I recently had the pleasure of meeting Cleveland-based Photographer Suzanne Cofer at the recent event hosted by the Cleveland Chapter of G.L.U.E., “I Will Stay If…” , even though I am already committed to staying right now because I feel that there is still so much work to be done on promoting a positive view on the livability and accessibility of Cleveland, I did still partake in the event and contribute the simple idea that will “make me stay”….here is the image Suzanne took of me while at the event, and my statement:

After the event I met Suzanne again while she was shopping in my store and after chatting with here awhile about her recent acquisition of a Mamiya medium format camera, I ran over to her website to check out her work and got so caught up in it!  She has a great eye and a real sense of capturing light.  I was really impressed by her site too, which was one of the best organized Photography site’s I have been on.  Check it out here.

Tweet This Post 

Share/Save

i know. i suck as a consistent blogger these days!  but truth is, i feel like these blogging reprieves end up yielding more blogging material in the end, so hopefully one day I will be able to sit down and blog all about the things i have been doing, seeing, reading, viewing.

I am three weeks away from my next iteration of the MADE IN THE 216 event.  This version will be different yet from all of the previous shows.  I will be hosting a MADE IN THE 216 HOLIDAY SHOPPE from November 6-29 at an empty storefront directly next door to the Capitol Theater across the street from my store, which is now open 7 days a week and till 8:00pm Mondays and Thursdays.

I received the keys today to the space for the event and OMG is this ever going to challenge me like I have never been challenged before.  It is in need of a LOT of work to say the least and I have about 2 weeks to make it come together.

Creating even more of a challenge for me in executing this, is the fact that I, personally, am moving tomorrow.  I was too distracted to remember to change over my utilities in time, so I will not have electricity until Friday and NO HEAT until Monday.  This is particularly disheartening considering the forecast here includes SNOW…yes.  S N O W.  ugh.

SOOOOOOO, I was not in the store earlier this week because I was an assistant stylist on an exciting project for FOOD NETWORK MAGAZINE at Chef Michael Symon’s house with THE MOST AMAZING AND WONDERFUL Photographer, Stylist and Food Stylist EVER!  (thank you Abbs!)

While I am moving into my new place and making a miracle happen at the 216 venue enjoy some of the following distractions:

are you aware of this cleveland culinary gem? huge fan.

anxiously awaiting the info on my next autumn swap partner organized by this utterly lovely blogger.

more dreaming of paris via this lovely book.

more proof that beauty knows no geographic boundaries found here.

* Focus on some easy positive changes I can make to feel better through the help of this great green living blog.

have you met the latest addition to the ROOM SERVICE team? check out DeAnna’s blog here.

anyhow, hope to be more consistent soon…if nothing else, look out for more on my upcoming MADE IN THE 216 HOLIDAY SHOPPE!

Tweet This Post 

Share/Save

less than stellar week.  would like to escape to wherever the hell this place is:

all images from yosigo!!!’s flickr page found here.

Tweet This Post 

Share/Save

1. Le Parc, 2. Untitled, 3. bloodorange, 4. shuffleboard, 5. wallpaperateukys, 6. Untitled, 7. Untitled, 8. frompaulette, 9. blue water

instead of balancing my checkbook, i wanted to look at pretty pictures.

Tweet This Post 

Share/Save

With so much of my energy and interest in urban revitalization, I find it interesting that I am simultaneously so magnetically drawn to images of utter urban decay and ruin (past posts on the subject here here and here)…I think it causes an emotional response because my love of and fascination with history and seeing architectures’ most exquisite details reduced to crumbles, it sends my imagination into overdrive picturing what it must have once looked like, in all its original splendor, and the emotions of those who spent time there, the sounds that may have once permeated the scene, and then, naturally…how did it get to this point? Very often when you look at images of great buildings in decay, you cannot escape the word ABANDONMENT, as it often is, i mean, schools with lessons still on the chalkboard, dentist offices with all the equipment still in place, office chairs simply tipped over as if someone literally made a hasty exit.  

FOUND at the website of Yves Marchand & Romain Meffre

The ruins of Detroit

At the beginning of the 20th Century, the city of Detroit 
developed rapidly thanks to the automobile industry.

Until the 50’s, its population rose to almost 2 million people.
Detroit was the 4th most important city in the United States.

It was the dazzling symbol of the American Dream City with 
its monumental skyscrapers and fancy neighborhoods.

Increasing of segregation and deindustrialization caused violent riots in 1967.
The white middle-class exodus from the city accelerated and the suburbs grew.
Firms and factories began to close or move to lower-wage states.
Slowly, but inexorably downtown high-rise buildings emptied.

Since the 50’s, “Motor City” lost more than half of its population. 

Nowadays, its splendid decaying monuments are, no less than the Pyramids of Egypt, 
the Coliseum of Rome, or the Acropolis in Athens, remnants of the passing of a great civilization.

FOUND at the website of Yves Marchand & Romain Meffre

Tweet This Post 

Share/Save

I have made many photo books in the past, often as gifts for friends.  I have always made the hard bound leather cover books and they are indeed quite nice, however, not as ‘book’ like, or real photo book like as the soft covered photo book I recently saw my friend David had made.

I believe he used the Lulu software to make his, but for the book I wanted to make of my Paris trip, I opted for simply using the soft cover version by mac photo book creator within my iPhoto software.

It was really easy to do and I just received it in the mail 5 days and $30 later.  I am So happy with how it turned out and am now going to make a point to make these books more regularly, as it seems all of my memories just live in a computer these days.

HERE ARE JUST A FEW OF THE 30 PAGES OF THE BOOK I MADE OF MY TRIP TO PARIS:

Tweet This Post 

Share/Save

While in New York this past weekend I made a point to check out the Avedon exhibit at the ICP and it was EXQUISITE!

I highly recommend visiting this exhibit. There were so many aspects of this show that I fell in love with, but the section of his PARIS at NIGHT images were a particular stand out, as they were in a dark room with just simple spots shining on each image. It was really beautiful.

here are a few of the images that I saw at the show:

this one image below is from a series he did with model Nadja Aureman that was INCREDIBLE!

Tweet This Post 

Share/Save

So, I am working on a side project which I am not ready to talk about… HOWEVER, i I can tell you…I am lucky enough to have partnered up with this photographer for the endeavor.

As a lover of photography, my most favorite medium for sure, I am really excited to work alongside Billy…See for yourself how beautifully he captures light in his work by checking out the images here and on his site.

Tweet This Post 

Share/Save

I love Los Angeles.  I lived there for years, I could live there again.  It, like anywhere, is full of good and bad attributes to living there, but as a fan of modern architecture and well, sunshine… I LOVE it!  

Images made famous by Julius Shulman started that love affair long before ever living there…check out these great videos on this great photographer.

Tweet This Post 

Share/Save

i love this image from rougerouge’s FLICKR site:

(originally found here)

Tweet This Post 

Share/Save