Kyota Snow

"Powdered sugar-like snow frosts a bamboo forest in the Arashiyama district of Kyoto, Japan. Though the city, in the central part of Honshu Island, gets snow a few times a year, it rarely sticks around long enough to create these kinds of scenes." -Photograph by Takahiro Bessho, National Geographic Your Shot Link Here.

Really inspired by this photograph.
<3 The Magpie

Sky Ribs

I set off  to explore this abandoned patch of skeletal buildings I could see from the freeway. I've been eyeing it for awhile and finally took the time to go check it out. It had open access and no signs were around, but all the while I kept a sharp lookout as my heart pounded faster in my chest. I love abandoned places and always try to find all the little nooks and crannies in towns and cities; there are a lot more than people realize, you just have look. I do try to be very careful though, especially if I am by myself, and I never go to an area that seems unsafe. Still, the thrumming hum of the unknown and the undercurrent of slight danger does give it its edge.

More than just the thrill of exploring, this place was a photographer's eye candy. It had all these wonderfully sharp edges that whistled softly in the wind while vines creeped lazily underfoot. The tall beams and gaping boards reminded me of a skeleton; a cracked and hollowed form with angles jutting and soaring overhead. It was so peaceful and eerily beautiful. My camera practically took pictures on its own, that's how much it soaked up the place.

There was a sense of belonging there, a sense of mystery, of danger. Of beauty in all its forms. I love finding rare places like these and experiencing them to the fullest. 

I wanted to stay a long time there; and indeed, it did feel like time slowed down and stretched out comforting hands to extend my stay, but it must not have been very long. Just enough time for me to take pictures and experiment with angles, but never enough to relax.

First time wearing these sandals! And so comfortable!

Shirt - gift

Shorts, belt - thrifted

Sandals - DSW

Earrings - unknown

<3 The Magpie

Eternal Ruby

I suppose there is nothing special about work clothes, but taking these photos was more about creating a mood and playing around with angles and lighting. I tried to suffuse them with a sense of light; almost to a painterly effect. I'm still struggling to bring what I envision to life, but half of any endeavor is the attempts to get there, no?

Aside from that, I was riveted by the strips of shadow and light created by simple hanging blinds. I always find it so strange, yet so marvelous that much of what holds wonder in this world is an unintended consequence of a subject's original purpose. How much are we missing simply because we cease to see?

Also, the title of this blog post was taken from the name of the lipstick I'm wearing in the pictures. As I've mentioned before, isn't the power of names a funny thing?

I took numerous photos of the blinds, exploring their edges and angles from all sides, each photo a staccato beat of an overall tune. I usually try to par down my excess similitudes, but this time, it's the slight differences in each frame that held my attention. Look closely at each photograph and you start to appreciate how light creates its own weight and mass, and how the differences and similarities between the photos start to ebb and fuse.

Shirt, skirt - thrifted

Necklace - Walmart

Earrings - unknown

Headband - World Market

Sandals - DSW

<3 The Magpie

Sunday Style: Blue July

There was a spectacular sunset two Sundays ago, and I had to run out to the field in our backyard to try and capture it. The detail and colors of sunsets (and skies in general) seem to never be translated completely over to photographs, but that doesn't stop us from trying. Who hasn't seen a sunset pic? (If you haven't, here you go, and you're welcome!)

You may have also noticed I include a lot of out-of-focus or "blurry" pictures. I find them interesting, if they look a certain way. There is an impressionistic-feel to them, a semblance of reality that starts to turn into something before our eyes, yet we are uncertain of its material form. I love the streaks and blurs of light and color that waver and turn, twisting the known static into a metamorphic exchange. Am I delving too deeply into the artistic mind? Perhaps I read too much into them, but I cannot help but write down what I think. Artists. We never learn. 

I love cobalt blue, and I have been planning to match this blue cardigan to this wrap-around skirt I found at a thrift store for quite awhile, but only recently (finally) pulled it out. I will probably wear both together again at school. I used to repeat favorite outfits more often, but it's become much more difficult - but only because I keep creating new ones. Sounds like a terrible trial, no? :)

Cardigan - Modcloth

Skirt - Thrifted

Sandals - DSW

Earrings - Old Navy

<3 The Magpie