things I like lately

snow storm from the archives + random snow gif fun from Google+

- mini stickers and contact cards from Printstagram

- Joy's tips for traveling abroad with a toddler 

- Restaurant Day, via Ingvild who has participated a couple of times

- a postcard in the mailbox from my friend Nikki

- this interview with Kinfolk designer Amanda Jane Jones

- my friend Maria of Zoo Payne has just started up her photography business! check out her beautiful portfolio at Bygdefotografen

- men that open the door for me

- dinner out at Brygga 11 with my fellow PGCE students - I love this tradition!

- meeting truly inspiring, good people

- advent calendar at the office

- discussing wedding dresses with my good friend M who is getting married in April

- homemade chocolate mousse on a Monday

- seeing how it is slowly beginning to look like Christmas in the homes of people I follow on Instagram and blogs

- finishing a few (big) Christmas gifts early

- my new facial masks from Origins; this, this and this - I love them!

- my new black wool/silk scarf from Becksøndergaard (I have been in need of a new simple black scarf ever since I lost my old one (had it for more than 10 years and loved it so much) in Stockholm) - I have several scarfs from this brand and I highly recommend them - so comfortable!

- snacking on almonds

- L'Occitane verbena shampoo at in my hotel bathroom (the scent of verbena reminds me so much of our honeymoon at Crillon le Brave)

- publishing my darker mornings book

- these words by Ine

- the smell of clementines

- coffee in bed Sunday morning (Sundays are my sleep in days) and hearing Sølve play Handel's Messiah on the stereo in the living room for the first time this Christmas season

- summer Spain memories

- sending out photo print orders (the holiday sale is still on!)

- being warm and safe inside during the heavy winter storm 

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things I don't like lately

- I spilled my drink on my Mac; the topcase and trackpad need to be changed and it costs a fortune (I hardly ever swear, but I have sworn so much over this...)

- destroying my Mac at a very, very bad timing as I'm in the middle of exam, big work deadline and Christmas gift making that all depend on a computer

- dealing with big changes at work (which is actually a good thing too)

- too much comfort eating lately and therefore putting on too much weight

Stephanie shoots film

Why do you shoot film, Stephanie?

I would probably not shoot film without several years of taking digital pictures. I don´t believe analogue photography has to exclude digital and vice versa.

My digital years have been worthwile: I learned to handle the camera in manual mode and figured out what works and what not. But still there was something missing. I started to “destroy” my pictures by adding grain and scratches, increasing contrast. One day i went to a decedent estate auction sale and came over a box with seven or eight analogue cameras. This started my love for film and a rather manic camera collective behaviour.

The feeling when you get a roll of film back from processing makes me happy every time. Film with all it´s flaws adds another dimension to pictures. A certain feel that digital just can´t give you. My pictures often turn out more natural and vivid. Film gives them a soul. I rarely do any post processing when taking analogue pictures. I spent hours in Photoshop to get the same result with digital. And they would still not feel as random and spontaneous as film which i just love about it. You have to let go on one hand. You´ll never know the exact outcome. On the other hand film demands quite a lot of concentration for every shot as well (at least if you can´t afford scores of processing and living on parental allowance like i do right now haha). It´s a bit of a challenge.

See more of Stephanie's photos on her blog.

Christmas gift idea: photo prints - with discounts!

Be aware of a little shameless self promotion here...

I'm having a holiday party over at my little photo print shop. All prints are €5 (instead of the usual €8) this week and next week (until Friday December 13). 

If you want your print(s) by December 24, please order before December 13 if you live in Norway, Europe, USA/Canada. Please order* by today, December 4, if you live in Asia, Australia/New Zealand. These dates are based on Posten's shipping deadlines. 

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*Please note that if you order any other photos than the four pictured above, it might not get to you in time, because I have to have the prints made first. The four above should not be a problem though, as they are already in stock. 

Christmas gift idea: photo books - with discounts!

Be aware of a little shameless self promotion here...

the front page of 9 of my 12 public books; I have made 40 books all together 

If you are thinking of getting a nice photo book for yourself or other photo book fans out there, now is the time. Blurb has some great holiday offers!

Here is my Blurb bookstore with 12 books to choose between. 

The ANY20

Take 20% off of any book order, no minimum. One book or many, softcover or hardcover, large or small - it's up to you. Offer good through December 8. Use the code ANY20 at checkout.*

Two books, one great offer

Buy two Blurb books and Blurb will give you 20% off your order - plus they will throw in free ground shipping† (or take $10 off expedited or next day shipping). More is always merrier with Blurb. Offer good through December 8. Use the code BETTER20 at checkout.**

† A $1.99 per additional unit ground shipping charge will be applied on orders of more than 2 books

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Make sure to check the shipping deadlines if you want your book(s) by December 24.

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* Offer valid through December 8, 2013 (11:59 p.m. local time). Valid for printed books only. A 20% discount is applied to your product total. Maximum discount is USD $100, AUD $100, CAD $100, EUR 75, or GBP £65 off product total. This offer is good for one-time use, and cannot be combined with volume discounts, other promotional codes, gift cards, or used for adjustments on previous orders.

***Offer valid until December 8, 2013 (11:59 p.m. local time). Valid for printed books only. A 20% discount is applied toward your product total with a minimum order of two books. Maximum discount is USD $100 off product total. Up to a $10 shipping discount is applied toward your shipping total. This offer is only valid for orders shipping in the United States. This offer is good for one-time use, and cannot be combined with volume discounts, other promotional codes, gift cards, or used for adjustments on previous orders.

what's for dinner, week 49

what we had for dinner, week 48

I don't have much energy or inspiration to cook these days. Too much going on with exam, work deadlines and life in general. Luckily we have yummy dinners in the freezer, we have a good repertoire of go-to dinners that are quick and easy to make in busy times, plus Sølve makes amazing meals during the weekends. So, yes, we still eat well. 

