Happy Halloween!

La Tabacalera in Madrid.

Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up. // Pablo Picasso

Paul Ferney Art

If there's something I love as much as photography and art, it's dessert. Combine art and dessert together? Heaven. 

Click on the link to check out the entire series Let Them Eat Cake:

I'm in love with them all! I want to order a print...

Palm Tree Travels

From top left to bottom right: Palma, Mallorca; Emerald Coast, Sardinia; Marrakech, Morocco; St. Petersburg, Florida.

Abstract Self Portraits - Nugget Art!

The abstract self-portraits are ready! Like I said in the last post, they were allowed to collage and/or draw their portrait.


Here's a sample:

Natali - Really well done! "I like abstract because I can
have Shakira's legs."

 David - He included another person instead of just himself
(he's the flying, maniacally laughing lion warrior to the left),
but I love it anyway. It has everything you could ever want.
A flying pig (and they don't even have that expression
in Spain!)? An unidentifiable socked animal climbing a ladder?
A meat-man? A pyramid with a Super Cow? No but seriously,
I love how he drew and collaged together. 

Alicia - Adorable. She even has bread pigtails.

 Jose David - Wow. Just, wow. It doesn't get much more
spanish than a self-portrait with olive oil arms, ham legs,
 a ham body, and the popular spanish cookie for a mouth.

Lucía - She likes juice. "I like juice."

Daniel - I really like this one! He even collaged himself
chilling on the couch haha!

Ana - A money-dog-baby viking.

 Noor - A pumpkin person flying in some seriously
awesome clouds.

This one cracks me up every time. Who doesn't love a
flying, relaxing baby-man with wings?

Maria Jose - Thin basketball body with GIANT MEGA
HANDS/FINGERS RAAAAA! I like this one because I have
no idea what's going on. Kids are the coolest.

The Cloisters, NYC

Brighten up your day!

I know it´s Monday (and it´s raining - in Madrid, anyway), but it´s worth a shot, right?

Sardinia, Spring 2011

Retiro Statues

Realistic Self Portraits - Nugget Art!

First things first. Before J. Alfano starts lawyer-ing all over this blog, she is the one who started using the word "nugget(s)" for little kids. All props to Jessica. Legalities aside, I'm going to start doing a weekly(ish) post on the art class I'm teaching to the 4th grade kids at the bilingual school. I know this is technically a photography blog, but who doesn't love nugget art? Kids are hilarious.


Last week was my first week teaching the art class, and I think I'm really going to love it! We started off the year by talking about self-portraits. I explained to them how a self-portrait can be of your face, your body, or you doing something you like BUT shouldn't include other people. Then I explained the difference between "realistic" and "abstract". Last week they all did their realistic self portraits and today they worked on their abstract self-portraits (which they were SUPER excited about, since there are practically no rules). I had them bring in magazines so they could collage or draw their abstract self-portrait, as it only needed to be a representation of themselves, not an exact depiction. We talked about collage and I showed them some examples - they seemed to really enjoy it! But more of that next week, when I get their finished abstract self-portraits (and can upload them here). 


Here are some examples of the nuggets' realistic (well, "realistic") self-portraits! I think they're SUPER adorable, don't you agree?

Natali - I love that she was the only one to
use markers, plus she filled up the page really
well (a lot of them struggle with that).

David - Who doesn't love monkeys?
Especially when they stand on
trees!

Alicia - Check out the highlighter sun! Also, anyone
who loves dogs enough to put them in a self-portrait
is flomography approved.

Eva Maria - Well drawn! She told me she
likes cheering for her brother awww

Alejandra - Sure, balloons and hearts don't
fall from the sky in real-life, but don't you kind of
wish they did? Admit it, she might be onto something.

Pablo - Um, awesome? Future wildlife
photographer? I'm absolutely in love with this
drawing for the completely biased reason that it's
about photography. And animals.

Vera - I love the bunny. ohmygod look how
cute he is, with his little bunny nose and
whiskers! Granted they're not realistic, but
I love the sun and the cloud too! 

Hustle and Bustle

Marrakech, Morocco, April 2011

Candles - Lomo vs. Digital

The candles of a small, rural church in Sardinia:

The picture to the left is digital; the picture to the right is lomography. Although the lomo photo looks like it was taken with a red tint film, it was actually normal color film taken with a double exposure. Amazing how different the light can look depending on what camera, setting, film, etc! I love the red color palette (I wasn't expecting it at all!) and the abstract feel of the photo, with the candles scattered around the frame in varying sizes. In this case, I much prefer the lomo photo to the digital one. However, I do like the digital images I got when they are put into black and white:

What do you prefer in this case? Lomo or Digital?

Stop

In Arabic, even the stop signs look like art:

Marrakech, Morocco, April 2011

Oporto, Portugal

Beautifully located on a river that opens up into the ocean, my January 2011 trip to Oporto was a breath of fresh air (literally and figuratively!):

The city is responsible for the name of the port wine so prominent in this region of Portgual. You won't lack in free or inexpensive wine tours and tastings in Oporto, although, admittedly, port wine was not easy for me to get down (much to the dismay of the tour guide). Much lighter and fresher was the green wine also famous in this region; it tastes almost like a sparkling white wine, and it's delicious! I've yet to find it in the US, but if you see it, buy it! You can thank me later.

Doors

Doors, doors, and more doors!

And a friendly reminder...

