Why Lomography is the Love.

1. You get awards (which is always nice) for doing what you do (and love doing) anyway. You get to create a home and decorate it with lomowalls, you hang out with friends and you can participate in contests.
2. The cameras are the love. I own 3 (Diana Mini, Diana + Edelweiss Edition, Lubitel 2). And I want more Diana clones because they are so pretty. Also, they'll probably differ from mine, this being in the nature of them being made out of plastic, allowing for them being individuals and unpredictable most of the time. Just like us people.  My Diana Mini e.g. sucks at transporting film. This is okay, I have my faults as well.
3. The people behind Lomography are clever. Instead of saying "Look, you buy a plastic camera (e.g. Diana) with a plastic lens, of course your photos will lack sharpness and will look weird." They say "This is what its about. Character, surprise, no need to worry about messing up (oh so liberating) because there are no mistakes, just art. Just have fun, cross-process because who needs natural colors anyway."
   As someone who delights in using expired film, this suits me fine. Also they do not lie. You will meet random strangers on the street who will be fascinated by that strange little camera dangling from your neck or  that loud winder. So, you want to make friends? Grab a brightly colored Lomo Cam.
4. It is so liberating. Just do whatever the hell you want. Shoot from the hip. Follow the Golden Rules. Especially the last one, which states that there are no rules. Grab a camera that fits your personality. The Action Sampler maybe? Or the Horizon? It's there.
5. Take a break from soulless digital. Don't get me wrong, I love my Canon 5D Mark ii. I couldn't work without it, its flawless and great. But I also have to work my behind off to edit the photos to suit my understanding of ... soul. Character. Life. I always get the feeling with film photography. And with Lomography, it is simply life. Unpredictable,  colorful, flawed, beautiful, messy, dark, light, fast.

So, go out there, grab a camera, grab a cheap film and just shoot. Stop to worry, stop to look for the perfect shot because it is the one you are going to take next.

I cannot wait to pick up my next film.

Arthur Miller: Death of a Salesman

Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I think it is one of the best plays I ever read.

But it is also one of the most terrible in the sense that it is a nightmare. I felt trapped while reading it. The characters desperate hopes, their self-denial and their lack of communication with each other...it really got under my skin.

It truly still reflects the pressure of society put on the individual to be better and brighter and richer and more beautiful and whatever else than one actually is. And the result of that pressure.

Powerful.



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how to sleep

Leeloo lets the sun warm her belly

Wesley doesn't want to see or smell anything

Ying Yang version 1

Ying Yang version 2 - not for beginners

I love my two.

Terry Pratchett: Wyrd Sisters

Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


First: Whenever there is a cat involved, Pratchett is at his best. I laughed so hard at the scenes that featured Greebo. I love him.

Second: You have to be a genius to write a story whose plot is an insane mixture of (at least) Macbeth and Hamlet with some Henry 5 and some sonnets thrown in for good measure and not betray your own style of the Discworld novels. Add to that the metafiction of a dwarf as a stand in for the Bard who is writing and staging those plays (and some more such as... no I'll leave you to play 'spot the play') that are referenced in and the basis of the novel and you have a very happy reader in me.

I was a bit disappointed in The Last Continent and I thought I'd miss Rincewind, but I didn't. I love Granny and Nanny. I'm looking forward to the next one.



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just sit and breathe

The Mountain from Terje Sorgjerd on Vimeo.

This was filmed between the 4th and 11th of April, 2011. It is filmed on Spain’s highest mountain, El Teide. It is considered to be one of the best places in the world to photograph the stars.


Found on tumblr.

perfect day

 

This is the perfect afternoon. Book, sunshine, our not-civilized lawn.

Mein perfekter Nachmittag. Ein Buch, Sonnenschein und unser Natrurasen.

inspire me...

Isha Lesko ( Pumpkin, Morgan Arabian Horse, Age 28)

Isha Lesko: Elderly Animals. I just leave a link to the article and I will be sitting in my chair, thinking. It is true, isn't it? We focus on soft, fluffy baby animals and close our eyes to the elderly.
Also, the photos are wonderful.

The castle-post part 2.

