Well… Last fall some changes came about along with the cold weather kicking in. Because of some major health scares I had realized that life is too beautiful to waste away during the winter because “Thats how I am” “This is what I do every winter” “Wah wah, I’m a cry baby.” The selfishness in that hit me across the face and I became so much more grateful for life, for opposites. If there wasn’t the cold, I wouldn’t love the warm sun as much as I do.

Point being here… Reach for a different perspective. Life is good. Love is eternal. God created all these things for a reason. Lets enjoy it all:)

Here is a polaroid I took yesterday evening. Actually its two, one transparecny on top of the other. Impossible’s PX600 and Polaroid Fade to Black. It looks a little depressing, but really its not:)

I started smoking a tobacco pipe about 5 years ago. It was after my great grandfather had died. While growing up we lived across the street from him and my great grandmother in Charlton Massachusetts. Their cellar was my brother and I’s favorite place in the world. It was where our imaginations could go wild. Full of tools and scrap wood and work lights and dark places and weird noises. It always smelled like his tobacco though. The walls were soaked with it. Everytime I light up a bowl and smell the smooth smoke all I have to do is close my eyes and I’m there. I love it.

Smoking a pipe is definitely a ‘thing.’ Its something that is intentioned and looked forward to. I find it gives me a very introspective attitude and when combined with some Noah and the Whale or Iron and Wine things get magical.

I’ve been smoking out of some cheap burl pipes up until this year and I invested in a nice vintage Ben Wade and I tell you the difference is amazing! The feel, balance and smooth air passage is noticeable for sure. I found this pipe on ebay through a legit seller and the pipe was in perfect condition. Its a great place to start…. ebay. You can find an Estate pipe for under $50 easily and it’ll be a pipe that you don’t have to break in yourself. Its used. But in the pipe smoking world, thats quite alright.

On to some tobacco goodness I usually find myself with a burley and cavandish blend. The burley is a nice, usually mild and subtle in taste but packs a punch in nicotine. The cavandish adds some sweetness to the smoke. Great balance can be found. There are some other tobaccos which are much more spicey and exotic in flavor but I just can’t handle the stuff right now. It’s something you grow into I guess.

Here are a few links  if you’re interested in getting started with this relaxing hobby OR if you already smoke…. drop a comment and let us know your favorite tobaccos and what you smoke out of or any other links you think we should check out!

Pipedia

Pipe Smoking Guide

Tobacco Reviews

Toms Shoes on Polaroid Fade to Black film

Hey! If you haven’t already heard of TOMS Shoes then please check out their site. I heard about them a couple years ago and have always wanted to check them out. They’ve gotten pretty popular because of the fact that for every pair they sell they give a pair to a child in need. Super legit cause for sure. I’m always nervous about ordering clothing or shoes online because of messing with the hassel of finding the right sizes and such but recently we found some at Nordstrom. So we got to try some on and I got some black originals and my wife got a shiny gold pair. I was really really surprised on how comfortable these are, they’ve got some nice inserts and like to fit snug. A good mix between ninja and hipster. Once the weather is consistantly warm here in Colorado I’ll be sporting mine sockless. Should work out well. Try a pair!

Simple Mustache Classification

The Mustache. I’ve tried it several times. A couple times a year I’ll let my beard grow out for a few months. After it gets really burley I’ll shave it off and try a few ‘stache styles. I’ll usually start off with a crazy looking bushy Fu Manchu that ends up looking ridiculous on me and so I’ll trim it up to something classic like the Walrus but that really doesn’t fit my face so I’ll thin that down to the Cheveron which ends up looking really creepy so I finally end up with the Toothbrush but I look like a Hitler follower, not cool. Back to a clean face.

This time around I while I was growing the beard a good friend of mine grew a ‘stache that fit him perfectly, not creepy, not ridiculous. Classic. That made me start thinking that maybe there is a style that will fit my face so I while my beard was growing I didn’t touch it, never trimmed it and each day combed the ‘stache hair off to the sides. Slowly but surely I had a nice Handlebar Mustache on its way to fruition and I was super stoked about it!

Mustache Supplies

I picked up a little pair of grooming scissors along with a mustache comb and some wax. From here on out its just up keep and teaching the hair to grow the way I want it too! The wax (or even AXE paste) comes in handy and can tame stray hairs and help get good form and shape. I totally recommend you try to find your mustache. I’m pretty sure everyone has one that works and when it does its hands down the most amazing thing:) haha! Let me know if you sport one!

Mustache on Fade To Black Polaroid Film

Intent of the Heart - Polaroid - Jarrod Renaud

SX-70 and Fade to Black Film

A great friend that I need to shoot with more! Thanks Mark for being down for this interview! You art is pure and carries truth and inspires. Keep it up! Hope all you reading this will head over to Marks Flickr account and check out more of his stuff!

