It’s officially summer on the East End, which also means we’ve entered the purgatory known as The Week Without School or Camp. Normally this is where I’d joke about accepting thoughts and prayers, but real talk: I’ve legit had so much fun with my kids this week. Turns out I, too, want to eat ice cream three times a day. Whimsical of me!
The only thing stopping me year-round is that I apparently have to watch my A1C now. Made an exception this week. Zero regrets. (My favorite ice cream in the Hamptons is A la Mode in East Hampton, if you’re asking.)
Summer as a lifestyle family and brand photographer also looks like this: jetting into the city for a rock and roll birthday party at Cafe Wha, frolicking around a vineyard at sunset tasting cake (that shoot drops next week, keep an eye out), and ending most evenings on the ocean beach with a family client and, if I’m lucky, a cute dog.
After every evening beach shoot, once the family heads out, I make myself stop and just stare at the waves, for at least five full deep breaths. That early evening beach is natural, quiet, and refreshingly un-scene-y for the Hamptons. It’s like hearing colors and seeing music.
But, girlies: it’s very easy to be chill and reflective when there’s zero cell service.
This Cafe Wha party was incredible! I haven’t stayed out that late in some time, admittedly, but I adore the birthday girl and I had the BEST time. The band was SO good that all their covers somehow sounded exactly like the original band, if not better. And I learned that in my forties, I am no longer attending nights out without earplugs.
I gasped hard when the amps first cranked, and then a kind waiter who saw my reaction said, “I’ll be right back.” He handed me a set of orange earplugs, swiftly, in his hand, like he was handing off illicit drugs. And now I’ve ordered Loops so that I’m forever prepared to party.
Help me pick what goes on my walls
Here’s something nobody tells you about being a professional photographer: You end up with approximately three gazillion photos. Travels, daily life, pretty things, the place you live. It’s an archive that is mega unhinged in size.
If you’ve tagged everything correctly (Ha! I have not), you can sort through it all and basically excavate art for your own walls. That’s exactly what I’ve been doing this week, with my ragtag, well, tags, and my Swiss-cheese memory working overtime to conjure up when I might have witnessed a magnificent sunset at a shoot in the last five years.
We have a couple of walls in our newly renovated house that are very much yearning for giant photos. And I mean giant. The kind you take in every single day. Which means the pressure of choosing something I actually want to look at forever is… a lot.
I narrowed my picks down to water photos, mostly abstract and landscapes. Photos I’ve taken over the years during family shoots, at the beach with my kids, just living life near the water. I mocked them up in frames.
I am too close to this project. Emotionally compromised. I cannot make this call alone.
I’m asking for a vote. Look at the images below, pick the one that speaks to you, and tell me in the comments. I will tally real counts and report the results in a future issue.
Your voice literally determines what I wake up and look at every morning, so no pressure.
I got so many fun messages about my post on saving inspiration! Here are a few I thought you’d love. Keep sending me your sources and tips, and I’ll keep sharing!
How pretty are these Travel Palettes that Wink Design does? I love the idea of creating a visual callback from a place, using a few bars of color, and based on the found evidence of a special place. So good.
Glassette is a content-led lifestyle shopping site, and they curate gorgeous editorial features, often centered on color. Here’s my fave:
Did you know that the kids are saying “clock it” now? A young person told me this. It’s a fun finger clap when you like something! But make sure you’re doing it right, and know its origins, you old fogey.
This was a poignant list of Things You Can Say to Make an ADHDer’s Day.
This article is on the science of dark chocolate and why you should eat more of it! (gah!!)
Could not be more fascinated by this take on the 180 of branding from 2016 to today, and I have much more to excavate out of my own psyche and aesthetic here: “After years of corporate millennial blanding, consumer culture oozes into shape for a new generation.” -The New York Times
In my hometown of Santa Cruz, CA, there’s a literal roller coaster on the beach, It’s an amusement park called the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. This week, they operated their 70 millionth ride on the roller coaster I spent my childhood on: The Big Dipper!
If you enjoyed this post, would you heart it? Thank you!
Have a summery week!
hugs!!
Ana
Thanks for the shoutout of my Travel Palettes! They are so fun to create.
I would do #6 or #3. They’re all beautiful! 🩵