photography – Betwixt and Between

a saturday with frida kahlo

I went to the NY Botanical Garden for the first time about a month ago and it was such a magical experience. I fell in love with the place, the maybe 1/8th of the vast terrain I had time to see [I will be returning soon for the rest, just waiting for a nice sunny weekend, which the month of June has betrayed me of :/]. My timing coincided with the recent opening of the Frida Kahlo: Art, Garden, Life exhibit, which is “NYBG’s evocation of this unusual garden as it appeared in the mid-20th century.” If you live in the NYC area, check it out before it closes on Nov. 1!

It engaged all of my feels. I dusted off my camera and captured the shots below. enjoy 🙂

Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera’s home [Casa Azul]. If I ever have the chance to visit Mexico City, the Museo Frida Kahlo will be atop my agenda.

pyramid channeling their ancient ancestors.

Frida’s studio:

a recreation of Frida's garden studio. — a recreation of Frida’s garden studio.

"I don't paint dreams or nightmares, I paint my own reality." — “I don’t paint dreams or nightmares, I paint my own reality” – frida

Frida had a deep appreciation for cactus plants, as do I [not all of these are from her garden, some are from other parts of the Garden]:

boundary defying. — breathtakingly strange.

flores [I couldn’t resist]:

a metaphor

how life feels sometimes. wallowing in darkness, with light just on the other side.

vintage fotos and antique shops

I went antiquing this weekend (can’t say I say that often) in Brooklyn and found priceless old photographs, only after sifting through probably hundreds of images. It didn’t surprise me that I didn’t come across many images of nonwhite people but it did get kind of exhausting after a while. There were countless pictures of families, friends, and individuals navigating both ordinary and special days, covering a span of life events, down to the minute. But the absence of images of people of color, specifically African Americans, was discouraging. It’s almost as if they were written out of the American family, memory, and citizenship. But I am grateful for these gems that I did manage to find, enjoy:

text written in red ink on the photo: Jack Henderson, 1910-1974. based on that, I assume this image was captured in the 60s? toward the end of this man's life. — text written in red ink on the photo: Jack Henderson, 1910-1974. based on that, I assume this image was captured in the 60s? toward the end of this man’s life.

there's no information on the photo but I want to say that they're sisters? they have to family, they have the same eyes. — there’s no information on the photo but I want to say that they’re sisters? they have to be family, they have the same eyes.

how regal is this woman? — how regal does this woman look?

there's no information on this picture either. I love her pose. — there’s no information on this picture either. I love her pose.

The following images are from postcards I purchased at the Brooklyn Book Festival:

LOL is it just me or do you love this man's facial expression? I wonder what he was thinking in this moment. the postcard caption reads: Portrait of a New York family - 1905, Photograph by W.S. Ritch. — LOL is it just me or do you love this man’s facial expression, too? I wonder what he was thinking in this moment. the postcard caption reads: Manhattan Series #106. Portrait of a New York family – 1905, Photograph by W.S. Ritch.

two women on a stoop. postcard caption reads: NYC Tenement Series #110. West 53rd St., Manhattan - 1927 — two women on a stoop. postcard caption reads: NYC Tenement Series #110. West 53rd St., Manhattan – 1927

postcard caption: Historic Brooklyn Series #322. Local 135 workers on strike, picketing Colonial Laundry at Lexington and Grand Avenues. Clinton Hill, Brooklyn - 1934. — postcard caption: Historic Brooklyn Series #322. Local 135 workers on strike, picketing Colonial Laundry at Lexington and Grand Avenues. Clinton Hill, Brooklyn – 1934.

back to images from the antique shop:

and the ultimate gem, looks to have been published in a magazine: March 25, 1965 - Montgomery, Alabama: Dr. Martin Luther King leads estimated 10,000 or more civil-rights marchers out on last leg of their Selma-to-Montgomery march. (UPI Photos). — and the ultimate gem, looks to have been published in a magazine: March 25, 1965 – Montgomery, Alabama: Dr. Martin Luther King leads estimated 10,000 or more civil-rights marchers out on last leg of their Selma-to-Montgomery march. (UPI Photos). Coretta Scott King ❤

the talented Debbie Allen in an advertisement for the 1981 movie, Ragtime. — the talented Debbie Allen in an advertisement for the 1981 movie, Ragtime, which was actually set in the early 1900s. #HowardUniversity #excellence

Debbie's costar in the 1981 film, Coalhouse Walker. I love the phone he's holding. — Howard E. Rollins, Jr., Debbie’s costar in the 1981 film, which was actually set in the early 1900s. I love the phone he’s holding. I love everything about his features, from his hair, eyebrows, eyes. #perfection

I conclude this post with #ThankGodForMelanin.

attempting photography: serenity in the woods

Using the generous gifts I received for my recent graduation, I bought a camera, and took it with me on a mini getaway to the woods [Shenandoah in Virginia]. There was no phone reception, i.e., no email, social media, calling + texting – basically a dream come true for introvert me. Here’s the product, let me know if you have any tips, advice, comments as I delve into amateur photography.

our humble abode: