Sunday, June 30, 2013

Photography Concept and Styling - RECOLLECTION

This time I'm not only playing with images I'm also playing with words, ideas, perception and even psychology. Not too seriouly. The word is recollection and it is about my childhood memory. I trust myself in your hands.

by Kreetta Järvenpää/ www.gretchengretchen.com blog


by Kreetta Järvenpää/ www.gretchengretchen.com blog

Let me tell you. I have had the memory of my mom mowing the lawn since the heatwave that started on Monday. Heat is gone but my mind can't stop thinking that memory. Hearing the lawn mower's sound and the smell of grass makes it even stronger. 

This week I've been sick and I have spent my time drawing a little bit. I've been trying to draw a good picture of my memory. Still trying. So in the middle of drawing today I got a better idea. Color concept. You see, my mom had a striped top on her and denim shorts - I remember. I decided to continue with the colors of that top. Those colors you can see in my pictures. What else can you see?

Well, from the color concept I started to doodle the word recollection. But before that I had asked my husband (who is better in English than me) what word should I use memory, recollection or my favorite memento. Recollection we decided. Back to the doodling...so when I was doing that my husband suddenly said that actually recollection is not so heartwarming word - I can agree with that. It is more like a cold defining word replacing the beautiful and sentimental word memory. Well, here we are back in square one :)

But then suddenly - I got a great idea. I think. Rorschach inkblot test. My husband's comment was what I needed to have an idea. I decided to ask a question of human nature with my photo essee. We have 4 images that makes our mind swirl. What these images represent to you? 

By answering you reveal something from your nature and personality...and your personality - feelings, behavior, memories, way you think, way you want to be, what you love and hate and why - the whole matter is so complicated structure of different kind of things. Human mind is so weird and we do not know everything yet even though people has spent so much time studing it and developed so many ways to measure our personality and theories to explain it. 

The biggest question is do you believe in this kind of theories? When I was doing my inkblot images...I noticed that somehow what ever I did it came out reminding of something very familiar to us - all women - and somehow it doesn't make me to believe it more. But I won't go further. But if you want to try, just do it! It is always fun to make tests and see how it goes. Do it with your best friend and have fun!...and of course these aren't real ones at all.

Ok, if you made it this far...I can tell you that this was a story of my process to make a photo essee of my summer memories. Isn't it crazy where you might end up if you let your ideas and thoughts wander freely. I recommend. Have a thought, have another one. If you are stuck - change the direction - you'll find your answer sooner than you think!

xo
Kreetta

I made one mistake in doing these photos. Can you see what it is?

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Croatia - finding a good hideaway


Croatia by Kreetta Järvenpää

We arrived to Lopud Island.


 Croatia by Kreetta Järvenpää

This used to be.

 Croatia by Kreetta Järvenpää

We walked through. 

 Croatia by Kreetta Järvenpää

We heart Poppies.

 Croatia by Kreetta Järvenpää

Can you see it? Scorpio. Learned a little bit astronomy, thanks to my husband.

 Croatia by Kreetta Järvenpää

Trip trio.

 Croatia by Kreetta Järvenpää

Beautiful evening light.

 Croatia by Kreetta Järvenpää

The hidden Giorgi-Mayneri botanical park. Cooling shade.

Croatia by Kreetta Järvenpää

Dubrovnik - you can't hide. But maybe you don't want to.


Croatia by Kreetta Järvenpää

Amazing colors. Beautiful creatures.

Croatia by Kreetta Järvenpää

Gooood food outside the old town. Sesame.

Croatia by Kreetta Järvenpää

 Small old town. Smooth paving stones.

Croatia by Kreetta Järvenpää

One week. Adventure. Sun. Clear turquoise waters. Heat. Shades and cooling evenings. Experience. Together. We love Croatia.  

Monday, June 24, 2013

DIY Festival Sun Visor

Hello all you lovely people - how are you? I'm back from my trip in Croatia. Later this week you'll see some photos from there. Mette from lovely DIY blog Monsterscircus has made a cool and romantic DIY festival sun visor for you. You can't miss this! I would have needed this Mette's DIY sun visor in Croatia. It is useful for your summer days! And lovely photos by Mette!

by Mette from Monsterscircus
© Monsterscircus

Hi Lovelies! I'm Mette from monsterscircus and I'm really excited to do this post at Gretchen Gretchen - As all of you, I'm always so stunned by Kreetta's amazing talent so I did this project with shaking hands:-) DIY holds a special place in my heart and I love the calming feeling that the process of making something, gives me - And I want to share a summer project that'll help to protect your eyes.

