Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Gallery Show & Companion Book!

I'm excited to announce my latest gallery show, a solo exhibition of forty of my favorite Polaroids!

Instant Gratification: A Celebration of Polaroid
by Nancy L. Stockdale

Union Gallery
3rd Floor, UNT Union
University of North Texas
Denton, TX
(click for directions)

The show opens on Monday, 29 June, and will run until 23rd July 2009!

To celebration my first solo show(!), I've created a companion book, available at Blurb!



You can buy the book here, and check out all the photos in the book and the gallery here!

I hope everyone who makes it to the show enjoys it, and I'd like to thank all of you reading this for your encouragement--I appreciate you!

Monday, June 22, 2009

Giveaway and Interview!

Hello everyone! I'm excited to direct you to the beautiful Our City Lights blog for an interview with me! You should also check it out because there will be a GIVEAWAY from my Etsy shop!

One of the images that Diana (the wonderful woman behind Our City Lights) featured in the interview is today's subject:


Pouting (2006)
Camera: Lomo LC-A
Film: Kodak Ektachrome e100g

I shot this photo while strolling through the fun flea market in de Pijp, Amsterdam. That boy was throwing something of a tantrum, while the girls stuck in the cart with him looked on with disgust. This was a classic Lomo Street shot, as I really did "shoot from the hip", as the Lomography people like to say!

Have a nice day, and don't forget to enter the Giveaway!

Sunday, June 21, 2009

For Neda

I took this photo yesterday, moments before I saw the video of the death of a beautiful young woman in the streets of Tehran, Neda (ندا ). Although I have yet to have the good fortune to visit Iran, professional and personal experiences in my life have made that country's people and fate important to me. As I watched this woman die in the video, and then saw, in the subsequent hours, her memory become a symbol for the Green Revolution sweeping through sectors of Iran, I thought of this image. With her tragic and untimely death, Neda has become larger than life, a symbol of her nation's historic struggle for genuine independence and representation. So many Iranians have been martyred for the cause of freedom over the past century. I continually hope that there are no more Nedas. May the Iranian nation, like all nations around the world, find their own equilibrium, one that is truly just for their society.


For Neda (20 June 2009)
Camera: Polaroid Sx-70
Film: Polaroid Sx-70 Blend

Thursday, June 18, 2009

bicycles!

As a child, I loved to ride my bike--a swank blue 1970s Schwinn with a banana seat and straw basket--all over my neighborhood. I had a little car-battery-shaped transistor radio that I kept in my basket, listening to AM radio and turning it with each turn to maintain reception! Although I got a ten-speed as a teen in the 80s, I never fully embraced bike riding as an adult. Even as an undergrad at Chico State, nestled in a notoriously pro-bike town, I preferred to walk over ride.

However, I've always appreciated the aesthetics of the bicycle, and now that I'm in my late 30s, I've decided to take the plunge again and get back onto a bike! After a lot of research, I recently ordered a custom-made, handmade, American-made Industrial Newsgirl bike from Worksman, the longest-operating bike maker still producing their products in the USA. I haven't gotten my bike yet, but once I do, I'll update you on my return to cycling!

In the meantime, I thought I'd post a few of my favorite bike-themed photos that I took in Amsterdam, the beautiful city of bike-a-holism, back in 2006! Also, check out this fascinating look at Amsterdam's bike culture from a tourist's perspective!


A Bike in the Morning
Camera: Polaroid SX-70
Film: Polaroid Time-Zero


Fangs
Camera: Praktica FX
Film: Classic Pan 400


Riding By
Camera: Olympus e-300 Digital SLR


Pleasure Everlast
Camera: Lomo LC-A
Film: Kodak Ektachrome e100g
Cross Processed

Get on your bikes and ride!

Monday, June 15, 2009

Here Comes the Sun!

There's a new Poppytalk Handmade Market opening today, "Here Comes the Sun!" It's all about summer, and you can visit my table here!

Do you have fun plans for this summer? (or this winter, if you're in the Southern Hemisphere?) I'm catching up on a lot of work, but also planning a road trip through the Southwest and home to California next month! In the meantime, here's one of my homages to summer, shot on my roadtrip to Minnesota that I took last summer. Check the spelling--do you really want to eat "TenderMAID" hamburgers?


Tendermaid Hamburgers (2008)
Camera: Polaroid SX-70
Film: Polaroid SX-70 Blend
Location: Austin, Minnesota, USA

Signed prints are in my Etsy shop! Happy Summer!

Friday, June 12, 2009

Wildflower Bouquet

I came home from work the other day, and my husband had made this sweet bouquet from wildflowers, volunteer pansies, and blossoms from the crepe myrtle in our yard. I pulled out my Polaroid SX-70 (loaded with SX-70 Blend film) and took these photos!


A Wildflower Bouquet


Wildflower Bouquet in the Sun

I hope you enjoy these simple little photos! Small, lovely things like this make life worth living!

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

A Thistle in a Bottle

These sweet thistles grow wild all around my neighborhood. I love their elegance and simple charm!


A Thistle in a Bottle (2009)
Camera: Polaroid SX-70
Film: Polaroid SX-70 Blend

Signed prints are available in my Etsy shop!

Monday, June 8, 2009

sometimes...

...it has to be roses.


Four Roses (2009)
Camera: Polaroid SX-70
Film: Polaroid SX-70 Blend

signed print in my Etsy shop!

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

heirloom

This summer, I'm growing several vegetables in a little container garden I created! Along with chiles, herbs, and lettuce that I'm growing in aerogardens indoors, I'm growing three varieties of tomatoes (heirloom Beefsteak, Roma, and Heatwave), two varieties of bell peppers (sweet yellow and big boy green), and tomatillos outdoors. I'm also growing red hot cherry peppers and poblano chiles outside, as well as rosemary. It's so exciting to watch them all set fruit, and I can't wait to harvest what I hope will be a bounty!

While I wait, I've been inspired by heirloom produce from a local organic market. Recently, I got this beautiful heirloom tomato, and I just had to take a couple of photographs of it before enjoying its juicy sweetness! It was absolutely delicious with purple and green basil from my aerogarden and some ripe avocado! Simples pleasures, such as pure organic food, lend so much richness to our lives!


An Heirloom Tomato (2009)
Camera: Polaroid Sx-70
Film: Polaroid Time-Zero (expired)


Heirloom (2009)
Camera: Polaroid SX-70
Film: Polaroid 600 Black and White (expired)