pia’s polaroids: a place I find myself often…
Posted in music, pia's photos, the houseboat September 10th, 2009 by pia

PJB_polaroidpiano

…it soothes, it inspires, it speaks the feelings inside me that have no words. This is a something I have never taken for granted, and when I hear myself play I sometimes wonder where the music comes from, and how do I play? Sometimes I have no idea how my fingers seem to find the right notes at the right time. Music is pure magic, non?

pia’s polaroids: the dining table as my workspace…
Posted in pia's photos, the houseboat September 9th, 2009 by pia

PJB_polaroidtable

As you know my little floating home is quite small, so every corner is used to it’s maximum potential while I’m working from home. This is what my dining table looks like on a typical weekday – covered in photographs, drawings and papers needing my immediate attention, tea cup at the ready, and clothes drying on the clothes rack, catching the breeze off the canal. Yes it’s a small space to work and live in, but to me it’s got alot of heart, and that’s all I need to get inspired.

pia’s polaroids: a shelf in the boat (and a photo essay of sorts)…
Posted in pia's photos, the houseboat September 8th, 2009 by pia

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Here are two polaroids of one of my little shelf vignettes on le petit bateau. The shelf is right under a window,  and I often marvel at the sunlight as it hits the display at different times of day. These polaroids were taken just before dusk.

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I love how polaroids are so emotive. From a technical perspective they are often soft/out of focus, often under or over exposed, and so often marked by dust once they come out of the camera. And it’s all these qualities that make the images on a polaroid so beautiful, raw and real. It’s what I always strive for in my digital photography – imperfection.

You may have noticed already that I love including shots in my work that are a little soft, a little under exposed, a little dusty. This is because I try to capture the atmosphere, rather than the object itself. When I walk into a space that I am to photograph, the first thing I am touched by is the light and how it affects various corners of the room. I look for beautiful objects but I try to capture how these objects make me feel, not what they look like, or what they should look like. I like to create a story of images from a space that makes you, the viewer,  feel as though you have walked through the space with me and by the time the story of images is complete, you have been touched by all that has inspired me too. You can see what the object or space is, but also how it makes you feel. That is always, always my goal – thank you for the inspiration, polaroid.

pia’s polaroids: my kitchen…
Posted in pia's photos, the houseboat September 7th, 2009 by pia

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Hello Monday! This week I’m going to post a polaroid a day, in celebration of my new/old polaroid camera. Here is the first one of the coming collection – my kitchen (click here if you missed my cozy bedroom polaroid from last week, and the view outside my window on a windy day). I just washed the dishes and love the soft light that comes through the window above the sink.

I will also tell you my polaroid story sometime this week.  In the meantime, you might also recall these polaroids from last year – oh I’ve come far…

xx

another polaroid from my new/old polaroid camera…
Posted in pia's photos, the houseboat September 3rd, 2009 by pia

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I was actually preparing an etsy favourites post, but while I was writing it I realised I wanted (very, very badly) everything in the list, and since they are all one of a kind pieces, I’m not going to post it until I find out if I can purchase the items myself. How selfish is that? That’s pretty selfish. But you know, first in, first served. :-)

I also wanted to share my polaroid story with you this week. I will. But in the meantime, I thought I’d share with you another polaroid I took here in the houseboat some weeks back.

Oh, I love my cozy boat bed.

a floating book…
Posted in amsterdam, pia's photos, the houseboat August 21st, 2009 by pia

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…just passed by my window. I wonder what it’s about. And did someone lose it, or throw it in? It’s like a little boat. Carrying people in the contents of it’s pages.

my work-free weekend was…
Posted in amsterdam, the houseboat August 10th, 2009 by pia

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…the best. And included sleep-ins, long-lazy breakfasts, sunshine, music, and a mojito.