molly irwin

farewell beach

I love the way the vegetation changes as you near the shore. How it becomes lush, and dense and deep mixed with sandy soil, you just know your destination is right around the bend. Whether it's the scrub oak of Nantucket, the tall grassy mounds of Martha's Vineyard, or the Loblolly pines of the Chesapeake Bay, that visual marker makes my heart beat a little faster; makes me hold each breath slightly longer.

We had to visit the beach one last time before summer ends. The glow of the blazing sun, the sound of someone playing Bob Marley nearby, the scent of a charcoal grill, and a horizon dashed with stripey umbrellas -- you don't get that experience in other seasons.

The kids have grown in this place. Finding sharks teeth and spotting jelly fish of all sizes brought them closer to understanding marine life than any trip to the Aquarium ever did. A boy who, in June, was afraid to near the water, now (with the aid of his thrifted excavator) is able to cool himself, letting the tide lap over his legs with mixed reservation and delight. Remarkable how introducing a bit of molded plastic made everyone's days happier.

A stop on the small, and surprisingly already quiet boardwalk for a double scoop of strawberry at The Dairy Freeze was in order. "I bet it's vewy code in where." said Marty, and he was surprised to learn that, in fact, it wasn't like walking into a freezer. Hilarious!

I actually spoke the words "farewell beach." As we drove away.  I don't think it sunk in with the kids until that moment that this was it for these day trips. "Couldn't we come in the evening's after school?" they requested. But I know it's just far enough and we're just busy enough those days for that to be realistic. I feel good. Satisfied. Now that I've said my goodbyes. I'm ready. Ready for all that's ahead.

oh summer sweet

Summer is nearing an end. I can feel it in my heart; a tugging of pending separation from the footfalls and voices both happy and loud all around me. The warm weather will continue, but it won't be the same. Schedules replace late starts of Sponge Bob and Golden Grahams. Absence instead of scooters and bikes on the driveway. Planning and tasks rather than moments of observation and guidance.

  

School begins a week from today and I'm just not ready to say goodbye each morning. Our summer, which lacked any grand vacation trip (sometimes it's like that, you know), had plenty of highlights, but there were also many sweet, simple times at home: elaborate "set-ups" of building blocks, dollhouses, Playmobile, Littlest Pet Shops, and matchbox cars. Afternoons scouting thrift finds. Dinner tables of pesto, or salsa, and lettuce brought in from the garden. Evening walks with ice cream cones. What we had in the most abundance these last few months was time; relaxed time just being together. That is what I will love and treasure the most from this summer -- the summer of 2009.

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It will be the last page of my summer book.

fair day

  

[ click to enlarge any page ]

The County Fair is a big part of our annual summer tradition. It was a happy, busy weekend of family and fun. These pages are still in progress; a couple of them will get some small addition after printing. This next page will get a detail of some type above the text on the right side.

   

Right now I'm focused on getting the photos the way I want them. Everthing else can follow. On this next layout I scaled in a yellow strip to allow for an open space. I'll be stapling in one of the wrist bands we wore that day in that spot.

 

In response to questions about what kind of camera I use ... all photos in this book, with the exception of this county fair series, were taken with the Samsung NV10. It's a powerful tool for its compact size and we've been very happy with it. I also have a Cannon Powershot SX100IS in need of repair that I love. Both produce high quality photos and offer a range of fun manual features to play around with. I would recommend either, but you should go and hold a camera to see how it feels in your hands before buying.

The photos on these three layouts were taken with a Kodak disposable, 800 speed film, from the convenience store. I was so happy with the results (colors, old-fashioned grain, and light) that I'm definitly going to use one again in this type of high camera risk situation. Forgetting to pack the camera turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

summer book inspiration

 

I know I mentioned that my summer book layout is inspired by the clean look of magazines and catalogs. My goal is to highlight some favorite photos in a sort of timeless fashion. Today I'm sharing a few images from those sources and a new page in progress.

[ spread from Maine Cottage, summer 08 ]

I'm creating my own feature story using enlargements as they do ...

