For the last ten years or so, ever since Jesse and I started using a digital cameras, we stopped printing snapshots. The only tangible photo albums we own are from our wedding and honeymoon and the only printed photos we have the ones from my polaroid land camera and the occasional film camera I've played around with (holga, diana+, and 35 mm). We finally decided as our summer project to print, organize, and catalog the last ten years worth of snapshots in photo albums. This was partially inspired by the meticulous photo albums my grandmother kept and how much I enjoyed looking through them.

The photo albums are an ongoing project and occasionally I might post some old snapshots that I've rediscovered if I find any that I like. In the meantime, that project has also reminded me to scan and catalog a backlog of old polaroid land camera photos and old holga photos that I never got around to doing anything with.

So, here's my first dump of forgotten photos. A bunch of polaroid land camera photos from 2011 - 2012 that I never posted, either because I was too busy or I just didn't think they were very good. I still don't think they're great - there's a definite reason why I'm an illustrator by profession and a photographer only for fun - but I'm going to post them anyway.

Jesse. May 2011. The first land camera photo I ever took.

Chandelier from our house in Philly. Summer 2011.

Self portrait. Summer 2011.

Jesse in Baltimore. August 2011.

My dad in his backyard in Alabama. Oct. 2011. The double exposure was a happy accident.

Mt. Vernon, Baltimore. Summer 2012.

Jesse hiking in Gunpowder Falls. May 2012.

Penn Station, Baltimore. June 2012.

Keep an eye out for a post of old holga photos and maybe a post of some snapshots from the last ten years soon!

The last few weeks have been too chaotic for blogging, but I thought I'd post a brief recap in photos. We spent most of our time throwing Christmas decorations around our apartment, wrapping presents, visiting my family in Alabama (including my sister and little three month niece) catching up with old friends, celebrating Jesse's 30th birthday (!!) and then carousing the new year. Oh, and the best news of all is that we finally got an offer on our house in Philadelphia and are set to close on it at the end of the month!

I'm excited for 2012. Jesse's wrapping up his job in Philadelphia and finally moving full-time to Baltimore in just a few days. This year feels like it will continue to bring fresh starts and interesting experiences. My goals for the year include more travel, more sketching and illustration work, and trying to convince Jesse that we should get a dog!

Our house in Philadelphia is still on the market. The only good thing about that situation is that the small garden I planted over the summer has finally ripened and we didn't miss out on any of the harvest. A lot of my plants failed (carrots, tomatoes, and strawberries), but we did get to eat some actual homegrown lettuce, basil, rosemary, mint and peppers.

The peppers are my crowning glory. We've been feasting on peppers each week in nearly every form  - stuffed peppers, grilled peppers, eggs and peppers, pepper stir fry, etc. Knowing that I grew them from scratch makes them extra tasty. Our Baltimore apartment doesn't have any sort of garden access, but that's probably for the best. I've been so busy with work since moving here, I don't think I'd have any time to try to grow things again. My window plants are even lucky that they're succulents and don't need much attention. Each week has gotten a little better, but I'm still figuring out how to balance my increased teaching load, my illustration work, my personal work...and the rest of my life. I think I'll have it figured out soon.