We are Love

We are what we make. We are what we do. Our days are ours to turn inside out.
All photos and text are mine ©2009 unless otherwise noted.
If it makes you wanna holler, and throw up both your hands. jcramstad@gmail.com

Where there may be no difference between want and need:
Pursuit of Happiness
Thoughts and Theme Songs
Black and White
Amorous Musings
Photoholic
Loveology
Audiogasm
I am Blessed
Joie De Vivre
The Honesty Revolution



¡We are Flickr!
Say Hi!



2008 Photo Love.
2009 Photo Love

Happy Monday.

And Happy End Of Football Season. Welcome back to my life, Sunday.

DSC_0210

This photo was taken some four weeks back when my heart was ripped from the clutches of the NFL. Rob the bartender made us Charger colored shots. Luckily, the chargers have some of the prettiest colors in sports, so this photo looks good, but their performance that day was one of the ugliest ever. Woo. Hoo. “There’s always next year.” Shut up.

Congrats Drew Brees and the Saints. Truly. You’re awesome.

Comments (View)

It's Friday. I'm Excited.

And with all the artists I’ve posted on We Are Love, including several exceptional ones as of late, I think Rodney Smith is my favorite.

Now definitely one of my favorite photographers of all time, once I stumbled upon his portfolio, I realized I’d seen several of his images before. In their specific moments in time, they left me rather speechless, and after seeing a larger body of his work, I’m absolutely dumbfounded. His concepts are intrepid, his eye is intangibly beautiful, and everything about his work stems from an ubiquitous solidarity that I aspire to in everything I make. I absolutely love his shit. It’s so good. And from what I can see, he shoots film, mostly medium format, and doesn’t do an egregious amount of post besides his developing. Rodney Smith is a photographer, an old school one, with forward moving visions, and not a graphic artist with a nice camera. No offense intended.

His marriage of landscape, fashion, and portrait come together to form an amalgamation of incredible dynamic proportion. As soon as I’m done writing this, I’m going to figure out which kidney I can sell to afford a copy of his new book, which is giant, and in an edition of only 1,000. He also writes a blog, discussing his photos, which is incredibly interesting, that all aspiring photographers should check out.

You can see his stuff here. I recommend it. I’ll continue to sift through his work drooling, trying not to get my keyboard too soaked.

A side note: Upon reading about Mr. Smith’s book, it appears he has an “army of graphic designers”. And I don’t care. I’m still excited by his old school look and charm. And he’s still a favorite.

Enjoy.

rs

rs4

rs3

rs5

rs6

rs2

rs1

Comments (View)
Comments (View)

Like Father Like Son.

For better or for worse. Hopefully more for the better than the worse.

DSC_1064

Hi Dad.

DSC_1061

Taken in Santa Barbara in the company of the people that raised me.

Comments (View)

Protect Yourself.

And do yourself a favor and watch this. I already shared this with so many. I suppose this is more for the posterity of We Are Love.

So good.

Comments (View)

The New & Improved.

Mantiques Modern.

Proud of what Khoi and I made together.

Comments (View)

Art Fix. Pieter Hugo.

Been digging Pieter Hugo’s work for a long while.

Friday’s are good for sharing. He’s a bad mofo that shoots bad mofos, and captures a little known reality in a beautifully particular way.

8

12

Do yourself a favor and check his stuff out right here.

Comments (View)

A Carioca in Rio.

Marina misses Brooklyn.

sheheartsbk

What a nice image to wake up to. She was assisting her friend Josef on an editorial for a Brazilian publication. The theme was Carnaval. Looks like too much fun.

And, for the record, Brooklyn misses her.

So do I.

Comments (View)

The Empress's New Coat.

Or, “A Silverlake Ambush.”

Vija is one of my favorite humans, and one of my most intellectually thrilling friends. We’ve known each other for over a decade. The kid sister of a child hood friend who has quickly and appropriately earned childhood friend status, Vija makes me think, Vija makes me move, Vija makes me love.

She is truly a gift to anyone she chooses to bestow herself upon. We got to spend some good time on my last trip home, hanging out with my mom, going through records and books, and talking art, life, inspirations and homemade salsa.  I had so many records in my mom’s car that we were hard pressed to find a place for my suitcase. Vija decided then and there that this particular Monday would be a good one to visit some friends in LA. Thanks again for getting my suitcase down there, sweetie.

She’s that kind of girl. With a heart bigger than the city she lives in.

Besides not being ready for me to show up camera in hand, she was spending this day basking in the afternoon sun, enjoying the bounty she’d recently plundered from a nearby thriftshop. That purple coat is still amazing Vija.

And I miss you all the time.

Love.

DSC_0104

DSC_0120

DSC_0136

DSC_0142

DSC_0113

p.s. Vija, please let me know if I punctuated the title of this post correctly. Thank you.

Comments (View)

Sunshine Superman.

From the ‘ol walk to work this morning. Fun things happen when light tries to travel through this city maze.

DSC_0358-2

From the side of a NYC sewage truck. With love.

Comments (View)

Days like Today.

Make me miss Pacific Ocean sunsets like these.

DSC_0177

Santa Monica. 12/29/09.

Comments (View)

Art Fix. This Guy.

Inspires me, depresses me, lights a fire under my ass, makes me want to quit photography, makes me want to master photoshop, and makes me want to throw my computer out a fourth story window. All at the same time. His portraits are absolutely stunning.

He is SO good.

From his “Stranger” Series:

A stranger 53 year old by Benoit.P.

Chosen to be exhibited in the Art of Photography Show. Rightfully so.

A stranger, Montréal by Benoit.P


A Stranger in Silent Library, Anse 8 years old by Benoit.P.


A stranger: Quebec Rainbow gathering 2009: Philip 67 years old by Benoit.P.

A stranger: Quebec Rainbow gathering 2009: Isabelle 22 years old by Benoit.P.

Others:

Marième Nniaye by Benoit.P.

L'expression "mort naturelle" est charmante. Elle laisse supposer qu'il existe une mort surnaturelle, voire une mort contre nature. by Benoit.P.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Benoit Paille

Comments (View)
Comments (View)

We Are Love.

DSC_0361

The New Museum. Mediocre photo, but banging message.

Comments (View)

Dwell On Your Dreams.

Take responsibility.

It’s your world.

THANK YOU Kelly Yahr.

So many parallels to what I believe deep down. Energy follows thought. <3

Oh, and welcome back, Maluna.

Comments (View)