Monday: pasta bolognese

Tuesday: Chinese take out

Wednesday: roasted vegetables (beet root, potato, celery root, carrot, onion, garlic), feta and pan fried salami

Thursday: broccoli and kale soup (from the freezer)

Friday: homemade pizza 

- - -

What we actually had for dinner last week (pictured above):

Monday: Sunday leftovers frozen pizza (Grandiosa)

Tuesday: fish soup with ginger and lemongrass Sunday leftovers with pasta and salad

Wednesday: stir fry with pork filets homemade pizza from the freezer

Thursday: dinner out with fellow students in Leirvik, Stord

Friday: homemade pizza homemade Italian meatballs and salad

Saturday: chicken filets with rosemary and garlic, boiled Amandine potatoes and sauce

Sunday: roasted red deer filet, Brussel sprouts, boiled Amandine potatoes, sauce and rowan berry jelly

- - -

about this project

- every Monday I post the week's menu

- I also post what we actually had for dinner the passed week (because it is fun to see if we actually followed the plan)

- there might be links to recipes, but the menu will mostly just be basic ideas for the dinners - often just based on what ever is in our fridge, freezer and cupboards

- Saturday and Sunday dinners will often not be planned ahead because we have a habit of buying whatever looks good in the store when we are out grocery shopping Saturday morning

life via iPhone, week 48

summer Spain memories, part IV

Fuji Superia 200 + Kodak Ektar 100, Canon EOS 500N

summer Spain memories, part III

Fuji Superia 200 + Kodak Ektar 100, Canon EOS 500N

summer Spain memories, part II

Fuji Superia 200, Canon EOS 500N

summer Spain memories, part I

Fuji Superia 200, Canon EOS 500N

A dark, wet November evening is the perfect moment to share a few summer memories caught on film, don't you think?

new book: darker mornings

Do you remember my darker mornings photo project? Well, I just published a Blurb book with photos. 

Darker mornings is available as both eBook and in print. Preview and buy the book here if you are interested. 

Please note: Only two of the photos from this project has been published before; the one above and the one in this post. The rest of the photos will only be available in the book. 

what's for dinner, week 48

what we had for dinner, week 47

Monday: Sunday leftovers 

Tuesday: fish soup with ginger and lemongrass (based on this recipe)

Wednesday: stir fry with pork filets 

Thursday: dinner out with fellow students in Leirvik, Stord 

Friday: homemade pizza

- - -

What we actually had for dinner last week (pictured above):

Monday: baked salmon with seafood and fish spice mix from Santa Maria + apple avocado salad

Tuesday: pan fried sous vide cod filets + roasted Brussel sprouts, bacon and sliced almonds

Wednesday: dinner out with my colleagues; reindeer and rice pudding 

Thursday: store bought fresh tortellini filled with ham and cheese, salami, garlic, sautéed red onion, parmesan and cheddar + a salad tomatoes on the side

Friday: tacos with homemade guacamole with lots of fresh coriander

Saturday: first course: salmon, asparagus, butter sauce, main course: roasted beef tenderloin with garlic and rosemary, sautéed chanterelles, boiled potatoes and homemade béarnaise sauce, dessert: a taste of summer! roasted rhubarb (from the freezer) with Mövenpick vanilla ice cream 

Sunday: roasted chicken, rice and mixed lettuce 

- - -

about this project

- every Monday I post the week's menu

- I also post what we actually had for dinner the passed week (because it is fun to see if we actually followed the plan)

- there might be links to recipes, but the menu will mostly just be basic ideas for the dinners - often just based on what ever is in our fridge, freezer and cupboards

- Saturday and Sunday dinners will often not be planned ahead because we have a habit of buying whatever looks good in the store when we are out grocery shopping Saturday morning

life via iPhone, week 47

things I like lately

first snow as seen from our living room window

- coffee in bed Monday morning

- ordering my subscription to Kinfolk - absolutely love this magazine!

- first snow

- roasted Brussel sprouts, garlic and bacon

- a year of parenting (via A Cup of Jo) - talking about parenting; I have heard lots of good things about the series Parenthood - have you seen it? Do you recommend it?

- string lights, as seen in Joanna/A Cup of Jo's apartment

- Sara's love for the little doll stroller her great grandmother gave her for her second birthday

- a perfectly ripe avocado

- I just had to tell you so

- Her på Sandaker

- your comments on my pantry essentials post

- brie and red bell pepper on a salty cracker

- these photos by Jana

- working at home and keeping the fire in the wood stove going all day 

- Northern Journals

- finishing a paper for my PGCE studies and getting started on another one 

- dinner out with my colleagues 

- getting through a day of teaching maths as a substitute teacher (numbers are not my thing; I prefer words) 

- finishing a roll of film that has been in my Canon EOS 500N for a while - I have completely forgotten what is on the roll 

- loading my camera with one of my favorite slide films: Agfa Precisa 100 - with iso 100 in the late November darkness I plan to hunt the magical winter light 

- a weekend ahead with no plans 

Mariell shoots film

Why do you shoot film, Mariell?

Other than the obvious reasons like my fascination with film and the feel of analogue photography, I shoot film because too many things in life are instant these days. Instant meals, Instagram, instant gratification. Some things are better when you have to wait for them. Like freshly baked bread, letters in the mail and photos on film.

See more of Mariell's photos on her blog, Hjartesmil.

first snow

First snow of the season, as seen from our living room windows yesterday afternoon. It instantly put me in holiday mood. Talking about the holidays; have you seen the new issue NIB's magazine? Holiday gorgeousness!