Mark von Minden - Polaroid Lover

>>> who are you and what do you do for a living?

I’m Mark von Minden. I live in Longmont, CO with my wife
and daughter (and twins on the way!).  I work as a software
engineer on networked storage systems.

Mark von Minden - Polaroid Artistic TZ

>>> when did you start with photography, what kind of
journey has it been?

I’ve been fascinated with cameras and photography for as
long as I can remember.  This was probably due to the fact
that my dad is a talented amateur photographer (I learned a
lot of basics from my dad!).  During my senior year in high
school (1992-93), my dad gave me one of his old Pentax 35mm
SLRs, and I started shooting black & white film.  I taught
myself how to print in our school darkroom and eventually
set up a darkroom of my own.  After high school, I worked in
a professional photo lab doing menial jobs (cut and number,
tagging proofs for dust spots, etc.) for a couple of
summers.  At the lab I met photographers who introduced me
to medium format film, thus getting me further hooked.  At
my university I took a few photo classes in the art
department, which is the sum total of my “formal”
photography training.

I spent the summer of 1996 living and studying in Germany,
and when I came back I started working toward a master’s in
computer science.  This also marked the beginning of a long
period where I didn’t use my cameras much at all.  Every
couple of years I would get excited about shooting photos
again (mostly digital at that point), but I never really
produced much that excited me.

Then, last year, I got myself a new digital camera (a Canon
G9) and just started shooting more regularly.  Around that
same time, I met Jarrod (whose blog I’m writing this
overlong answer for) through a mutual friend.  He turned me
back on to analog photography (Polaroids in particular).  I
soon pulled my old camera bag out of storage.
Coincidentally, around the time I met Jarrod, an old friend
sent me his old LOMO LC-A on a whim.  Suddenly I was hooked
again, and I’ve been going strong ever since.

Mark von Minden - Holga

>>> describe your artwork?

I think I’m still trying to figure that one out!  I’m not
sure I have a style or a particular focus.

Mark von Minden - Yashica Mat 124

>>> what photographers or artist (whether traditional
artists, authors, musicians, etc.) have inspired or do
inspire you most?

My biggest influence is without a doubt music.  Music
permeates my life, and I probably get most of my ideas and
inspiration while listening to music (or while reading a
myriad of different fiction authors).  My music tastes are
rather diverse, and I’m always looking for something new and
different.  Anyone curious to see what’s currently feeding
my brain can check my last.fm profile here:
http://www.last.fm/user/mrkvm

My art tastes run toward the modern.  I’ve always been
fascinated with the expressionists of the early 20th century
and the abstract expressionists that came later (especially
Mark Rothko).

My greatest photographic inspiration of late has been the
film/polaroid community on Flickr.  There are just so many
talented photographers out there!

Mark von Minden - LC-A+ Double Exposure

>>> are there themes, messeges that you try to get across
with your images? is it something random or are you mostly
specific when you crack open your camera?

I love minimalism, abstractness, and quiet, meditative
works.  I’ll also admit to having a bit of a romantic
streak.  I definitely try to work those into my photos (with
varying degrees of success), but I also think there’s just a
certain innate way of seeing the world that comes through
when anyone takes a photo.  I often go out with a camera
without any particular idea, but lately I’ve been attempting
to work with more preconceived ideas and extended series of
photos.  I like capturing a mood or a small moment.
Sometimes my photos tell a bigger story in my head, which
I’ll hint at with a bit of text or song lyric, but I’m not
good at spelling those out completely (nor am I sure I’d
want to).

Mark von Minden - Polaroid Artistic TZ

>>> what is the challenge you face most with your art?

I’m my own worst critic.  I’m self-conscious and unsure of
myself.  I usually have trouble just admitting that I’m
making art at all.  So, you know, the usual stuff.

Mark von Minden - Polaroid Artistic TZ

>>> whats gear do you use? like to use most?

Cameras: Polaroid SX-70, Polaroid Automatic 250, Yashica
MAT-124, Holga 120S, Holga 120GFN w/ Polaroid back, LOMO
LC-A, Pentax 35mm SLR, Canon G9.

Right now I’m having a little love affair with my SX-70,
though my Yashica is also a personal favorite.

Mark von Minden - Polaroid Auto 250

>>> anything else youd like to add….?

Did I mention we have twins on the way? Donations of
diapers, film, or Hasselblad 500 series cameras would be
most appreciated.  In all seriousness, thanks for doing
this, and thanks to all the talented and friendly photo
people I’ve met on Flickr and Twitter recently for their
inspiration and encouragement.

