Summer has arrived in Philadelphia

This weekend I decided to test out a lens from Lumoids. It's a great, cost-effective way to find the right lens for you as well as to experiment without having to splurge on a thousand dollar lens that might end up being a bust. It was also a great chance to go out into the beautiful sun on one of the first weekends that truly felt like summer. I scoped out the crowds gathered at Logan Square's Swan Fountain, Billy sketched, and several people came up to us to ask us what we were about. 

In the interest of being brief, here are some of my favorites from the day. I hope you enjoy. 

 

2015 Flower Show. But, where's the paparazzi?

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Last week, I went to the 2015 International Flower Show, put on by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. I'm not really one to understand gardening, nor do I attempt to even remotely know which flowers are which, but that's not why I go to the Flower Show. It's about imagination. It's about how you take a movie, say Peter Pan, and translate it in florals. It's art. It's not your grandmother's priceless rose bushes. That's dull. You'll see what I mean. Oh, and before I just head into the photography of it all....thank you to Green Philly Blog for the free tickets!

Everything I learned, I learned from the movies.

― Audrey Hepburn

The Art of the Brick: Why I never want to grow up

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When I was a wee tot, every St. Nicholas' Day (December 6), Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Birthday, Half-Birthday, Brother's Birthday, etc. I would receive a brand new box of LEGOs. My parents must have been crazy and/or uninspired about the act of gift-giving. By the time I was in high school, the entire shed was a LEGO wonderland. Trains would creep along the floor. Castles would rest high on the shelves. Pirate ships would traverse the defunct ping pong table. 

Now, call my crazy, but I went to the opening weekend of The Franklin Institute's exhibition of The Art of the Brick by Nathan Sawaya. Picture it: me and about two hundred seven year olds and their parents eagerly awaiting the chance to marvel at Sawaya's creations. He took the most basic of toys and transformed them into his own representation of some of the world's best artworks and showcased his own creativity. Each piece contained anywhere from 4,000 to 20,000 pieces. I bet you don't even know how to process that information in your mind.  To these children, LEGOs are probably a part of ancient history that they'll learn about in social studies class. Hopefully with this exhibit coupled with the LEGO Movie there will be a LEGO Renaissance. 

I don't remember who said it, but basically the best camera is the camera that you have in that particular moment. My DSLR was not cooperating and so (to Apple's pleasure) I resorted to snapping photos with my iPhone 5S. Normally I wouldn't bother posting, but...LEGOS!

This toy became the building block of my life. From a very early age, I wanted to be an architect. I no longer hold that against it, but it is why I'm in Philadelphia and for that I am grateful. From this toy, I learned to "share" with my brother, only expect one thing on special occasions, follow directions, discard the directions, and daydream.