Little Corner of Ania

When I shot this little babyboy for my friend he had still not gotten any name. But not any longer – please meet Erik Nikolai – a cute, adorable baby with strong opinions at times! :D

Look at his reddish hair – awww!

Here’s mommy and daddy – love the way daddy looks at mommy…..♥

I’ve shared this picture before in the post before this one, but I’m thinking this (more tilted) crop is better…? Edited it different this time too :)

A mothers love…♥ Shhh…even when crying his face is so cute….I love taking piccies of crying babies (and children ;p) – I really find their faces so much cuter (or at least funnier) then..

That’s right, look towards the beautiful light, little boy!

We had to bribe him a bit during the day in order to keep him content….;) (plus, love the eye-contact them between here)

More love..

Serenity… Dunno, just like this piccie too..his little hand holding her finger and the closeness of them both in the background…

I learned that 1. I need more practice with babies in regards of shooting angles and stuff.. 2. It’s not possible to say anything sensible around a baby (all you say is “aww”, “sigh”, “ooohh” and more “aawww”) 3. I SO need a reflector (we used a huge, white cardboard which helped a lot on the shadows and stuff..) 4. I noticed post-procession that I really like the 1:1 ratio a lot on several piccies 5. I want more babies to shoot!

Okes off – busybusy weekend – mom is staying here atm and I need to prepare stuff for tomorrow ‘cause – tomorrow’s liek, nine years ago I myself got a baby in the house……

♥♥♥

I hosted yesterdays Tuesday Tips over at the Pink Paislee-blog with this layout mixing papers from both "365 degrees" and "Bayberry Cottage". I made the layout at a crop and kept staring at the pictures and papers, totally having no idea whatsoever what to do. Finally landed on this pretty classical design and once I finally started on the layout (apart from staring at it that is) it came together pretty quickly.

My tip was that it´s ok to cover up those preprinted words and phrases that doesn´t fit you or your theme, in order to still use them. It helps having a friendly neighbour with cute paper-embellishments which matches your project perfect. I dunno where she got them from, I forgot to ask (too busy stealing this cute lil dude from her ;) ) - if you´re reading this, feel free to enlighten me cuz he and his friends sure were cute!!

Just have to comment on the title, "Foringstid" (feeding time) - I love yellin (ok, maybe not really yellin, but..) "foringtid!" when it´s dinner and stuff cuz...that´s what it is...feeding-time ;p (Not sure how it´s with English but in Norwegian I think the phrase is more often used in conjunction with the feeding of animals and stuff :p). The photos are from a crop at my place and I thought it was funny when I suddenly found people standing in a half-circle around waiting for someone else to finish cutting up the cake or whatever it was at the time..liek, hungry much? *giggle* Ofc I had to run and fetch the camera to snap this moment :)

(and look, am using the lovely notepads again!!! LOVE!)

Wrapping this post with another peek of the adorable baby I shot last week..just started looking through the piccies and editing a few - think I´ll be done with them sometime this week :) Look at his face, aren´t his wrinkles just totally adorable?? Aww....

I’m home again from the Oslo trip, which was amazing in terms of inspiration and personal motivation. But after a day at work and with the snow thickly and wildly falling down all.the.friggin.time I have to admit I feel sort of deflated. Exhausted. I planned to go to bed early (like, 8.30pm early) yesterday but somehow didn’t end in bed until 00.30 or so. Still had a nice evening though doing pretty much nothing :) I’ll try once again tonight I think – to go to bed early, that is. I really feel like needing it.

Anyways!!
Figured I’d share some scrappy stuff here again after the piccie-spam from my trip :)

Here’s this weeks Pencil-Lines sketch #175, sketched by Anna and guested by the whole design-team of “My Scrapbook Nook”-kitclub, who’s also this months sponsor.