 

[ spread from Travel and Leisure ]

... and in some instances I want the flexibility of many photos on the page.

 

[ spread from Donna Hay]

Oh magazines ... how I love you! Too much perhaps.

I've used mosaic maker to create multi photo spreads in the past, but in this case (sample page below) I scaled each photo to the size I wanted and allowed room for the narrative to the left.

 

[ text looks corrupted only because this is a temp. file. It will be clear in the final ]

It's not an exact take-off on any of these designs in particular, but an adaptation that works for me. The story on this page is making me quite happy right now. Still deciding on which food images I want to include from the many I've taken, so a couple of those will change.

I'm not concerned in the least if the photos overlap the fold (or page break, as the case may be) I rather like it that way. Current thinking is that I'll print the pages at home, and slide them into smaller sized page protectors, (super easy) with the binder getting some pretty treatment.

This weekend is a big annual family trip so I should return with more story to be told.

Enjoy your summer weekend!

wip :: summer 09 album progress

 

After reading and contemplating Nicki's question about page size, I've decided to scale the book down to a size of 5.5" x 8.5" The reason is largely cost-related for processing the many pages. Still using full page photos, but have added a couple other page formats to keep it interesting.

 

I've been really inspired by the beautiful polariods I see on flickr, and I think their nostalgic look lends the right feeling to this album. To create a polaroid-type image from a digital photo I used poladriod; a free software upload, then added a drop shadow in photoshop. These are inserted onto my page at the correct polariod size (3.5 x 4.5) to look authentic. Try it. It's fun!

I think I'll be adding a little paperclip-type craft tag to a couple of these simple pages to add details like dates and such. 

 

These images look a little fuzzy, but it's just because they're a temporary file.

On several pages I'm using the 'everyday twill' element (by Ali) which I have had for a while and I love, and could see myself using on so many projects. Also used Ali's 'Hello Summer" words in spots throughout. 

 

I'm still noodling around with the whole thing. (I tend to do that.) But I'm happy with the way it's coming together. My goal is to be up to date with the story portion before this coming weekend when we attend one of our big annual summer events: the County Fair. We always get tons of photos then.

As far as number of items right now, looks like somewhere near thirty five. Sounds like it could be a challenge to reach 100, but I'm breaking it down into small things, such as 'cotton candy' and 'ferris wheel', so 100 is reasonable. I need to include more pictures of myself.

Still to come: the book/binder enclosure mechanism. Maybe in two weeks.

Are you documenting your summer? If so, please share.

WIP :: 100 reasons to love summer

 

My '100 reasons to love summer' 2009 album is finally underway. For this project I'm drawing inspiration from my favorite magazine features and catalogs, and using whisical snapshots for that breezy toss-them-on-the-table feeling.

Keep an open mind here, as they are rough drafts. The numbers indicating 'reasons' are just placeholders still. I have some catching up to do from earlier this month when I was without my computer.

   

[I know it looks like a travel feature, but we're local to DC, it's a weekend shot.]

The page size is 8.5x11, so the layouts represent an 11x17 spread. I'm definitely focusing on the photos and words here, using embellishments and accents sparely in a few spots throughout. I may or may not add some embellishment to these pages. Getting a big-picture visual on our whereabouts has been a conscious decision as I want to capture those places of summer.

 

Any desktop publishing program would work for this. As far as photo processing is concerned I'm undecided still; maybe scrapbookpictures.com would be the best to print 8x11. My goal is that this book be a combination of both digitally produced pages with white space including accents.

Still deciding on an album. I might want to use crafty ingenuity in this area ... we'll see.

digital elements featured include: curled photo frames, assorted tapes, sunprints brushes.

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EDIT (7/28/09) : I've responded to questions in the comments, and added a category to the left sidebar for all the posts for this project. You can catch up on the early thought process and a couple of bits in progress, here.

bread and butter

 

Making pickles from the garden on a gray afternoon ...

 

Trying something new, based on something very old ...