I just had to post about this film. I seriously think its the most amazing film ever produced… Why? Because it helped open my eyes to something eternal and meaningful and life changing. Wow, huh? A polaroid film could do that, crazy!

Let me get deep and hopefully put to words what I’m feeling.

I find myself pulling for purpose within art whether it be painting, design, music, or photography. We all do.

What is the purpose? What keeps us from meaningful purpose?

I think our culture has programmed all of us with the goal of puffing up our EGO. Facebook, Myspace, blogs, all this instant “community” where we can easily fabricate ourselves.  ”How do I want other people to see me?” Dangerous ground for sure. No? I can write up little biographies and post links to all the places you can find me online. I can list music I love, art I love, what I’m doing at any given moment. I can post things to make sure everyone out there knows I have a handle on things. That I’m doing good things, having fun and being successful. All EGO centric. (Not saying all this online social stuff is bad, ’cause I think its great!)

But, feeding our EGO can easliy end up on the forefront of our mind.

With this comes the natural draw to compare ourselves with other people who may be doing the same thing…. fabricating. This is so detrimental to artists because it can then drive us to loosing the true purpose of art because someone else does it better…whats the point now?

This whole way of thinking just eats you away inside and snowballs… most often we’ll just try harder.  Get some positive feedback (hopefully). Process that positive feedback and doubt the truth of it leading to a little bit of self-doubt.

An artist is made to be creative. If we’re not creating we’re miserable but on the other hand if we’re creating for our EGO then we’ll also be miserable.

The EGO can overpower the true purpose of art and I think we all struggle with it at times. I know I do.

So….The Message. “What is the message of my art.”

I’ve personally lost the Message of my art and haven’t been able to find it for years. Inside I’ve struggled with “What am I even trying to say through my art?” “Do I even have anything to say?” “Is it worth anything?” “What if I never find something to say, or what if I’m lying to myself about what I want to say?” ”It seems like everyone else has purpose in there art. What about me? Am I a fake? Am I just wanting to be noticed and talked about?”

This past weekend I took a photo of my daughter. She was leaning up against a window and for just a second looked right at me, she had a very somber look about her. I hit the shutter and the Polaroid popped out and me and Olive sat there and watched it develop. After about 2 minutes it was fully developed and as I sat there looking at it, knowing that this shot because of this special film, will fade to complete black within the next 12 hours. I realized that I had a choice to make.

Do I cut the polaroid open to stop the chemicals so I can share it with other people?

Its a moment from my precious daughters life I’d be able to look back on for the rest of my life?

Or do I let it fade away and be one of two people that saw and experienced this moment captured?

My eyes filled up tears from the overwhelming feeling I got while looking at it and realizing some important things. To me it was the purest photo I’ve ever taken, I feel like everything that should have been captured, was. And honestly by ‘chance.’ She could have blinked or turned away.

I was soooo torn….  It just looked amazingly beautiful in my hands. The darks so dark, the detail so detailed, the light so perfect, her face, her eyes were speaking to my heart and I had no words to describe it. If I stopped the development I’d be able to show people and hopefully pass on something good in that…. if this thing fades to black… will it just be a waste? will I regret it? Tess, my wife wouldn’t even be able to see it.

This film illustrated something amazing to me. My daughters life, as is ours, is fleeting, something I’ve alway known in my head but now fully realized and felt it in my heart. Our moments in life are fleeting. To most of us, we have moments we wish we could re-live. I bet anything that those moments were FULL of LOVE and emotion. I bet anything! Not to put aside moments of sadness/pain because those are just as important in life and as in art!

I captured a true moment with true emotion. Olive was sick that morning, she was somber and that was shown in the photograph. The image made me FEEL. What I realized was…. the POLAROID in itself was not important and is not eternal, but the MOMENT itself was important and eternal.

The point was the moment! Not capturing it for later. But experiencing it while it happend! I felt so grateful!

We need to seriously stop and experience moments.

So, I let the polaroid fade and found so much joy in letting it go knowing that the moment was what was important and its something I’ll always have:) WOW. Though, I did scan it multiple times over the course of its fading and with getting these printed off and mounted in succession I hope for it to have an impact.

Anyways… this post might be slightly scattered and so many little points I’d like to delve into but the point I set out for was that I have now found purpose in my art. LOVE and LIFE, the eternal. Some people might see that as cheesy but its not. Its real and its the most important thing in this world.

Love is my message.

I want to capture feeling that can’t necessarily be seen.

I’m so relieved and inspired now.

What do you guys think? How is your journey through art been? Please comment away!

A Moment Faded Lives On - Polaroid Film from Polapremium