I digged up some old Hambly-faves for this pretty plain (but still cool imo) layout with piccies of my son and his various ways of watching TV (here’s another position from way back in 2007 :P)

I just love this gritty grid-paper and the fact that Hambly tends to stick to a few colors they’re revisiting all the time, whether it’s for paper, transparencies, rubons or stickers, making it so easy to combine all of these. Case in point – the teal is the same in both this old grid-paper, the Kraft-owl and the newish doily-rubons (which’s really really grown on me fast becoming one of my all-time faves from Hambly. I know I’m slow catching up!). Pluuuuus I usually keep saving the woodgrain-papers forever just wanting to…have them, not use them. So I forced myself to finally use a piece here :p

You just gotta love this rubon-alpha!! Totally a fave too..

Other stuff seen here is the Martha Stewart-edgepuncher used around the edges + gems from Prima :)

Another layout is this “Snow angel” layout made for Fancy Pants “Frosted” collection-spotlight. Just a few photos of Amalie playing in the snowwy backyard making snow-angels. Once again – I LOVE this collection and the amazing colors and patterns used here. This is so my kind of winter-papers!

I hand-cut a number of snowflakes from this paper and adhered most of them two and two w/brads and 3d-foam. I also attached a few Hambly snowflakes-transparencypieces in between.

Right. I keep yawning atm, I’ll need to try update myself on this&that and stuff before bed…

Title: “A few small bruises” – Maria Mena

Yay!!
I'm pretty happy and satisfied right now - cannot say enough how much of an inspirational and motivational event this has been, and it even ended on a high with me being one of two lucky winners of a signed book by Nan Goldin (the one I didn't buy, bought another book for the signing earlier the day - contemplated buying both books but didn't have the budget for it *cough*) - so yey!!

But first..sorry for the blog-spam re my trip to Oslo. This will be the last one, promise! (besides, I'm not entirely comfortable editing on uncalibred screens and stuff, so apologizes if the piccies seem off :p)

Anyways. As I mentioned in yesterdays blogpost - my niece slept over here too and the two of them spent the morning together. Here you can see Amalies pink bunny in the front, named "Nasse Nøff" (the Norwegian name for Piglet - but I think it's a bunny not a pig :p) that Amalie got from her grandma when we arrived Oslo and been inseparable from since. Amalie is talkin to her daddy on the phone and my niece is playing with her pink pearl-necklace.

Then I went off to Tronsmo bookstore to wait for Nan Goldin to arrive in order to sign books. I arrived at 12.30pm, she was scheduled to sign from 1 to 2pm but she didn't arrive until 1.40pm. Luckily I was number five in the queue (which ended up counting more than 200 people afaik) and she sat for three hours signing for them all. She seemed sweet and pretty nervous too - at least from what I could see in the beginning. Like someone you just wanna hug and tell it'll be fine sortof. Maybe I'm just affected by her photos thinking that way.

Anyways. Being a huge Nikon-fan I'm happy I managed to attend the demostration of D3s, the new lenses and views on the future of photography. Just had to attach this photo because - NIKON!! ;p

Another photo from the demonstration which was very interesting regarding the future of photography and the intertwinement between stills, sounds and movies and the future of pressphotography and the displayment of the mediums, the possibilities with iPad, iPhones, web and papers/magazines and well, just all around intriguing. Oh, and yeah, I was totally left with the feeling - I WANT NEED MUST HAVE D3s!!!!! *sigh* and 70-200 f/2.8 vr2..I'm so not gonna ask for more! :p

Then Erik Berglund and Tore Berntsen, two heavyweight-pressphotographers, shared a taste of the possibilities with all this new technology as mentioned above. I have to say I do agree, sure, live video is fine and all that, but it's the combination between video, sound and not least, stills - that really can make interesting multimedia-pieces. And yes, the need for pictures is still there despite the new fancy cameras have the possibilities for video in them. All in all, all the new impulses and stuff both today and the last few days made me want to explore the video-function at the workcamera (canon 7D) more than I have until now.

