pressing the shutter. I appreciate that analog requires a certain amount of discipline. A more conscious and intentional approach to photography.

The anticipation of getting a roll of film developed. Information travels so quickly these days that we are barely ever asked to wait for anything, which leaves little room for surprises. And though I can be the world’s most impatient woman, I do love a good surprise. I like the thrill of picking up a roll of film at the print shop after waiting for a full 36 exposures (which sometimes takes weeks to shoot) to see what the photos look like. For example, in the shot above, I had no idea that I'd captured this stranger's smile. I only noticed when I got the photos back.

The sound! Have I told you about the sound? And how there is no better sound in the world than the shutter releasing on a Pentax K1000 and the clicking as you advance the film? Swoon.

I rarely ever post process my film photos, except perhaps minor cropping or adjusting the levels. I used to go extreme Photoshop on my pictures to give them that nostalgic feel but they ended up looking like they’d been injected with Botox and covered with a thick layer of makeup. With the Pentax, my photos come out just the way I like them, strait out of the camera with a thin layer of magic on top. That glow. That blur. That grain. That thing you can’t quite put your finger on. That’s the K1000 je ne sais quoi. Unprocessed, no salt or sugar added, pure natural goodness.

I guess you could say I have a little crush on my Pentax. And I have a feeling this is the kind of love that will last a lifetime.

You can see more of Jeanine's film shots on Flickr and her blog.

everyday stories, week 6

Monday February 7
on my way home from the office, Bergen

Tuesday February 8
doing errands, Bergen | office, Indre Arna

Wednesday February 9
work, Isdalstø | almost home, Bergen

Thursday February 10
on my way home from work, Bjørnafjorden

Friday February 11
just finished work, Voss | Åsly, Voss

Saturday February 12
Åsly, Voss

Sunday February 13
Åsly, Voss

PS: Click on each photo to view them bigger.