Music that’s been inspiring me lately

Hey, first actual blog post in way too long! Thought I’d write about the music that gets me through my work day. Thank goodness for Spotify, if you don’t have an account get one! Especially if you are either in the creative arts or just sit at your connected device all day for what you do. This is one technology that I strongly suggest running to.

Anyway, as an old fogey, I still prefer to listen to music in album format. That’s just the way I do it. So here they are, both new releases and old, the albums I’m currently enjoying:

  1. UNKLE – Where Did the Night Fall (Another Night Out) – Great album from what used to be a Trip-Hop outfit. They’re forging a new direction with this one and I think finds its footing rather well. As with all of UNKLE’s albums, this one is a collaborative work. Some stand-out tracks are Follow Me Down, Natural Selection, Another Night Out, and Money and Run
    Video
  2. Helvetia – Nothing in Rambling – This one has grown on me with every listen. A bit of a low-fi-rambling-space-music combination.
    Video
  3.  Toy – Toy – New British band that has made a fine collection right off the bat. Keyboard infused shoegaze songs that play well late at night or mid-morning. As you can see below, they need to make some videos, even if they’re just done with iphones at shows.
    Video
  4.  Massive Attack – Heligoland – I’m glad that after a couple of missteps, MA has another great album to follow up from 1998’s Mezzanine. Luckily, I got to see them touring this album and it only made me love it that much more.
    Video
  5. I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness – Fear is on Our Side – Harkens back to the moody stuff of the 80’s that I couldn’t get enough of as a teenager. Echos The Sisters of Mercy and the like. Hard to believe this band is from Dallas, TX…
    Video

Looking West

I’ve been inspired, through some of the iphone projects at hand to revisit some work I’ve done over the last five years and look at it with a new vision. The first of these is some telescope portraits I did in Washington state. Looking West is the small collection of these images. I have many more that I’m working on bringing together in new ways and I hope to have these posted quite soon. Let me know what you think about this new work.

Instagram Gallery

So I’ve been having way too much fun using Instagram, as mentioned in an earlier post. It’s a great visual social networking tool. It’s especially useful if you’re in the early stages of leaning the art of photography as it can open up a world of feedback to help you along. I’m really jealous of kids today, though they will never know the wonderment of working in a darkroom seeing images come to life through chemical interactions.

Using Instagram reinforces my love of iPhoneography, that’s for sure!

photocrati gallery

Photography Fridge

Ever wonder what a photographer’s fridge may look like? Yeah, me neither. We got a new fridge recently and after moving stuff from the old one into the new one I was startled at my film reserves. I’m especially happy to still have a decent amount of Polaroid sheet film, and I’m dying to use it, but wish I had much more.

I hate to see film disappearing from this world, but then, maybe it’s ok. I mean, it’s not the most friendly medium there is in terms of its ingredients and effect on the environment. But I will still miss it, just as I miss spending days at a time in the darkroom.

 

Instagram

I’ve been getting more and more addicted to Instagram. Something that I was warned about before I started, I should have listened. Actually, I did listen. That was kind of a selling point for me. I wish you could customize the settings and combine them differently, but even still, it’s pretty fun to be limited and work to make the best decision based on what’s best for each image. I love that having an iPhone means that I always have a decent camera with me, always. And I love that I can do a wide range of post-processing while I’m out and about, not having to wait until I’m at my desk. I also love that this, for me, serves as constant inspiration for making photographic artwork.

My username on Instagram is: carllondon, follow me! Here’s a sampling of the photos I’ve uploaded.

 

 

 

 

 

A Look at the Vatican Library

This is probably the ultimate library in all existence. The Vatican Library contains over 2 million pieces, some dating back thousands of years. I’ve read about wonderful libraries that are hidden in monasteries around the world, but this tops them all I’m sure. According to the piece, only one person is allowed to check out anything at this library – The Pope.

Thanks to CBS News and 60 Minutes for doing this story. Here’s the accompanying video.