Then we have Kathy Ryan. Wow. To think that Dok:10 actually got Kathy Ryan, the photo editor of New York Times Magazine all the way to Oslo, Norway to this little festival - amazing! And so intriguing listening to her reasonings re the pictures and choices in photographers and themes and all the creativity and work behind the photos and all that - amazing experience being able to get a little peek behind the scenes of her important work of organizing and managing the NYT Magazine photoside. I especially found the elaborating on all the work and anecdotes about their spread of Obamas inner staff very interesting. Paolo Pellegrin was originally sceduled to screen after her, but got stuck at a hospital coming down with something following his covering of Haiti so Kathy introduced his work (having worked close with him for years) and wow, such an amazing and impressing portfolio. I'm ashamed to admit I knew nothing about him prior to Dok:10 - I was left breathless after the long slideshow (20?40? minutes?) - such an amazing photographer. Shame he was prevented to attend, and hope it's nothing bad - he really needs to get out in the world again shooting more..

Then there was Nan Goldin. When I first read about Dok:10 I was like - omg, they got Nan Goldin to attend!!! And was sad I wouldn't be able to be there - but then this grant came up and I actually was one of the lucky ones receiving it and I was able to attend after all - I'm so thankful for that. She shared that she's not comfortable taking pictures the way she used to do anymore, she rarely attends her own screenings because it's too painful (as the main-body of her work she shared was her friends who's not among us anymore due to AIDS and ODs) and what's pretty telling imo - she took pictures because she was afraid of losing them, as if taking pictures would help her keep them close still and when they did not - she felt like the pictures, the photography, had betrayed her. And she feels like she's exploited/exposed (hm, not quite sure which word she actually used, but I think she might have meant both nevertheless?) herself enough to the extent that she was tired of it. I really got the feeling from watching her on the stage that she felt somewhat uncomfortable being there (and she said so herself), repeating that anyone can take a picture, especially these days, she's nothing special really and stuff - but really, she's got such an eye for the mood in pictures sort of (which seemed especially evident in the few pictures Kathy Ryan earlier shared of some commissioned pictures from her for NYT Magazine). I mean - she took her out from her hm, "natural environment" (her friends) and let her shoot a young model and she delivered spot on with the uncanny Nan Goldin "eye" for people. So for her to feel undeserving (my impression?) of being there - nonsense - and in a way I hope she'll know that deep inside too.

With Goldin done, Dok:10 ended, and they announced that there was two lucky passes for signed books for two in the audience - "just look under your chairs". I did, and I didn't see anything at first, so I was like, "bummer" - then I picked up my stuff and thought I'd recheck and sure enough - there actually was one under my chair. YAY :D Happyhappyhappy :) Now I own two different (and signed!) Nan Goldin books and I'm over the moon thrilled about it :)

One thing I wish - is that I knew just someone attending Dok:10. I don't, apart from saying hi to one I've been in a meeting with as awell as recognizing a few others as presspeople from Bergen because I've seen them at the Christmas Party for journalists from Bergen :p It sure would have been nice to have someone to discuss with and just digest and bounce off all the inspiration & ideas with, but ohwell. Maybe I'll feel braver next time to just go and chat up people. I got to go home early and snap this piccie of the patrolling police on the horses at least! :p

And finally - just a piccie illustrating how nice it is to be home once in a while and just do the things I normally do when home at moms place. Drink Liptons "Yellow Label Tea" with honey and milk (dunno why I don't buy this to me "plain" tea at home myself - but I've grown up with there always being a box of "Yellow Label Tea" in the shelves at home. And eat toasted bread (I believe the only time the toaster is whipped out here is when I'm at home) with blue cheese. :)

Hope you all have had a nice a week - I know I totally have.

Time to share yesterdays (Friday) pictures :)
Started the day with paying my adorable niece a visit. She just turned six. My Amalie will soon turn five. They're inseparable when together :)

Here we all are - me, my sister and our youngest daughters :)
Isn't weird when you grow up and see your mini-me's together and realize you're turning nostalgic and old because they sort of act like us and they look approx like us and you're taken back to your own childhood through them (well, the pink-cloud-version of, anyways)? Sort of? I know I'm babbling, but allow me, I'm old ;p

Just thought this was a cool picture. My niece shared her scrapbook-stuff with Amalie.

