My flight landed at Portland International Airport late Sunday night, a mere 48 hours after my last day of work and, for the first time in five years, I was back in the west with no connection to the Northeast. With a new-found appreciation for the beauty of my childhood surroundings, I bounced around the Columbia River Gorge. For a week, I worked on my Syncro, caught up with family and made preparations for the first leg of my road trip.
Walking into people's homes is a look into their lives. Over the last few months I have been spending more time visiting people at their homes, photographing the things they would take if their house was burning. In addition to photographing their things, I always snap a few shots of their interiors to test the light. At first, I didn't realize that I was taking this very similar photograph over and over again. I guess people like certain images. Here are some photos I have shot in the last few months through these open doors.
A look at Jimmy Fountaine's, a snowboarding buddy turned hotshot fashion photographer, stacks of negatives at his West Village apartment.
The ladder up to the roof at Jen Turner's, architect and furniture designer, Brooklyn home.
A look into Sandra Wijnberg's, private equity wizard , Berkshire Mass home.
Having a structured visual format helps me distinguish what's actually different. Although these photos are shot in a very similar way, they all feel very distinct. It happened subconsciously, but I'm going to run with it. It's funny how habits arise.
If you haven't noticed already, I redesigned A Restless Transplant and switched over from Blogger to Wordpress. I wanted to simplify the site and have the options of building more features down the line. If you are experiencing any problems with the transition, please let me know. Time has been tight recently as I am gearing up for some big changes.
In the mean time, here are some links that inspire me as of late:
Behind Brian Kupke's preppy and seemingly conservative appearance lies one of the most dynamic and interesting people I have ever met. A close friend first introduced me to Brian in the fall of my freshmen year as the boyfriend of her older sister, Austin Philips, a tenacious, All-American Rower two years his senior. Brian's origins in Leesburg Florida, and rumors of an NRA card in his wallet, a rarity at Colby, only added to his mystique. Over the last three years Brian and I have grown close and I thought it would only be fitting to write about this interesting character before he graduates next month.
Although not visible through his vintage Yale sweater and the case of 12 gauge rounds, both of Brian's nipples are scarred from two years of housing stainless steal studs and a brass chain.
Upon arriving at Colby in the Fall of 2005, Brian switched from playing Defensive End to rowing four seat on Colby's Varsity Crew Team. However, Brian's extensive resume of athletic feats fails to translate into mano y mano ability, and yours trulytrouncedhim in a spandex wrestling match last week despite his thirty pound weight advantage, 2-0.
Some of you may know Brian as Kuppykakes, a level 80 fury warrior on the Alexstrasza Server. Brian sacrificed many a cold Maine Night to achieve this prowess, and has recently retired from his account, ending a two year love affair with the World of Warcraft.
Over winter break, Austin's next door neighbor, a Yale Alum, gave Brian this Whalerknits Yale Sweater from the mid 80's.
Made in the USA, damn right!
I love the details of this sweater, like the length of the cuff.
Brian being Brian.
After Graduating in May, Brian wants to apply his quirky creativeness to a career in interior design. I am sure Brian and his Yale Sweater will have an interesting and fruitful journey. I look forward to hearing about his exploits and am ready for a wrestling rematch whenever.
I left my job in New York in the summer of 2011 and moved into a camper. Since then, I have driven 100,000 miles around the west, surfing and camping. During the summer of 2014, I set up a home base in the Columbia River Gorge. These are some of my stories and photos.
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(an interesting design philosophy, just finished it),
