holiday cheer.

Yay for December - the new year can't come soon enough! After a couple days in Palm Springs, we are headed to Denver to celebrate Christmas with my family. In case you are still gift buying, figured I would throw out some quick ideas - hope they help!

1. Recycled Glassware / 2. Be Nice to People Print  / 3. Guitar Hook / 4. Gingham patterned pillow from Etsy

 

 

5. Rodin Olio Lusso / 6. Time 100 Photographs Book / 7. White & Black Buffalo Check Throw / 8. Make Your Own Bird Wings

TIME 100 photos.

TIME is out with an updated book - The Most Influential Images of All Time. I am a total sucker for these books (also a great holiday gift idea for any photography lovers you know). And even if you aren't going to get the book, their interactive website with the photos and background is a fantastic procrastination tool for this fine Monday...

heartbreaker.

This is heartbreaking.

sebastiao.

Winter vacation feels like it was so long ago already....but we started it strong with a visit to the International Center of Photography in NYC. Since August, I have been waiting to get to the Sebastiao Salgado exhibit and we finally made it happen! Salgado is one of my favorite favorite photographers (Jordan turned me on to him over ten years ago) and his work never ceases to amaze me. This exhibit was phenomenal. His most recent book, Genesis, is different from a lot of his previous work, in that it was focused on landscapes, wildlife and nature. His work in a book is spectacular, his work in large form on walls is just mind-blowing. If by chance you are NY before the exhibit ends, it is an absolute must-see!

the leftovers.

Happy Friday! Ben and I are going on a date tonight!

On another note, if you are like me and have a crush on Connie Britton - here is your Friday gift - The Cult of Connie Britton. Ben and I debate this a lot. I have very (very!) strong feelings about the power of language, and in particular jokes. This Vulture piece, Bill Cosby Shows Why We Need Off-Limit Jokes touches on our ongoing conversation - I don't agree with it but in the spirit of good debate...This WSJ piece with excerpts from a Ruth Bader Ginsburg interview is old but in light of the news around her this week - I thought it was appropriate. And this, Prinstagram - I love it!

humans.

Do you all ever look at Humans of New York? I just love them. I forget about it and then every once in a while when I need a little pick-me up I scroll through for a couple minutes. For those who aren't already familiar, the photographer started taking pictures of people on the streets of NY in 2010 and it has just grown from there. It is amazing - I laugh at so many - people can be really funny on the spot. But also when reading through them, you get a sense of the myriad of challenges that people are facing and living through. It really is amazing. I have no idea what I would say if he stopped me. What do you think you would say?!

Here is just a quick sampling of a couple that I loved today!

selfie time.

Oh yeah, and how great is this Kennedy selfie?!

tgif.

This week was a long one..what do you all have planned for the weekend? We are going on a hike tomorrow with Molly&Rags. It will be a very early morning wake-up since Mols says we have to be at the trail head by 7 am! We are also going to the Pride Parade and on Sunday we are meeting up with Becky&Matt and going to check out their new home!

In other news, isn't this a beautiful chair? I want to rock in it right now...

And check out these photos of North Brother Island right off the Bronx...seems like prime realestate and makes me want to go explore!

This is already a random smattering, so last but not least, this lone rose in a water bowl has been making my week...I have never been one for roses but our random rose bush (that desperately needs to be moved) has been making me think twice about getting rid of her altogether....

photog.

I am a total sucker for incredible photographs. This compilation is really impressive (though unfortunately some of them don't have captions/context). They are worth looking through for some inspiration and beauty....here are three that made me pause.

einstein.

I read this LIFE bit this morning, The Day Albert Einstein Died: A Photographer's Story, and loved it! The picture of his desk and the photographer's story of the day are fascinating!

portraits.

I went through a period where I read everything I could get my hands on about Rwanda. Rwanda's genocide, Chile's dirty war, Cambodia's genocide, the rape of Nanking, the water war in Bolivia, and the list goes on - justice versus impunity and post-conflict reconciliation - is challenging and seemingly never-ending but Rwanda has for years been setting new ground. Criticism abounds and there is a lot to be said, but on the eve of the 20th anniversary of their genocide, these Portraits of Reconciliation from the NYTimes Magazine tell an amazing story. And if nothing else, these people astound me in their forgiveness...or if nothing else, ability to keep on living.

photo bomb.

This slideshow by Reuters of the best photos in 2013 is amazing! I stared at this one below for a good 30 seconds. Unbelievable, isn't it?!

Susana Vera

mothering.

It must be very hard to parent a daughter these days. Part of me hopes I have sons just because of all the extra image and gendered stuff there is out there for girls these days. But then I see this sort of thing and think about all the good stuff and great mothers out there. This mom dressed her daughter up like incredible women, click here and take a look at the pictures. Love it!

noir.

Just wanted to pass along a new Camera App discovery from this week, Camera Noir.

In full disclosure, I haven't had a chance to really make use of it yet, but I like the looks of it. Here are some examples from the itunes site to give you an idea...

passing.

Take a look at these incredible photos by Jimmy Nelson, Before They Pass Away - One Field Camera, 44 Countries, and a World Fast Disappearing, that are featured on Foreign Policy. Incredible.

citified.

My Dad sent this link yesterday, American Cities a Century Ago, and I was totally captivated by the pictures. I don't know why but they are so interesting! Here are just a couple...

Philadelphia

New York, New York - City Hall

Washington DC

artifacts.

I can't wait to tell and show you all about our date night on Friday but since I won't have time for a while, here is something to chew on in the meantime. Take a look at Artifact Uprising. I love the album books and the calendars you can make with photos. Aren't they handsome looking and make you want to put one together?

genesis.

Sebastião Salgado's body of work is stunning and awe-inspiring. He has won countless awards for his photographs and photo journalism and his many books have been recognized around the world. For those who aren't familiar with him, start by looking at photographs from Workers. Jordan turned me on to his work years ago and ever since I have coveted his books. 

All this is to get to the point that Salgado has a new book, Genesis, coming out. The New York Times included an opinion on it in today's paper, In Love With My Planet and there is accompanying slideshow with a sneak peak.  

I think you'll like it - go check it out!

newseum jfk.

I am unabashedly all about the years of Camelot (see here and here for a couple examples). So, when Valery mentioned this exhibit at the Newseum, JFK, a couple weeks ago, imagine my excitement. I can't believe I forgot to post it. Anyway, it is a collection of photographs and I can't wait to go see it!

tear inducing.

Wow. You have to take the 45 seconds to a minute to go through these pictures from The Battle We Didn't Choose. Angelo started this project to show day to day life of cancer, and his wife who died of cancer is the focus. Heartbreaking. Oh man. If you aren't crying by the time you get through the photos, click over to the blog, start at the bottom with the first post and just wait for it. Beautiful and so sad all at once.