Wedding in Cape Cod

After leaving Maine we headed back to Massachusetts and onto Cape Cod for Luke's brother's wedding. It was held in Pocasset at Wings Neck Lighthouse. I didn't take that many photos on this trip as a whole because I was more focused on vlogging. I'll share those videos here once I have them edited! I loved Cape Cod and can't wait to go back. We stayed in an Edwardian house on Buzzards Bay which was gorgeous. I took in all the fresh air and greenery I could before going to back to LA. Photo of us by Kelly Cronin.

Adventures on Peaks Island, Maine

My pals Bethany and Dan (who are fantastic wedding photographers and generally epic and adventurous human beings) live in Maine and we spent a few days of our trip hanging out and exploring with them (and their pup Hattie). We took a ferry out to Peaks Island and rented a golf cart to check things out. It's charming as all get out and we explored the abandoned WWII fort with its underground tunnel that has basically become an art installation claimed by graffiti artists. I could have easily spent a week on Peaks just relaxing and kayaking but we only had a few hours before we had to catch the ferry back to the mainland. I'm always excited to get back to Maine to explore more islands and to enjoy the phenomenal scenery and the friendly folks.

Rainy Day in Boston Harbor

Here's my first batch of images from my recent trip to New England. On our first full day in Boston we went on a morning cruise through Boston Harbor. As you can see, the weather was pretty miserable. I wasn't able to get those beautiful shots from the top deck like I'd hoped. Instead I got these moody, quiet images from below deck. We nearly had the ship to ourselves. I could barely see most of the tour highlights because there was so much fog so I shot inside instead. There are more posts coming with pictures from Maine and Cape Cod. So stay tuned!

My Images and Reflections on the Women's March: LA

Yesterday I participated in the Women's March in Los Angeles. It was a beautiful, uplifting, and wholly positive experience. There were 750,000 attendees (far more than anyone anticipated) and not a single arrest. I've never experienced a friendlier version of this city. When people needed to get past me they said, "Excuse me." and "Thank you!". That's not exactly the norm in LA.
I began the day meeting up with friends at the rally in Pasadena. It was a remarkably family oriented event. At one point a few mothers had to sit down on the curb to breastfeed their babies and I saw nothing but pride on their faces. Not a word was muttered nor an eye brow raised over this. We planned to walk to the Metro station and take a train straight to Pershing Square where the march was to begin. However the trains were so packed that each one that arrived at our platform was stuffed like a sardine can. Two of our group managed to squeeze in before the doors closed but the rest of us had to get a car to take us as close to the march as possible. I've never been so delighted to see so much traffic in LA. EVERYONE was trying to get there. By the time we arrived the streets were spilling over the main route and there were shoulder-to-shoulder crowds as far as the eye could see. I was worried I wouldn't get any good shots because the crowd was so packed I couldn't maneuver much at all. Luckily things started to move more fluidly and I was able to move around enough to start photographing! 
The mood was determined, hopeful, wonderfully sassy, and remarkably friendly. It was overwhelming in every way. I laughed, I held back tears,  I talked to strangers, I felt united. I can only hope that we keep this spark alive. As one of the chants goes, "THIS is what democracy looks like." I've never been more proud of you, Los Angeles.

Portraits from the Renaissance Faire

Back in May I attended my first Renaissance Faire right outside Los Angeles. As a history buff, I'd always been curious about them. I wondered how people interpreted history and where and how they saw themselves within that context. It's a very interesting subculture that is made up of genuinely sweet and lovely people. The faire that's held here every year is a massive event that goes on for two months in the spring. I got such a kick out of walking around and seeing everyone in their costumes (period or not). There was an infectious enthusiasm that I found quite fun and refreshing. Not only did I want to go to see what these fairs are all about but I wanted to shoot portraits! Approaching strangers and asking to photograph them is still quite new to me. Fortunately I was met with kindness, patience, and curiosity by all of my subjects. Here are ten of my favorites! I'm already looking forward to returning next year.

Afternoon at The Getty Center

A few weeks ago we spent several hours walking around at The Getty Center. I wanted to see the latest photography exhibits: A Royal Passion: Queen Victoria and Photography and the Hiroshi Sugimoto exhibit. Both were excellent and they're on display until June so do check them out if you're in the area!   It was a windy and chilly (by LA spring time standards) day so there weren't too many people there. Always nice. I was happy to just wander around my camera. Here's what I saw.

Casting Shadows: Norton Simon Museum

As mentioned in my last post, here are the images I shot of the wonderful shadows being cast by some of the Hindu and Buddhist statues at the Norton Simon Museum. This small room is located on the bottom floor and has a huge window that looks out onto a beautiful statue in a garden grove. Due to the influx of natural light, the statues cast such incredible shadows from their pillars. I noticed this as soon as we walked in and became much more interested in photographing the shadows than anything else. In a way, it brought these deities to life more so than the statues themselves. Rather than seeing them stuck on their own individual pillars, isolated, their shadows mix and mingle and interact with each other.