Just a couple of minutes along the hill is the Burg Schadeck. It is a little smaller than the one I showed you yesterday, but more preserved.

Nach ein paar Minuten ist man auch schon auf der Burg Schadeck oder auch dem Schwalbennest. Die Ruine ist etwas kleiner als die Ruine Hinterberg, aber nicht ganz so verfallen und irgendwie... gemütlicher.

from the outside

inside the outer wall

 let's get up the wooden (!!) stairs, shall we?

inside the tower (right one)

view on the third castle. And in the very left of the pic, you can spot a pointed rooftop in the hill. That is yesterday's castle.

sadly this one called the Mittleburg wasn't open for the public.

Where to go? / Wohin gehen wir?

Should you ever be in the area of Heidelberg, I have a place for you to visit (one that is not Heidelberg, because that is where all the tourist are). This the Burgruine Hinterburg. Tomorrow I will post a second entry, because on that one hill, you can not just go for long walks, but also visit 4 castles. And on the hill opposite is yet another one.

Falls ihr mal in Heidelberg und Umgebung seid und nicht wie alle Touristen in Heidelberg rumlaufen wollt, hätte ich hier ein Ausflugsziel für euch. Das ist die Burgruine Hinterburg. Und die Burgruine ist flankiert von 3 weiteren Burgen, sowie einer auf dem gegenüberliegenden Hügel. Außerdem kann man lange spazieren gehen und einfach die Seele baumeln lassen.

 

up close and personal

lets climb up those stairs, shall we?

half way up and outside 

all the way up in the tower

I'm not really fond of heights at all. But I loved the view very much. And if you look closely, you can find the other castle.

Ich habs ja nicht so gerne wenn es so hoch ist... aber der Ausblick isses wert. Und wenn ihr genau hinschaut, könnt ihr eine der anderen Burgen entdecken.

A must have: good shoes. It isn't a paved road up there and rather steep.

Ganz wichtig sind gute Schuhe, da die Wege steil und nicht gepflastert sind.

 Tomorrow: more.

Gwyneth Paltrow

szólj hozzá: Turning Tables

Falls ihr kein Glee schaut (zugegeben das mit der deutschen Übersetzung ist für'n Arsch aber so isses eben in Deutschland), biete ich da oben den perfekten Grund. Das ist zwar aus der 2.Staffel aber... Gott wie geil ist das. Gwyneth singt Adele. Perfekt.

Weiterhin ein Hallo an meine neuen Leser. Ich hoffe ihr habt eine schöne Zeit hier.
 Ich freu mich, dass ihr da seid.

The Audrey Hepburn Treasures by Ellen Erwin

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I loved this. It is a wonderful look into the life of not the icon, but I think, the woman. The idea of having those pouches (for lack of a better word), which hold prints of photographs, letters and so forth, makes the book personal. It is like a treasure and I have to say, I was teary eyed at the end.

So if you like Audrey Hepburn: buy it. :-)



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I heart....

... "Kara remembers" from the Battlestar Galactica S3 finale because it is so fucking awesome and that scene just ... I still remember how I literally jumped up and down while watching it for the first time because I did not see anything as awesome like that coming. Anyway. This is the spectacular live version complete with the "All Along the Watchtower"- cover (any TV show who uses music by Jimi Hendrix as literally the key to solve everything needs a medal for outstanding services.). God we all went through hell and back with that show. There won't ever be anything like it.



... Johnny Depp for being awesome

...cute animals

chameleon baby by *Blepharopsis on deviantART


... Nivea nailpolish and I will miss it because they stopped producing it

... dinosaur tattoos (I would have a T-Rex)

http://eatdrinkcooklovelaugh.tumblr.com/

  

Inspire me: Nature Photography by Philipe Sainte-Laudy

My friend Sam tweeted me a link to his page and I was simply stunned. His photographs have that fairytale feeling without being kitsch. I spent quite some time looking over his work and I thought you might like it too.

You can find his portfolio here.

Have fun.

a little bit of shopping

I love that nailpolish. I bought it today and a) I love that in that shop you can try them out excessively (which I did) and b) that they have every color under the rainbow. It is dry very fast and surprisingly enough, one layer is sufficient.

