alvar aalto studio/helsinki

Believe it or not this was my lunch break yesterday. I am in Helsinki shooting the Alvar Aalto house for my book and at lunch I ran over to check out Aalto's studio a couple blocks away. Needless to say an amazing space. The house is equally so. I tweeted as I shot yesterday and plan to do the same today if you want to follow along you can follow me @lwillphoto.

@lwillphoto

Just a quick note to say if you really want to follow my trip in real time you should follow me on Twitter. I have just posted a bunch of pics as I shot Alvar Aalto's house today. I think the twitter posts to my Facebook so if you friend me you can follow me there too...I am trying to post to my blog a more considered, and edited way. But my excitement has me posting from my phone a lot lately! Aalto was so amazing to day! Check out the pics on Twitter...

note from helsinki/one month in...

Just arrived in Helsinki for what will be a whirlwind Alvar Aalto extravaganza.What does that mean? It means I fly in, shoot Aalto's house for two days and immediately fly out. C'est la vie. I get two amazing days that most people don't ever get...the fact that I will have to make a return trip to experience the design history of Finland is OK by me.
But today I realized I have been traveling for a month. I am a little under half way through my trip, but I still feel like I have so much to do! And amazing opportunities just keep coming out of the woodwork. A lead on an interesting house in Sweden, a possibility that Josef Hoffman's house (that he built for himself) in Austria might be available to shoot...with a little persistence. To steal a line from Charlie Brown "Aaaugh!" I want to shoot them all!
It has gotten to a point where I just try and concentrate on the opportunities that move me. Of course, I have also noticed the more tired I am, the less I am moved! : ) I guess that is typical.
Another shot from Skägga today. Perfect, no?

skägga summer house/sauna

If I could transport myself somewhere right this second it would be here. With this weather (rain all day in Vienna makes this stipulation obligatory). And the second image would be my view.
Off to Helsinki tomorrow to shoot Alvar Aalto's House! I am super excited even though it is supposed to rain there too...

skägga summer house/sweden

Thought I would post some lovely, relaxing images of this amazing summer house I was lucky enough to visit during my stay in Sweden a few weeks back. Frankly, I have so many beautiful pictures of this land I don't know where to start so I am toying with the idea of posting a couple over the weekend and through the holiday (it is a holiday on Monday in the US, right?)
My friend Harald, who invited me here, referred to it as being a "bit like eating Sweden in concentrated form." If this is the case, I'm sold. The family who has had this place for generations is just beginning to produce little pieces for everyone in the form of honey and possibly (hopefully!) apple candy from the many orchards there. If you find some honey that is called Öster Skägga Gård, snatch it up and have a spoonful of Sweden for yourself. 
I'll share the images of the House another time, but just some of the land and swimming house, sauna etc. for now.
Have a beautiful weekend friends. I am heading to Helsinki on Sunday and Copenhagen Wednesday, but I'll do my best to keep posting!

prague national theatre/

I finally had time to pick out a few of my favorite shots from the Prague National Theatre. The interiors of this place are just fantastic. All this green marble was apparently a gift from Cuba. Wish I knew the architect. I'll ask Adam Stech of Okolo and post it when I know. He knows everything Czech architecture (no joke).

ivan ruller/brno, czech republic

P-Pow! That is what went through my mind when I walked into this room in Czech architect, Ivan Ruller's apartment in Brno. That color is so damn good, right? And the mix here is good too. There is a different sense of color and design in eastern europe that I really admire.  There is no wrong. It all works in a wild abandon kind of way. It makes me smile.
I got a major crush on his wood inlay table tops, a collaboration he did with another artist, and the art including this odd little sculpture on the table. Funny little guy, isn't he?