self portrait

anna lou who?

A few nights ago I watched an amazing documentary on photography legend Anna-Lou "Annie" Liebovitz. She has always been my favourite portrait photographer, but the documentary revealed that her life was just as fascinating as the subjects she photographed. In her early days as photographer for the newly launched Rolling Stone magazine, Annie spent life on the road, often travelling with the Rolling Stones. It was as if she became a phantom member of the band, hanging out in their hotel rooms, drinking alongside the guys and doing mounds of drugs that littered their rooms.  By immersing herself into their world, Annie got some of the best behind the scenes candid portraits of the rock world that nobody had seen before.  The image at the top, of a naked John Lennon embracing Yoko Ono is legendary. There is an innocence and intimacy captured in this tender moment. What I didn't know, and found so deeply and profoundly moving, is that hours after this photo was taken, John Lennon was shot and killed. How moving that Yoko Ono has her last day on earth with her love chronicled in such a timeless photograph. 

As Annie's career progressed, she got snapped up by Vanity Fair magazine, shooting every A-lister in splashy creative high concept portraits. She always wanted to reveal a little about the person behind the image. 

I remember when Annie's photo of a naked and pregnant Demi Moore graced the cover of Vanity Fair, it sparked nation wide controversy - people thought it objectified the sacredness of pregnancy. How the times have changed. Now pregnant women everywhere are getting photos of their bare bellies taken to capture this beautiful moment of their lives. Liebovitz herself had her first baby at 51 and then at 55, a surrogate other gave birth to her twins. Everything about this woman is endlessly fascinating.  If you have a chance to catch her documentary life through a lens, do so, and you'll see the story behind the scenes of some of the most beautifully captured images. 

city slickin

descent into madness

It seems somehow fitting that I snapped a photo of myself going down a warped looking escalator just before meeting up to see Black Swan, a story about a young woman's descent into madness.  I have absolutely no doubt that Natalie Portman will be nominated for Best Actress for this film. She has never been better. I still feel a little haunted by it all. It is eery, deeply twisted, disturbing and taps into some of our greatest fears - that continuous pressure can make us implode. In her efforts to be the lead Swan Queen, Portman's Nina is a tightly wound ballerina who will stop at nothing to reach perfection. But the expectations that she, and her overbearing mother, places on her, take their toll both physically and mentally. The cracks start to show on all kinds of surfaces. Nina is the perfect technical dancer; fragile and delicate enough to perform the white swan flawlessly. However,  she can't seem to just let herself go and tap into her sexual side, which she desperately needs to if she wants to be convincing as the lead's alter ego - the seductive black swan. Enter Mila Kunis stage left, who brilliantly portrays free-spirited ballerina Lily, mirroring back to Nina everything she isn't - sexy and emotionally accessible. Director Darren Aronofsky (The Wrestler, Requiem for a Dream) masterly intertwines Nina's unravelling with the storyline of Swan Lake. He often filmed from the back of Nina's head, with her tightly wound bun in the foreground, making the audience almost feel like they are stalking her -cleverly adding tension and building upon her character's growing paranoia. This film won't be for everyone because of its disturbing subject matter, but I definitely am glad I caught it on the big screen.

the commute

I know you shouldn't text and drive but I haven't heard of any rules about taking photos and driving...
These are the tail lights of the car in front of me through my rain covered windshield. I am happy to report no one was injured during the taking of this photo.

beer mile

     Drink a beer, run a lap. Repeat three more times. Just don't hurl before you cross the finish line.

On my radar this year...

fleur de lis tumblers

vintage suitcases like the one featured in this print

a beautiful stack of bowls 

a vintage stylized record player

handmade felt flowers like the one here

anything to do with owls 

a throw pillow or two

a warm, stylish sweater dress

Frye boots 

My tastes and style is always changing, but right now I'm going through a phase of wanting decorative pieces that look vintage or handmade. I think part of the reason I'm falling in love with these finds is due to my passion for photography. These finds would be so much fun to photograph. How great would those bowls look like with colourful scoops of sorbet?