Neben Etsy ist das jetzt mein Lieblingsnagellack. Nicht nur weil man im Shop alle Farben ausprobieren kann, sondern auch weil es jede Farbe unter dem Regenbogen gibt. Schnell trocknet er auch noch und eine Farbschicht reicht. 
 

Then I also bought these, because they were cheap, comfortable and kind of cute.

Dann hab ich noch Schuhe gekauft, weil die bequem, günstig und irgendwie süß sind.

 

A thousand Splendid Suns

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Not bad. But somehow the issues addressed (war, intolerance, sexism, oppression, discrimination, death, loss, self-denial, everlasting love)... it was too much. I would have gone with less is more. I mean, the war stories alone would have been tough. Or the domestic violence / oppression of women (or one in particular). I would have been okay to follow Mariam through her life. I wouldn't have needed Laila and her story. And I thought the ending was a bit too much, I found it a bit... maybe not cliché but too sweet.

I think, had the narrator stayed in Mariam's POV, that would have been so much better but that is just a personal feeling.

As a whole, I liked it more than I thought I would and it is definitely worth a read.



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Schwetzinger Schloss

I just leave these here. I love that place.

Movie tip: The Soloist

Robert Downey, Jr
Jamie Foxx

I loved this thing. I obviously am quite fond of Robert Downey Jr (ever since he played Larry in Ally McBeal), he is one of the best actors of his generation (and also singers btw, just google it and you'll run off and buy his CD immediately) and this movie shows why. And Jamie Foxx impressed the hell out of me in Ray but I'd even go so far to say, that in TheSoloist he is even better.

I think it's perfect. The music. the acting, the visuals and on top, a true story.

Have a look at the trailer if you like.

W.Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


How to phrase it... I obviously know the story, I have seen it the most amazing performance at The Globe and I think, that the style is so magnificent, nobody will ever accomplish anything like it.
But the story? It was never one of my favorite plays by Shakespeare. I never got the appeal of two kids (or teenagers if you will) being willing to die for each other. I always think: maybe you'd like to grow up and learn a little about life before you make such a decision, such as, that there won't be another love for you. There isn't really a subtext or layers to peal back as in his other tragedies or any other play I have read by him.
So, only 3,5 stars (I need a more subtle way to rate), while keeping in mind that compared to his other plays, this one is rather weak, but compared to any other playwright out there, Shakespeare still lacks a rival.



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Last Night

Last night was good I think. I have to admit I didn't hang put at the exhibition for very long because I wanted to have a look around at all those other places that were open. But I got compliments for both my photos and I loved the overall look of it.

the location with the photos hung up

a random booth (with the light working, in mine, the lights went out.. typical)

my booth with my two pics

looking kinda weird but whatever

As you can see, not a lot of people were already there. Then we went around a bit, enjoying the sun like the rest of the city and then letting the evening run out at a 'beach' bar.

this is were everyone else was

calm and beautiful

I got sweet feedback from the visitors regarding my work, so I am very happy with the result. All in all it was a wonderful evening and I cannot wait to do the next thing.

Ausstellung // Exhibition

Altes Volksbad Mannheim

The location, outside. // Das Alte Volksbad von Außen.

 

And from the inside. This is where the photographs will hang. I have fallen in love with that location last year and I think it will look fantastic once the set-up is completed. 

So sieht's innendrin aus. Ich hab mich ja letztes Jahr auf der Lichtmeile in die Location verliebt. Umso mehr freut es mich natürlich, dort ausstellen zu können.

 

 This is one of the booths where photos will hang as well.
Das ist eine der Badekabinen. Es gibt auch Duschkabinen und da drin werden ebenfalls Fotos hängen.

Some of the 100 photos. I am so excited, this will be good!

Ein paar der Fotos (oh und ich will den Schrank). Ich freu mich so und es gibt Anfragen von SAP und Freudenberg, die die Ausstellung gerne haben möchten. Sehr geil. Also wenn ihr jemanden in Mannheim oder so kennt, oder da sogar her kommt, schaut doch mal rein: Lange Nacht der Museen, Altes Volksbad, Mannheim.