A Kid's Party

I really love kid's parties: the cupcakes, the crazed running around, the food, the balloons.

These were taken on a playground in Astoria, Queens last November (it was still warm enough!) on a Mamiya 645 Pro TL, Portra and Tri-X film.

The Holiday Gift Guide for the Photo Enthusiast 2013

The Six by Seven Tee - $29

Build Your Own Camera!

The Konstruktor DIY Kit - $35

"'Vermeer Noir' might be an apt description of Dutch photographer Erwin Olaf's disquieting image repertoire." 

Erwin Olaf book - $47

It shoots instant film - but offers advanced features: bulb and double exposures, macro mode and high performance flash. The Fujifilm Instax Mini 90 Neo Classic, $225

The subtlety of chance and the invitation to experiment bring this visual literary collaboration together: an impeccable design by Hans Seeger, stories by John Cage and images by William Gedney. The pages, simply folded into place, allow readers to remove and rearrange the stories and images into new creations of their own imaginations, turning endings into beginnings. --Nathanial Grann of the Washington Post 

Iris Garden, $95 

Gossen Sixtomat F2 Light Meter, $250 

It's a toss-up between this bag and the Tenba Messenger Bag (below). While the Ona is prettier, Tenba is vegan (and cheaper). You decide. Ona: $269, Tenba: $129

One-of-a-kind portrait taken at the 

NYC Space Impossible Project Portrait studio on 8x10 Instant Film, $45

Vintage Camera iPhone case, $35

There's really nothing better than seeing your photos in print. 

Artifact Uprising, Softcover Photo Book, starting at $16.99

 Engineering Print of Paris, $45 (by yours truly)

Camera Ring, $27

Customized Smena 8M Flower 35 mm camera, $34

"At a time when photobooks are overloaded with diverting tricks, Hier is a refuge of calm and a lesson in what can only be described as the ideal elements for a great work. Hanzlova's books have always combined the delicate insight of her portraits with a strong personal vision of the abstracting powers of the medium and Hier is another elegant book to reinforce Hanzlova's position as one of the most significant yet unassuming voices in contemporary photography."

Hier, $61

Your own tintype by Clarke Galusha for Portland Tintype, $60

One of my all-time favorite photographers. 

"A beautiful and long awaited monograph of quiet and intimate influence from a master photographer and teacher Emmet Gowin—whose writing is as eloquent and profound as his images are beautiful and sincere."

—Phil Bicker, senior photo editor, TIME.

"There are things in your life that only you will see, stories that only you will hear. If you don't write them down, if you don't make the picture, these things will not be seen, these things will not be heard."—Emmett Gowin

Emmet Gowin, $41

And always and forever, film, $15

Past Holiday Gift Guide for the Photo Enthusiast: 2012, 2011

Happy Holidays!

Yatenga | French Bistro & Bar | Harlem

On the last day of school last year, we took in a ball game and then headed over to Yatenga, a great French bistro in the heart of Harlem. They have really great food and the owners are amazing.

Jazz Age Lawn Party | Governors Island | June 2013

We've gone to the Jazz Age Lawn Party every year since 2009. Hosted on Governors Island by Michael Arenella and his Dreamland Orchestra, it's grown from a few diehards to a huge, huge soiree. It's really a blast. You might spy the amazing New York Times fashion photographer Bill Cunningham and the ever-beautiful artist and writer Beatrix Ost ("Everybody is beautiful!").  All shot on an old Pentax K1000 and lomo film. Copyright Megan Joplin 2013.

Springtime in New York

“One belongs to New York instantly, one belongs to it as much in five minutes as in five years.”
― Tom Wolfe


Photos shot on the Upper West Side with an old Pentax K100 on lomo film.

AIPAD on Film

I wasn't actually planning on shooting while at AIPAD but one of their photographers started chatting with me about my camera (a Pentax K1000) and I thought, what the hey. These were all shot on a Pentax K1000 on Seattle Filmworks 400 speed film, which I purchased at a thrift store for .30 cents (the film, not the camera). Photos one and two are of Matthew Brandt's photographs from M+B Gallery (mentioned previously, here). Photograph five is of Stephen Wilkes in front of one of his photographs at the Peter Fetterman Gallery booth.  Photograph number six is of Ayano Sudo. She was such a pleasure to meet and her work is inspiring (and infused with glitter!). 

Long Island City

A friend of mine just retired. She asked me to take some photos around the neighborhood where she worked for so many years. Shot on an old Minolta SR-T 101 with Portra 160 film.