Super expired film from 3_little_birds in Canada. Mixed mostly with shots from Portland, Oregon.

This was a fun one and a long running. I sent these rolls months and months ago. It took over a month to get them to Kuwait, then about 4 months later, they were completed by Yasheik -now I am waiting on his rolls to be sent to my mail service in Florida, in which case I don’t know when I’ll be able to get them because I’ve been traveling across the US slowly for months, and intent to take many more months. It’s been fun though, and now we’re friends on facebook too, maybe we’ll do another swap in the future. The time doesn’t really bother me that much, eventually it all works out.

I did a film swap with Three Little Birds from Canada. Took forever to get these rolls done and developed! No idea why – I just didn’t use those cameras as much these last few months. Hate to admit.. kindof,… but I got a Pentax K200D. Mostly for blogging and studio stuff but its turned out to be a main camera on the road – where I don’t have many chances to develop photos. Im developing some today though I think and will try to use my holga and lomo more I swear!!

Adorn, an awesome clothing store I visit regularly is turning its North Portland location into a sweet little art gallery. An almost purely Portland trend – over half the boutiques and every cafe in town feature local artists on their otherwise bare and frigid walls.

This month the artist adorning the walls of Adorn is me!

I have been wanting to do a show in Portland for quite some time but you wouldn’t believe how expensive it can be to buy frames and make decent prints to hang up. Many places also expect you to have mats for each print which can cost another ton (whether you cut them yourself or not). Plus given the style of many of my photos, I’d rather not have matting at all. In a town as artistically competitive as Portland, your chances of selling anything is actually fairly bad – so you have to WANT to pay for the show anyway, knowing you will most likely not get your money back. What is also competitive is finding good locations for your work to hang. Many places have a list of artists before you and a picky manager screening your work and its compatibility with their store or cafes clientele.

Luckily I met the owners of Adorn over a year ago now and it just happens to be their one year anniversary this month! To celebrate their anniversary they’re having a huge sale and featuring my art on their walls! I found a reasonable way this show (my 3rd) to sell my photos for only $30 each. They hang with nerdy heavy duty paper clips and a clear acrylic frameless cover. Each photo has an awesome 80’s tape for their signs and label maker tape for their titles. Can you beat the nerdyness? no. Affordability is on everyone minds.. and well, I comply with the geekiest twist I could think of!

They came out really clean looking for your office, mod little apartment, over your toilet, or in my case, on the wall of my motorhome. Three photos actually come as a triptych and sells for $80 but can be split if you can stand to leave the others behind.

The series is called “Stay Golden or Die Tarnished”, Katya A. Smith – taken in the desolate and abandoned Salton Sea area of southern California. I visited the area twice earlier this year and fell in love. After the first time, taking all black and white photos, I knew the exact series I wanted to accomplish on my second trip. I used a lens baby lens, a special lens that allows you to use creative focusing and create dreamy effects to any shot. I think the series came out pretty well. At the moment only about half of the series is up at Adorn and the rest will be available online at my Etsy shop by the middle of the month.

Adorn is located at
223 NE Russell St.
Portland, Or 97212

Please come and check out the show and shop around a bit! Everyone finds something here, whether my photos of a bag full of smoking deals on great clothes.

More about Adorn:

Adorn is a hip little clothing store chock full of men’s and women’s clothing from designers large and small, local and distant, chic and modern. They are also one of our favorite places to shop in Portland. One of the only stores in Portland that carries bigger names like Kidrobot, Obey, Harajuku Lovers (besides Nordstroms), Tarina Tanantino, Tokidoki and smaller names – but equally impressive designers like Fluxus, Finn and Lucky Loo Loo to name a few. They of course have an online store, evolving its way into one of the best online shops due to consistently great prices on top styles and of course a slick street friendly design .

What can I say, no harm in plugging myself and a shop I love all in the same blog. Its for your benefit as well you see. It always surprises me how many deals Adorn has go unnoticed. Take a look if you get a chance, you don’t even have to go to Portland to do so.
www.shopadornonline.com

Holga photo from the Philippines

I got 2 of my polaroids published in my school art paper, Pathos Literary Magazine. Not the first time I’ve had work in it, the last 3 issues actually but the first time they used Polaroids.
They used these two:

slab blaster

More photos from the swap!

fun to plan and achieve!

Pretty simple process, take a photo underexposed, then take another one, with the subject placed where you left space in the first shot. In this photo I probably left the camera on the little sunny picture, since it was shady, to underexpose. more o these to come. fun!

I had to mention these awesome things I saw yesterday. Enjoy!

I shoot people for a living. $17 US

Camera ring $10

can you resist?! I can but that doesnt mean I dont want them. I might get the ring.. geh retail torture!

I went to Slab City for a week and just got back. Im still in shock and seriously considering living there. I took about 15 rolls of film if you count the half rolls still in my camera. They are ALL black and white, the only color I got was digital or Polaroid. I regretted that decision at times but I think itll be ok. I mostly used my nicer cameras, some holga and some brownie bullet – I sent the brownie ones off to where they came back with wacky sky from so I hope I get the same effect. Maybe its their chemicals?

I’ve also sent off almost all my film swap rolls and im mostly done with a lomo roll.. but Im starting to wonder if I want to cross process it myself or send it off. Ill feel like a jerk if I dont swap it, since I wont have anything in california for the girl.. and I guess theyre all underexposed so.. bleh.. ill send it. I AM going back and I will get more photos. We were lucky enough to have tour guides the whole time, an advantage of being a girl I guess.

Ill post again on the subject of Slabs when I have more photos!
Plus I might write more about the place itself.

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