Born Into Brothels

I first saw the film Born Into Brothels in high school. Although I had always appreciated art in my own life, it was one of my first introductions to the idea of how powerful art (in this case, photography) can be. It can be a medium of self-expression, therapeutic processes, cultural representation, social critique and reform, and more. This rings especially true for children: often they struggle with the necessary skills to verbally express their emotions, conflicts, thoughts and experiences, and prefer a visual or tactile expression that feels more natural to them. If you haven't already seen the film, here's the trailer about the extraordinary woman who brings photography to the equally extraordinary children of the red-light district in Calcutta, India:

The film also makes clear the astounding capabilities children have in the field of art - their photographs are absolutely beautiful. If you haven't seen the documentary, definitely check it out!

Banco de España

Madrid has amazing architecture! I'm especially obsessed with the small details, like the top of the building Banco de España:

Two Photo Challenge - Backpacking Europe

Although I'm trying to only post photography taken within the last year and on, I've decided to go back through my photos from my post-graduation european backpacking trip (spring 2009 with Rachel) and choose two photos from each place I visited that I feel summarize it well. Not an easy task, but a fun one! Because each person experiences and remembers a place differently, I'd be interested to see what photos of their own other people would pick for the same cities. I've found that most of the time the main tourist attractions that may draw you to a certain place are not what define it for you by the end. For example, the Eiffel Tower was beautiful, but when I think of Paris it's not what comes to mind first. Because of this, the photographs I chose were not always the best ones taken on the trip, but rather the ones that summarize it best (for me). Regardless, I hope you enjoy them!


Amsterdam:

When I think of Amsterdam, I think bikes. Without a doubt. You run a much higher risk of getting hit by a bike than a car! The beautiful canals and quaint buildings (like the triangular roofed one here) also readily come to mind.

Berlin:

I've heard that if you're not as lame as Rachel and I, you're likely to enjoy a really cool underground music and bar scene in Berlin. However, without the knowledge or german to navigate it, Rachel and I stuck with what we do best - obsess over history. Luckily Berlin was chock full of it! The picture on the left is the "CV" of the Berlin Wall (graffiti was everywhere in Berlin - another thing that comes to mind - although this was done on East Side Gallery, meant for public art murals), and the photo on the right is the Holocaust Monument.

Prague:

What stays with me most about Prague is how beautiful and colorful almost every single building I saw was (hence the photo on the left), from the average apartment building to the castle. Just walking around the city was a pleasure. A close second was the Lennon Wall (right photo) and the amber jewelry I drooled over the whole time.

Munich:

When I think of Munich I think of beer gardens (left), the barren Octoberfest grounds (not so festive in June...) with the statue of Bavaria (right), and an ugly mustard colored church with the most beautiful pure white interior I've seen (not sure if it's a famous church or not). The church didn't make the 2 photo cut, but it was amazing. I also think of the story I learned about the White Rose, an anti-Nazi resistance group, but I have no photos of that.

Dachau:

Dachau is not an easy place to summarize in any amount of words or photographs, but these are two from the extremely well led tour we attended. The photograph on the right is a sculpture poignantly done by a former prisoner. 

Fussen:

The Neuschwanstein Castle is what brought us to Fussen and it's what I still think of now; it's beautiful (almost as beautiful as the surrounding Alps)! After visiting so many cities, it was great to unwind in a mountain town (right photo).

Paris:

Admittedly, it was not easy choosing only two photos from Paris. It is a huge city with tons of amazing things to see and visit. However, what I remember most about Paris is walking around Montmarte (left photo) - especially the huge flea market we stumbled upon one day - and the graves in the cemetery (right photo). The graves were really beautiful and moving. Call it creepy, but it was one of my favorite parts. That and drinking coffee and eating chocolate!

Normandy:

Being huge history dorks, it seemed like a no-brainer for us to shell out about the equivalent of $100 for a tour of the Normandy beaches. To this day, I think it's still some of the best money I've ever spent (and I'm sure Rachel agrees). The tour was unreal. Although I could spend hours spewing out interesting things I saw and learned there, what I remember as the most moving and shocking parts were the bomb craters left all over the beach cliffs (left) and the American cemetery (right).

Barcelona:

Not surprisingly, when I think of Barcelona, I think of the architect Gaudi. Although I loved Parque Guell, it was the sculpture looking chimneys of Casa Batlló (right photo) that stood out to me most. I also loved La Sagrada Familia, especially the intricacy and originality of the doors (left photo); I've never seen anything like it!  

London:

Cliche as it may be, I do still think of the red telephone booths when I think of London (right photo). All the bright colored doors and patterned staircases (left photo) also stuck in my mind.

Roman Aqueducts

Segovia, Spain (spring 2011), has really amazingly preserved roman aqueducts:

Toledo, Spain

I loved Toledo when I visited - it's a beautiful, small city with a relaxed atmosphere, unique jewelry (and plates and boxes and swords...), and a labyrinth of tiny streets to explore. However, you had to be quick on your feet - anytime a car went down one of the small streets you had to jump into a doorway so it could pass:

Sintra, Portugal

Sintra, Portugal (Jan 2011) was a great day trip from Lisbon! It had one of the coolest castles I've seen:

A moorish castle:

And a really cute town, all decked out for the holidays:

Dragons

Visiting Templo de Debod last June (2011), I came across a dragon:

 The blurry focus isn't for everyone, but I like how
 my Diana Mini captured movement in this photo!

Double exposed dragon!