Studio Journal - Grandmother Says

On Thursday I accompanied Emily to the beach to see her Grandma. There is nothing like AC, home cooking, and tough love.

Since I'm taking Thesis this year and know that I generally want to focus on spaces, I decided to take pictures in her house as a means of exploring my idea.

Already, I am realizing something about my idea. I am not just feeding my obsession with furniture and nice lighting I am exploring the most intimate of places--the home.

This is a home that I have been to many times. It has been a part of my childhood and is well imprinted in my memory. Which is making me think of the difference between my photographs in people I know vs. people I don't know. However, in a sense the act of photographing a person's home is almost a way of getting to know them--through their things. (I can't help but think of Fight Club "The things you own end up owning you.")

Now I have something to think about. Maybe getting back into things won't be so bad after all.

I'm a Sucker for Windows

I love nice lighting and big windows, which was basically an attribute that all of Europe had. I decided to start compiling a series of photographs based on different windows. These are a few that I liked. The top two are the Guinness factory and the bottom two are from the Baptistery and the Camposanto Monumentale (Cemetery).

Home in Firenze

Since I finally spent a weekend home I was able to catch up on taking some photos I had been meaning to shoot. These are the hallways of my apartment. They are gorgeously lit during the day.

Amalfi Coast Part II

On Saturday the weather was a million times better, so we went to Positano.


It more or less made the trip worth it--the water was the perfect temperature for swimming and it was nice to sun bathe in October.


The beach was gorgeous, but I enjoyed the walk down to the beach through the little town much more than the ocean.

Veneto

I took a little trip to Veneto (Verona and Venice) on the last weekend of September with my housemates. Verona was such a beautiful place, but I unfortunately forgot to bring the battery for my digital camera, so I only have black and white film from the day there. We visited the Colosseum there, which was breathtaking and we spent a lot of time walking around the crowded streets. As quaint of a place it is, it seemed, in my opinion, more crowded than Florence is normally and the fact that they overexaggerate the fact that Romeo and Juilette is based out of Verona and it because of it, it becomes quite the tourist trap.

Venice however, may be my favorite city in Italy. Yes, I did not spend much time there and yes, we ran through it very quickly, but I would love to go back and explore the museums and the galleries, but the lighting on the narrow streets and canals was beautiful and that it just the thing for me to be inspired to take lots of pictures, since I am obsessed with lighting. It was a bit expensive, but I ended up taking a Gondola ride, which I am glad that I did.



Minus being sick the whole weekend, I had a good time. Venice is everything I hoped for it to be and I wish I could have spent more time taking pictures. Is it wrong for me to love it based on the beautiful lighting? I hope not. Piazza San Marco was also extremely gorgeous. I love the combination of architecture throughout it (Gothic, Renaissance, etc.) and all of the mosaics in the St. Mark's Basilica.
If I end up being able to go back there, I would love to check out the Venice Biennale, the contemporary art museum, and the Peggy Guggeinheim house. I can't wait to see the film I shot.