Art and People: Norton Simon Museum

Today we swung by the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena to look at a few exhibits. The weather was pretty nice and we sat out in the garden for a little while between exhibit hopping. I also bought a Sunprint kit in the gift shop and am quite excited to take it for a spin. One of my favorite things to do in museums is to watch people experiencing the art. I'd been to the Norton Simon several times so I was already familiar with their permanent collection which meant I could spend more time people watching! There's something so quiet, reflective, and personal about photographing people while they're studying a painting (or just relaxing in front of one). Rather than disturb them I like to photograph them with their backs to me. It's interesting to see how posture and body language change depending on the piece of art. The way a person holds themselves in these moments tells me a lot about them and I'm fine to leave the rest a mystery. Stay tuned for a second post from the Norton Simon. I'll be showing some images of the shadows cast by Hindu statues!

Reaching back...

So, it's been awhile. I've been meaning to get back into my blog for a long time. This time around I simply intend to feature my own images which removes a lot of the pressure of creating perfect layouts of other people's work. I want to showcase more of my own photography here as I continue to rebuild my portfolio and website. That said, I wanted to give my neglected little blog a pretty flower and to let it know I still love it. 

Happy Easter, folks!

Happy Easter and Happy Spring to everyone! Enjoy a relaxing and (hopefully) sunny day with your favorite people. I'm off to find myself some chocolate...couldn't resist.


Instagram by Maureen Price

Playing...

I planned a trip to The Huntington for some tea and garden action (yes, action). Normally, I take my cumbersome camera bag with me. This time I decided against it and ended up hijacking Luke's iPhone. There is so much to see there that I had to shoot something. I wasn't expecting to really enjoy using the iPhone camera but it was quite fun and liberating. Sometimes it's nice to forget about being technical and just play around and not care too much about what you end up with at the end of the day.


Images by Maureen Price

Escape

Lately I've been biting at the bit to get out of town for a little while. I need some quiet and some new experiences. There's so much of California that I haven't seen and I want to start picking away at my list of places to visit. That being said, we're going up to the Sequoia National Park in a few weeks for a quick break from the modern world. I plan to spend as much time as possible outside with zero technology. I can't wait to spend the evenings on the porch of the lodge or in front of the giant fireplace. I can't wait to see the stars and enjoy the quiet and the air. I can't wait to hike and explore. In a nutshell, I can't wait.

The beautiful image above is by Marc Fischer. He's a multimedia artist and musician currently living in Portland, Oregon. Check out his site Dust Breeding for some great polaroid images.

Finding beauty...

So, the quote above the picture is from a fortune cookie. Not much of a fortune but I liked it enough to keep it and pop it on my fridge. It's something I always try to remember...especially when I'm walking around with my camera. This picture is of pollen (and pond gunk?) in a stagnant fountain. I couldn't walk away without shooting it. I love the way a bit of pollen and dirty water can look like a beautiful aerial image of some exotic location. I guess it's the little things in life.


Image by Maureen Price. Please don't use without permission.

Adrenaline

I'm totally astounded by these videos from BETTY WANTS IN (a Melbourne-based design studio created by Chas Mackinnon and Brad Goble). These were created for InfinityList.com which is a platform for cinematic adventure sports video. I've never really had a burning desire to hurl myself out of a plane but these folks have made it look seriously appealing. Granted, the athletes featured here are all professionals. So, yeah...just keep that in mind.


Experience Human Flight from Betty Wants In on Vimeo.


"This chapter we will take you to Norway, Switzerland, and France where people are jumping cliffs as high as 6,000 feet."

Experience Zero Gravity from Betty Wants In on Vimeo.



Experience Freedom from Betty Wants In on Vimeo.

Parisian Surprise

Yesterday I received a special little gift from Paris! A beautiful box of Ladurée macarons. If you haven't heard of (or tasted) these little treats, they are from a fabulously famous and historical bakery at 16 rue Royale in Paris founded in 1862. They are "the" quintessential macarons. I kicked myself for the longest time since I never got to try them when I was there a few years back. In all seriousness, the box is so gorgeous I can't even bring myself to recycle it. Such beautiful presentation and a lovely treat. Thanks, Audrey!



All images by Maureen Price. Please do no use without permission.

1 Artist / 1 Piece: Brett Weston

Brett Weston (1911-1993) was the son of Edward Weston and was called a "child genius of American photography" by a former curator of the San Francisco Museum of Art. He was credited by renowned photographic historian Beaumont Newhall as the first photographer to make negative space the subject of a photograph. I love how he's captured the lines and the sculptural quality of this tree. Beautiful in its simplicity.


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Happy Valentine's Day

Here's a virtual Valentine for all of you! This year I decided to paint my V-Day cards after being inspired by Merrilee and her son and their fantastic color theory project. I think these are my best DIY Valentines yet.


All images by Maureen Price. Please do not use without permission.

1 Artist / 1 Piece: David Maisel

David Maisel has created some eerily beautiful photographs in his History's Shadow series. It consists of re-photographed x-rays of art objects from antiquity. I love this concept. It's such a stunning way to explore these sculptures. Read the entire artist statement here.


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Marbled

Paper marbling is just so cool. It's one of those things I've always thought I could really get into but have just never gotten around to the finding all of the necessary supplies (and teaching myself). I love how random and somewhat unpredictable the results can be. Marbling can produce some very organic and complex images. It often ends up looking like something under a microscope. If I ever have a little studio space then I'll definitely be giving it a try.


Image by Lulu Wolf

Gone painting...

I've been working on a little painting project lately. It's taking a lot longer than I planned (always does) but I hope it's worth it. It's a good practice in terms of meditation, patience, and letting go. Maybe I'll take a few pictures before my little paintings go through the mail...


Image by Suzanna Scott | Check out her shop!