 

Bread and butter like Grandma made. Only I used the recipe from the blue book over Grandma's original. Same ingredients, but they offer information on units and hers just a hand-written list of ingredients. That's how well she knew her stuff. I hope they're half as good as hers.

Now we wait while they marinate.

carry in; carry out

  

A wonderful summer surprise: friends offered the use of their beautiful pool while they were away. So we packed up a little easy picnic dinner and off we went to cool down on a warm evening this week.

  

A little splashing, bobbing, and (for me) retrieving the orange baton (over and over again) then tossing it back to Marty, who was happy just to hang tight on the stairs. He eventually did -- very cautiously -- venture down to the second step where he was delighted to learn that it was true what I told him: he could, in fact, still sit there without being covered by water.

 

We grilled some vegetables and hot dogs to satisfy those hearty post-pool appetites. Then returned to the water once more until Helen's lips began to turn blue and the sun was lowering in the sky. It was a mini retreat for us and much appreciated.

Thank you Jenny!

what is the essence of summer?

 

A few reasons to love summer: 1. daisies everywhere 2. showing the kids how to eat cherries  3. finding a beach an hour from home  4. garden fresh greens.

How's it going? I do so appreciate your sweet comments about missing me.

I'm back (unofficially) just long enough to say that summer is in full swing at the opposite end of my camera. What you perceive as absence has been my presence. It's good. The way summer should be. While technical issues aren't completely resolved, that is in progress. Meanwhile I'm borrowing time on Paul's work station as it allows. Which isn't much lately and I must admit I'm feeling pretty guilty taking breezy summer photos while he plugs away. Glad he had a bit of a break over the July 4th weekend to enjoy sunsets like this ...

 

... and fireworks of course, and great friends and relaxation.

I've really been thinking about the essence of summer as I frame out images through my lens. Lately I'm loving a panoramic view (when it's pretty scenery, of course) to better remember a place, as much as the bits that can stimulate a sensory memory. I've been conscious of getting a balance of both as we drift through these few precious warm weeks. What is the essence of the summer of 2009? How is it unique from those before? The scents, the tactile sensations, the colors ... the simple special ways that our family relates to one another right now ... that's what I want to remember.

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Finally, you really MUST see this fabulous piece that Martha, of Uniform Studio, created for her contribution to Echoes. Read about her process and see a few more images, here.

100 reasons to love summer

 

Even though we live in the city we're blessed with lots of nearby green space. We missed our third wheel yesterday, and can't wait 'til school is done this week so our trio can bomb around together for a couple of months.

  

It's June already. June. Month number six. Half way through the year. In light of that, a couple things are on my mind: 1) I haven't worked on a memory-keeping project since December, and 2) How am I advancing my creative goals so far this year? *

Working on the December daily project was a really simple way to capture our family happenings. The most significant aspects (for me) were taking a few minutes each day to jot notes about our activities, thoughts and feelings in the moment, and uploading my photos same day which helped bring forth the narrative.

During that process I also reaffirmed that I want to do more with photo enlargements. Some of the images just call out to be bigger and I haven't done enough in that direction. I justified my inactivity by the fact that I'm lacking a large album (true!) in which to keep the finished pages. Of course that's just an excuse.

Last year's summer book (posting soon) is an overview; snippets of people, places, events, but nothing in-depth. I like it alright, but even as I was putting it together I realized that without enlargements I was de-emphasizing the visual focus that some of those occasions deserve. 

Enter this clever new flickr group, and I've been sparked to approach organizing my summer photos in just such a fashion:100 reasons to love summer. A plan is born.

This summer I'm working with a larger page size, bigger photos, writing my bit on the day events take place (or soon thereafter, when able). I want a project to work on over time; without urgency. It's a good thing I didn't get too far on the garden journal, because I think it wants to be encompassed into this one volume. Procrastination paid off.

Care to join me documenting '100 reasons to love summer' in whatever format works for you? My only concern is that there will be way more than 100 things. That's a good problem to have though, right? Check the flickr group for inspiration. I'll be sharing my photos there, and the book project, here.

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* I'll address 'creative goals' progress another day.