And showed her her album :)

Here's my sister and her "male friend" as our grandma would have put it when you have a boyfriend but's not engaged or married :p.

My sister in front of her new house, estimated to be finished this summer.

Then....we went to do something I haven'd done in ten years I think. Probably more. We went skiing. Me, mom, sis, my niece and Amalie. Who had only tried this once or twice in the Kindergarten when borrowing someone elses skies. She was so good. When we asked if we were gonna turn to return to where we came from she was adamant that no, she wanted to go a little bit further! And she wanted to go first! (Both girls did, so they were a bit grumpy about each others whenever the other one was in the lead). Fun times :)

Just had to add - mom making snow angels....haha..
All in all, a nice day which was aburptly interrupted by a stupid man allowing his puppy to run wild. I'm just saying - dogs so needs to be in leash when outside. I believe they're actually prohibited from running wild/without leash where there are people. And we were actually next to a schoolyard when this dog came running and barking towards Amalie. First she poined at it shouting excited to us "look, look, a dog!" in a happy voice. Which soon turned into a shriek and loud cries because this dog just kept running straight towards her and around her, jumping around and she was terrified and tried to run away which surely didn't help the situation at all. And the owner was like 30-45 meters away from us, trying to call his dog back...to no avail. Anyways. I ran to Amalie and scooped her up while she was crying wildly and tried to calm her, all the time with the puppy barking and trying to jump up my legs to get to her. When the owner finally came to us he explained the dog was just a baby and just wanted to play. It's fine, but seriously, if he can't control it because it's a baby and playful then he surely needed to have it in a leash?? Anyways, he picked up the puppy and Amalie got to pat it after seeing me patting it and then it was all fine, she was just scared in the moment when this dog just came running to her just like that... and while she likes dogs she thinks they're best at a distance. I hope the dog didn't scare her that much, but please, if you own a dog and you know you can't control it when it gets excited then do not let it walk around wo leash where you know you might meet children or other people who might be afraid of dogs. Sheesh. What's so hard about respecting other people..?? (dogowners - I'm sorry but I just don't like dogs "attacking" my children (or anyones) regardless wheter it's just playful, harmless and just "wanted to say hi". It's scary for a child and might damage how the child might percieve dogs in the future sort of!)

Anyways. Then it was time for more Dok:10 so I left mom and the children (our niece slept over so she could be around Amalie more) to attend Callie Shell's seminar. I have to say. When I saw they were having her and gonna show her pictures I was like, yeah sure, nice but prob just all the hype. But - she really was interesting, and I loved that she talked almost all the time during the slideshow, sharing information about each picture and I really felt like getting behind-the-scenes access to the pictures and the man that today's one of the most powerful men in the world (or maybe he is the most). I also found the fact that, if I understood it right according to her, it was her own wish to cover this man back when he was just a senator and pretty much an unknown, back before he even ran for the candidacy, just because she saw - this man is special, there's something intriguing about him, I want to tell his story nevertheless. In short. It gave me a lot more than expected and I really felt happy being able to be there learning from her.

Then there was time for Brenda Ann Kenneally who shared a different perspective of America and the American Dream sort of. Her work was so much more personal, so raw and intriguing. And from what I understood, all from the neighbourhood of hers. I got a bit of "The Wire" feeling with the first vid she showed, about this kid she's been following since he was like eight (he's now 23) and who's very close to her and her son (who's in the picture above too tryin to help his mom with the technology :p). I mean - it felt all so deterministic. It's a side of society that you just see on American series about criminality and gangs and it's so distanced, it doesn't really concern you because it's so far away both in distance and from your own reality..I dunno... I'm going to explore her projects here and here closer when I get home for sure. Oh, she even uses some scrapbooking in her projects.

