daily life/morning walk at ocean beach

Some days I just need to be by water. Actually most days this is what I need, but yesterday it was doubly true. Water is grounding for me and with so many different things pulling at my time and attention, just hearing the ocean's constant, low roar anchors me and slows everything down. The birds were having a pretty good time yesterday as well...

irving harper/finally a book!

I got a really lovely surprise in the mail before Christmas. A few of the new Irving Harper/Works in Paper book that is coming out soon. you can pre-order it here. I am so proud to have some my images from my shoots at Irving's included in the book. It is exciting that more people will get a chance to see Irving's amazing paper sculptures in more detail. So inspiring!! Michael Maharam and his crew have done such a wonderful job.
Looking at the new book today got me to thinking about all the images I have never shared and for some reason this one jumped out at me. Just a storage room in Irvings attic/studio, but man were there some gems in there! Lots of files of his furniture designs, and of course, a few paper sculptures/pieces, as you can see. I really love the wall with the crack marks. They reminded me of snail trails.

carina seth andersson/ nyt.people watching outtakes

A few more outtakes from Carina Seth Andersson's studio in Sweden. I really love the pared back aesthetic. Black, white and a couple shots of bright yellow. In the last shot are her glass baby rattles. Apparently she has a bit if a sense of humour as well.
Happy Christmas.

the last NYT People Watching/Carina Seth Andersson outtakes

I've been meaning to post some outtakes of Carina Seth Andersson from my People Watching post for the NYTimes so finally today here are a few. This will be my last People Watching post I am sad to say. There are big changes afoot at T Style online and that includes moving away from columns. So I just wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you to my editors, Julia Felsenthal and Jane Herman Bishop who helped to make the column into something I will always be proud of. And of course a special thanks to all of you for following and sending kind and encouraging emails, comments, etc. People Watching sprang out of what I was doing already - namely finding people whose work I admire and basically inviting myself over to meet them - and I will continue to do just that. I find so much joy in it and even more in sharing these people with all of you. So maybe they will be posted here on my blog, or maybe they will be elsewhere. I have toyed with the idea of doing a one off magazine of all the wonderful people I have shot that have never been seen...there are so many possibilities! So we'll see...

For now, I am happily writing my new book and prepping a Kickstarter campaign that will post in the first weeks of 2013 to help me to finish that book. Lots of amazing things are on the horizon. So a deep and grateful thank you. I hope your holidays are filled with love, beauty and time with those that are dearest to you. 

Kisses from California! 

L-

shopping at castiglione/

It is hard to avoid. When I am shooting all these wonderful houses, in my mind I am kind of shopping. That lamp would be really nice in my living room, I will think. Or a sofa, painting, wall covering - you name it. I have a little (ok, it is big) laundry list of desired objects. Sometimes I even play the "If I could have one thing in this house what would it be?" At Achille Castiglione's studio, I would probably choose these packing crates. I know, this sounds crazy, but I just freaking love them! They are so sturdy and who knows what is in them! I would use them as a headboard for my bed - yes, they are that big. To be honest there are quite a few more things at Castiglione I would love to have, but my love for these crates knows no bounds...

I see love/

Photography is so much of the time merely a projection. Does that make sense? What I mean is that when I take pictures of things in houses, I tend to see something more in them. On a psychological level, it could be more about me than it is about the person whose home it is. Hopefully it's about both of us. I have been thinking about this a lot with all the editing I have been doing for the European book (really need to figure out a title!). This image is the perfect example, although not from the book. It is from Věra Janoušková's atelier in Prague. It seems innocuous - a bookshelf with some pipes. But I saw this and I saw love. I had seen a couple of photographs of Vera's husband sitting around smoking pipes. It is clear that these were his, but he passed away years ago, so clearly she kept them beyond their "use". So to me they were a symbol of her love for her husband. How much of this is about me and how much is about Vera? I honestly have no idea...

color and patina/

I took a little detour this morning into some images I shot for the book, but ended up not meeting the criteria. I probably shouldn't do that because it always breaks my heart a little. But isn't the color of this door and the patina/crackling just sublime?