First prints (analogue)
GIRLHOOD
I often wonder about the ways in which life shapes us.
My friends (from left to right) Kristina, Franciska and Madeleine in the year 2000.
Cimiterio Monumentale. Milan, Italy.
April 11, 2013
Manuel Alvarez Bravo ( born México City, February 4, 1902)
" The important thing in a photographer is his work, his sincerity, his ability to transcend the documentary to achieve human fulfillment ..."
Manuel Alvarez Bravo
Álvarez Bravo quit school at the early age of 12
in order to help out with the family's finances after his father passed away.
He was a self-taught photographer and his work is as vast as the culture he so
poetically depicted. You can read more about him on his website. This is just a
brief personal comment.
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MOVING
The following photographs took place on a Sunday afternoon. The boy on the bicycle seemed indefatigable and completely absorbed in his own dialogue with movement. I sat there for a long while absorbed too. Neither of us irrupted each other's perfectly sealed time bubble.
April 7, 2013
Flexibility & Discretion
One of the most fascinating biographies I have read is Henri Cartier-Bresson's. He was simply born to photograph. His gaze was that of a hunter quietly waiting for the prey.
The following are some annotations I jotted down while reading his bio. The line below reveals much of Cartier-Bresson's approach to the subject matter and his own dimensional relationship in the split second before an image becomes immortal.
..."Let your steps be velvet, but your eye keen."
Henry Cartier-Bresson
Back to the beginning
I have decided to go back to analog photography- posting on this page. I guess reading inspiring biographies like Cartier-Bresson's has had some influence in my decision, plus, I simply feel that going back to analog is a way of awakening the sight. I got a bit fed up with all things immediate including digital photography to some extent.
February 4th, 2013 Hanka
Octagon
Octagon at Ely Cathedral, England 1997.
One of the first photographs taken with my 35 mm Minolta.
A girl has caught the universe in her hands
Medium format Mamiya Camera. Year 2000
Ely Shadows
Shadows are an anchor to our human dreams. Hanka
These are amongst the first photographs I took. Ely Cathedral, England.
Paulina Aranda-Mena © 2010
Self portraits with double exposure. 01.2013
Nature
    Bark I,II,III       
Movement I, II, III
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| Bowen Alley. Melbourne I often walk past this alley and for some reason it reminds me of a Kieslowsky film (perhaps it's because I admire his work) Anyways, the other day the weather was calling for this photo. Below a series of photographs taken with a 35 mm Minolta   
New Zealand 2010 (analog)
   CHANCE
The photograph below is the result of being in the right place at the right time, unfortunately I can't say the same about the camera. I took this photograph from the opposite corner from which the ballerinas were. It was mere chance! I was on my bicycle waiting for the green light when I noticed this coreography of life! I hesitated to get my mobile out of the bag just as the light had turned green and threatened the image to be lost forever! Luckily, I managed to grab the mobile and take the snap without falling.
The impromptu reminded me of Bill Cuningham's photos of savvy-fashion people in the streets of Manhattan and who once was so lucky as to take a serendipitous picture of the striking Greta Garbo.
This spontaneous beauty pinned to the urban landscape is what life generously shared in the image below. I was not in New York nor had a good camera, but the elements make up for much of it. 
More on Bill Cunningham's work:
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