Black and White Friday with a touch of TBT

Do-Nut Dinette ©Kathryn Van Aernum

In the process of cleaning out my studio, I came across this photograph that is probably 30 years old. I shot it in a neighborhood called Ghent in Norfolk, VA. There used to be a greasy spoon called the Do-nut Dinette. The restaurant is still there, but it has gone upscale. There were “old” ladies in hairnets behind the counter that would always add a couple extra donuts in the bag if you were a regular. They had the best “gut grenades” you ever ate. Krispy Kreme couldn't match them.

I remember taking this on a Saturday afternoon in the fall after the dinette had closed for the day. The light on the salt shaker and other background serviceware came in from the two big windows on the front of the building facing Colley Ave. I was looking in from the side window.

I love the way it appears someone dashed out the door to catch their cab - leaving the cigarette to burn. You would come out of the dinette smelling like grease and cigarette smoke; the mark of a real diner. I love how only the name of the cab company is in focus. It was shot with a Konica T-3 Reflex camera with a Konishiroku Hexanon 52 mm / 1:1.4. This was a fast, sharp prime lens and I was shooting wide open. Based on the lack of grain in the photo I think I used Kodak Plus-X and I did process the photo in the darkroom—talk about throwback! I really miss that camera. My dad might miss it too. I borrowed it from him for a class I was taking in college and kept it so long he finally gave it to me. Thanks dad.

PS: I looked up the Black and White Cab company on the net. The phone number has changed. Don't call the one in the picture.

Go Fly A Kite - Black and White Friday

I love the beach in the winter. There is a certain sense of connectedness I experience with the ocean that I don't as readily experience in season. I enjoyed watching this man and his kite dance together in a mindful dance of wind, water, earth and man.

Kite Flyer - Hilton Head, SC

Black and White Friday: Plone

Leaving Gare L'est train station in Paris to Reims, the outer surroundings are plastered with graffiti, which I love. What is it about trains and their surroundings that turn them into canvases for graffiti artists worldwide? This could easily be the Bronx.

Plone ©Kathryn Van Aernum

Fun with the i-phone

I take LOTS of pictures with my i-phone. There are some I love more than shooting with my Nikon d90. If you are looking to expand you i-phone capabilities you might want to check out this deal for specialty lenses to attach to you your phone. I just ordered mine and I am excited about expanding the images I can make with my phone.

Fisheye, Wide Angle and Macro
Click here for special. 

Concrete Love

I'm a little late with my Black & White Friday photo. But I didn't want to wait until next week to post this. I took this about 10 years ago in Boulder, Co. when I was a student at Naropa university

This image reminds me that for most of us, love is an imperfect journey. It is a process that actually leads us to where we often sustain many bumps and bruises; to break us open to greater capacity to hold it. I don’t mean just romantic love. I mean the fundamental way we look at the world. It is the essence of being a spiritual warrior to keep you heart open and allow the wisdom of that courage to direct your life.

I am offering this image as a 5x7 image printed on metal with a satin finish, or a thin canvas wrap.

Both options are mounted on blocks that float the image off the wall, so there is no framing needed.

For those who live in Columbia, SC the cost is $50. Outside Cola I can drop ship for an extra $6.

To receive by February 14, order by this Wednesday, February 6.

To order, email me at k@vanaernumstudios.com with your with you name address and phone and your preference of metal or thin canvas wrap

“Concrete Love” ©Kathryn Van Aernum

Black & White Friday #4

Baby it is COLD outside.

When I looked at the temp on my i-phone this morning, I really didn’t want to get up and walk my dog. Reluctantly, I bundled up and braced myself for the 26° temp. I was rewarded when I encountered these little frozen jewels on a neighbor’s bush. The funny thing is that we haven’t had any rain in several days. Wonder how they got there? I think they look like little jester hats. TGIF!

Jesters

Natural Acts: January 17 - February 21

“Natural Acts”

My new body of work will be on display at Trustus Theatre during its run of a very funny play, Five Lesbian's Eating a Quiche, January 17 - Feb 2. The show is directed by Robin Gottlieb and stars Elena Martínez-Vidal, Dewey Scott-Wiley, Vicky Saye Henderson, Katie Mixon, and Emily Meadows as the  “Susan B. Anthony Society for the Sisters of Gertrude Stein.”

What could be a more delectable pairing than images of food that are suggestive of the female form? At times, I found myself almost blushing as the forms revealed themselves. I'll never see fennel in the same way again. All images were cooked up right in my kitchen turned photo studio.

Mangia!

PS: I will be the 701 Whaley Community Artist April 7- May 18. More to come on that.