Kreetta told me that you here in Finland have so many wonderful festivals all summer long - So let's celebrate music, summer and great company today - The biggest festival in Denmark is Roskilde Festival, this really rocks too.
 
DIY by Mette from Monsterscircus
© Monsterscircus
So if you're going to a festival this project is one of the key items to bring. It'll take you less than half a hour so it's a perfect summer project where there's so many fun things to do.
Let's craft on, here's the tutorial.

DIY by Mette from Monsterscircus
© Monsterscircus


DIY by Mette from Monsterscircus
© Monsterscircus
If you aren't able to find leather you could make the sun visor in cardboard, apply decoupage glue and lovely fabric. I did a cardboard model to test the project and with decoupage glue it'll be semi waterproof:-)

DIY by Mette from Monsterscircus
© Monsterscircus
Thank you Kreetta so much for having me here today and thank you all for reading - I hope you enjoyed this project and would consider adding a adorable and chic sun visor to your festival/ or everyday attire.

If you got the time to stop by monsterscircus there's a chance that you'll find another summer project that's in your favor.
I wish you're going to have an amazing summer, enjoy!

/Mette

Wow, Mette this is cool! Thank you! Beautiful! 


One more thing...I want to name few music festivals that are great here in Finland. If you happen to be here. Expecially in music festivals like Flow. There are performing artists like Kraftwerk 3D (GER) , Cat Power(US), Timo Lassy Band(Fi) so many more. Check out also festivals like Ruisrock, Ilosaarirock and Pori Jazz. There are so many festivals in Finland in the summer time. One really funny festival is The Swamp Soccer World Championships. You know, we have the beautiful summer light here so we have to be awake and celebrate it! 

xo 
Kreetta

Thursday, June 13, 2013

Am I a foodie? Are you a foodie?

This is it. Once I get excited about something - you will hear about it. Food. Wild edibles. Like last spring I was making nettle pasta. Yesterday we made salad and we used gout weed flowers and blackcurrant leaves.


www.gretchengretchen.com

Today we made beetroots with spinach and cashew peanuts with salad rocket with salt, pepper and honey. Lima bean with garlic, thyme, parsley, sage, olive oil, salt and pepper. Simple. Easy. Actually my husband did while I took tomatoes out to the garden. Their place is in the big wooden boxes. And we all are waiting for the sun.


www.gretchengretchen.com

I'll be on vacation next week so see you in Monday 24th of June!

xo
Kreetta

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Food photography workshop by Aran Goyoaga in Sweden

I say wow.

photo by Kreetta Järvenpää at www.gretchengretchen.com
assignment

Not many often you feel that you are finally in right spot. Not very often you feel overwhelming happiness of being alive and connected to other special people. You are afraid of that you might never ever gonna get this feeling again. Can you fall in love with the feeling of togetherness? I guess you can.
 

photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretcehn.com
aran in action

I just say wow - what an experience. Totally unreal and super wonderful. It was arranged by Angela Ritchie Ace Camps. We stayed in Beckershofs Herrgård. We were taught by Aran Goyoaga. She is behind the blog Cannelle and Vanille. Four days of working with amazing cook, photographer Aran and wonderful people. Eating delicious food made by Nadia, Aran, Fredrik and Ola Rudin. Thank you all lovely people.


photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com
that cheese!


photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com
stylised

There I managed to do two editorials and now I first have to decide what to do with them. One is photographed about picnic and another one is about trip to sheep farm. But here are some moments for you to see. 


photo by Kreetta Järvenpää www.gretchengretchen.com
wild edibles with ola

Have you ever been in workshop? If you have did you have fun? Can you recommend workshop? I can! It's so much fun and inspiration!


xo
Kreetta

Saturday, June 8, 2013

Enjoy the feast - food photography workshop

wwww.gretchengretchen.com photo by Kreetta Järvenpää


I made a little window for you. You get an idea of how I have spent my days here in Sweden, Katrineholm. I've met great people and enjoyed so much this food photography workshop. I will blog more of this wonderful course next week when I get back home. Have you heard about this?  Ace Camp by Angela Ritchie and talented food photographer Aran Goyoaga.

xo
Kreetta
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