Then it was time to go home. Well, there was a debate, but hm, maybe not one of the better debates that's been until now. I think it might have gotten off the wrong foot because of the lack of pauses and the introducer didn't really fit in, or I dunno, I didn't catch much of what it had to do with the whole thing. Prob just me but at least I didn't leave the room like lots of others did during the introduction and debate cause I think that's sorta rude. Ahwell. Picture above is the road I take from the place Dok:10 is at towards the subway.

This is a picture of Karl Johan, the "main" street in Oslo leading towards the Castle (behind me). I really do like taking pictures in the night, it's not as scary as taking out the camera in broad daylight with no real "reason" to do so sorta.

When I got home mom and my steph-father waited for me with red wine and various cheese. Yay :)

Right, much longer post than I thought - sorry. Need to run off now - day four is starting soon and I wanna see if I can get a signed book by Nan Goldin before the seminars starts!
(yeah yeah sorry - scrappy stuff will resume tomorrow or the day after tomorrow :p)

Ps. Re comments about the indoor piccies..? Uh I dunno, look for the light and crank up the ISO if needed?

Started Thursday by paying my friend Gyda a visit, and to practice babyphotography on this little three-week-old buddy. Really looking forward to get home and be able to take a proper look at the pictures and edit them and stuff :) I suspect there are quite a fair share of photos w/wrong focus etc because a) I didn't notice the focus was set to continious in the beginning, which sort of sucks when I focus them recompose the motif...thought it was weird focusing from my side, cough.. b) with such wide apertures I used (used both the 50mm f/1.4 and 24-70 f/2.8 with max f/2.8 aperture in 99% of the pictures) there's bound to be a few "wrong" ones. We'll see when I get home..I learned that I really ought to practice more (surprise). WTB babies!!! :p Thank you Gyda for letting me practice with your yummilicous little boy!!! (and I hope you'll discover his real name soon) :)

Then I met up with those oh-so innocent girls - thanks for spending some time w/me and for the chat!!! :)

The it was back to Dok:10, starting with a debate wheter Norwegian photographers maybe ought to look closer at our own backyard (Norway and the Norwegian people) instead of wanting to shoot things abroad (or rather, saving the real entusiasm for the exotic projects abroad). Very interesting debate which felt pretty motivational to me. Author Frode Grytten opened the debate with some amusing personal observations. Again, I only have my own personal experiences (and a short one at it) from the local newspaper, I wish I knew more about how the larger papers really work re. photographers and projects. Hopefully I'll get some firsthand experience soon...?

Then there was time for Ukranian Viktor Drachev to share his photos. What hit me (and most of the spectators I would assume) was (hmm...were? *uncertain*) his uncanny eye for The (Comical) Moment, I really really adored his pictures and the quirkiness that often was present - at least for the photos he shared (although he did have quite a few more sober photos, like the one above).


Then there was time for Australian Philip Blekinsop. He wanted to provoke, and provoke he did. The first series he showed, from Bangkok like 20 years ago or so were.. I really liked them, they were fascinating and strong in all senses - but at the same time you have to be aware of the cultural differencies re boundaries about death and stuff..in that sense it seems he really did walk the talk - in his case document life as it is there and then...hm. He also had strong opinions about post procession or rather, in his view (it seemed?), photomanipulation at worst - and he seemed to be an adamant purist. While some of the public spontanously applauded his sentiments, he ended up in discussions with others about his point of view. Interesting guy.

Sometimes I'm too vain for my own good. This time I decided to wear the high heels.

Which is sort of NOT a good idea when the weather outside is like this. I ended up meekingly (meekly?) having to ask my steph-father to please come and pick me up because I couldn't bear the thought of having to walk home in the snow and stuff w/the stupid not-made-for-snowwy-winters-boots....*cough*

Right, off to bed, gonna visit my sister tomorrow before Dok:10 in the evening :)

Ps....those wanting scrappy stuff...sorry - just ignore these posts..will be back on Sunday w/scrappy stuff! :)