Montgomery Boutique in Harlem

I've always admired the beautiful clothing at Montgomery Boutique in Harlem (her pieces are all one-of-a-kind) . . . and the store design. I've been fascinated by the butterflies, flowers, etc., that hang from the ceiling. It's gorgeous.

*photo by Design Sponge.

Odd Sangesland

I had the pleasure of meeting Odd Sangesland today - minutes after he completed this year's NYC Triathlon. The Triathlon's oldest participant, at a young 80, Mr. Sangesland looked like it was just another day in the park.

New Project: Old Cameras

Recently I was bemoaning my lack of space (tiny apartment, two dogs, one cat, one baby and one husband) when my mother noted that I have an immense array of old cameras on "display." She wondered why I didn't put those into storage along with my winter coats and various other items (like an ancient typewriter) that I have no room for but can't, for the life of me, part with. I was, of course, horrified. Why, I use all of those cameras, ALL OF THE TIME. My mother raised an eyebrow, "Really?" OK, so, no, I rarely, if ever, use any of them.

So, I have decided to embark upon a new project - I am going to use each and every one of these cameras and write about the results here.

First up: the Mamiya 645. I used this when I first purchased it, maybe twice. I was actually looking for a medium format that produced square images. The Mamiya is medium format that produces 6x7 cm images. At the time, I found the Mamiya heavy and intimidating (I ran around with my trusty and extremely light Pentax K1000 - which I used professionally and probably would have continued to do so if I hadn't started doing sports photography which required the switch to digital). Since I took it up again, however, I am loving the detailed images it produces and the fact that it's all manual. I recently developed the second roll I shot with it from possibly 9-10 years ago. Great details, great lighting (oh, how I love film). I shot a new roll of the bambino but found the manual focusing a bit tough (I'm out of practice) when you are trying to capture your delightful, yet squirmy, wee one. Two examples:

The bambino.

And this was taken when I first purchased the camera but never developed the film.

Next up: The Polaroid Automatic Land Camera 100. I'll be hunting down the 4.5 v battery and some Polaroid 600 film (and Fuji 100). The camera that I am most coveting right now? The Polaroid 600SE. It's a beauty.

East Harlem Apartment

This designer showcased her apartment in Real Living - and she lives in East Harlem. Love her design - it's a small space and she's made it really quite beautiful. Don't you think?

via A Cup of Jo

Yellow Living Room

Last summer, the Husband painted one wall in our living room yellow. We absolutely love it. However, we haven't pulled it together, really, at all with anything else in the room. I desperately need to get some other stuff in there that ties it all together. Currently we have a honey colored wood tv cabinet that is asian-inspired, an antique turquoise farmer's cabinet (I just made that up - I really don't know what it is called, it's kind of a desk/display cabinet), a green couch and a burgundy desk. No, seriously. It's a tad schizophrenic. So, here are some photos that I pulled off of Apartment Therapy for ideas. I really like the pop of yellow in the accents (like the yellow doors). I also, surprisingly, like the deep brown or eggplant with yellow. Let me know what you think!

Totally Awesome Laptop Bag

The RedCamper is a laptop bag that is totally customized and photo-friendly. The designer, Maura Gramzinski handpicks vintage slides that are inserted into the flap and sides of the bag and she uses recycled airline seat belt clips and 1970s vintage car upholstery - all for under $300! I love it.

Jim and Channon's Wedding

When the photos are ready, you can find them here: Megan Joplin Photography.