Ladurée

Posted on Thursday, March 22, 2012 by Amanda

What is a visit to Paris without a stop in at Ladurée?

After discovering the Champs Elysées store was being renovated, we made way to the tea room on Rue Bonaparte for afternoon tea. Dripping with an old school fine dining air, Ladurée was a perfect way to wind down after a day wandering around Paris.

Even if it was the girliest place on the planet, Sean actually enjoyed his Marie Antoinette tea (it was SO good) and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed their macarons. Those kinds of desserts are usually too sugary sweet for me, but it was just the perfect bite size and went scrumptiously with my cappuccino.

As I sat there holding my slender tea cup, I tried to soak it all up as best I could, despite still having the madness of Marrakech swirling in my head. I shot off these Polaroids, savored the sweetness of the macaron, lingered as long as I could, and before we were on our way, I tucked the paper wrapped around the chocolate into my Paris journal. I had bought it on my first day in Paris, from this beautiful bookstore right next to Les Deux Magots.

I have kept these little pieces of ephemera from my travels for as long as I remember. I have old exercise books of family vacations of the past, filled with serviettes, post cards and train tickets. And to a smaller degree, I still do this on every trip I take. Maybe I’ll share more of that with you soon.

Rather than let that afternoon pass as a fleeting moment, I now have a little piece of Ladurée with me forever.

Have you ever been? I would love to try out some of the other stores some time.

Ladurée Bonaparte: 21 rue Bonaparte, Paris

Instant Love- A Retreat in Marrakech

Posted on Tuesday, March 20, 2012 by Amanda

I am so happy to announce that the Instant Love Retreat in Marrakech will be back again next year! Jen and I will be heading back to Peacock Pavilions to teach two back to back workshops. Over the course of your time in Marrakech, you will stay, eat and play at the absolutely beautiful Peacock Pavilions owned by lovely hosts, Maryam and Chris.

Throughout the week, Jen and I will lead workshops on how to use your Polaroid cameras and how to use instant film. The workshops are held in a beautiful, cosy tent where we share all our secrets on the basics of how to use the cameras and Impossible Project film, how we use light, the art of composition, and shooting portraits. There will be plenty of time for hands on shooting around the property and one on one instruction from Jen and myself.

We also will spend time shooting and shopping in the souks (gorgeous jewellery, glassware, silverware, leather, and ceramics!) and around the medina in Marrakech, eating fabulous food, having henna applied at a cocktail party (the Peacock Pavilion cocktails are delicious!), and soaking up the magical culture of Morocco. It was a life changing experience for me and I am so excited to head back.

Jen and I have prepared a beautiful pdf with all the information you need about the retreat for you to download. Download the pdf here, fall in love, and email us at info@instant-love.com for a registration package.

Our first workshop was attended by a group of fabulous women and you can read about some of their adventures on their blogs. We miss you, Amy, Andrea, Bria, Carole, Debra, Irene, Heidi, Helen, Liz, and Michelle! You can also read more about the retreat from me here, on Jen and Susannah’s blogs here, here, here (see me holding a sweet little Moroccan baby goat in that post) here and here! You can also see a mention and some of our participants images here at the Impossible Project blog.

We had an amazing time and I would like to thank all these people for their support: Maryam, Chris, Charlotte and Danny at Peacock Pavilions, our editor Bridget and everyone at Chronicle Books, The Impossible Project, Racing Snail Press and most importantly, my two amazing friends and partners whom I love so very dearly, Jen and Susannah.

Would you like to join us next year? It’s going to be an amazing time!

Paris, Je t’aime

Posted on Monday, March 19, 2012 by Amanda

Firstly, welcome back to a newer, fresher Mocking Bird! Thank you for your patience as we cleared out the craziness. I’ve missed this space and am so glad to be back.

What can I say about Paris? Our 4 days were filled to the brim with sweet French magic. She delighted me in ways I could never have imagined and left me pondering faulty images my mind had conjured up ahead of time.

She wooed me as I knew she would with her beauty and sophistication. Seeing her architecture and regalness in the flesh touched me in new ways and I was overcome with joy upon being able to wander her streets as though they were my own.

Montmartre was as perfect as I could have hoped, with her cobbled stones, winding streets, soaring stairways, and boulangeries galore. The hardest part of my day was choosing which patisserie to purchase breakfast from. Our perfect little window overlooked the square on Place des Abbesses, where a 4 piece band would play in the evenings and people would stroll with baguettes in hand. Much to my joy, it also had a view of the Eiffel Tower, that I would look upon with wishes of ‘bonne nuit’ each evening. She truly is beautiful when she twinkles.

I didn’t have too much trouble with the language barrier as I ended up having my built in French speaker with me the whole time. Sean surprised me on my first day in Morocco with an email telling me he was coming to meet me in Paris. I was overjoyed that I would get to spend my first time in Paris with him. We have been talking about going together for as long as we have known each other and it wouldn’t have been right without him. We walked the Seine as I had always imagined, we shared a kiss on the Eiffel Tower, he indulged me in afternoon tea at both Ladurée and Angelina, and we strolled through the Musee d’Orsay and the Musee de l’Orangerie- oh my god, the waterlilies in that museum are AMAZING. I had one of my “this is a once in a lifetime experience right now!” moments there.

Paris always had my heart from afar and now she has a piece of it floating over Rue Lepic awaiting my return.

What do you think of my Polaroid memories? And let me know your thoughts on the new look! It’s great to be back!

I’ve Fallen Hard For Peacock Pavilions

Posted on Friday, March 2, 2012 by Amanda

Today I want to share a little magic from Peacock Pavilions- the fine establishment where our Instant Love retreat was hosted. Peacock Pavilions is a beautiful oasis in Marrakech owned and run by lovely host couple, Maryam and Chris. We spent a week staying, teaching and playing at the pavilions and it was such a beautiful backdrop for our workshops. Every inch of the 3 buildings and grounds is showered in gorgeous detail and loveliness. I was there a week and even on our last day, I was still discovering new little details that I hadn’t noticed previously.

Each room is decorated with a different look but all using elements of Moroccan design to perfection. The first shot above was taken in one of the rooms in the Atlas Pavilion, while the next 2 were taken in the Medina Pavilion. The view from the room at the top of those stairs looks out over the olive grove and as the sun was setting, it was one of the most picturesque sights I’ve ever seen.

Staying at Peacock Pavilions is not just about the beautiful surrounds, for me the best part of our stay was hearing stories and learning about the Moroccan culture from Maryam and Chris. We ran our workshops from the sweet and cosy tent each day and lunched on the patio by the pool- and the food was pretty amazing too. I ate my own weight in Moroccan bread with every meal- Jen shared a Kesra recipe and some images of PP on her food blog, Nectar. It was so good!

Between the cocktail hours, Henna party, yummy breakfasts, amazing hosts, movie night in the tent, fun dinners and photo taking by the pool, our time at Peacock Pavilions was extremely memorable. Lucky for Jen, Susannah and I, we had an amazing group of ladies who joined us on the retreat and you can read about some of their experiences here, here and here!

Maryam writes the popular blog, My Marrakesh and has her first book on Moroccan Design coming out in May. I cannot wait to get a copy in my hands.

Marrakech Has My Heart

Posted on Monday, February 27, 2012 by Amanda

When the opportunity arose for me to teach an instant photography workshop in Morocco, I was of course thrilled and excited, but there was a part of me that was a little apprehensive about going to Africa on my own. Travel and exploration is deep rooted within my heart and is the reason I’m a photographer. I love to explore and discover new things, so getting the chance to shoot, teach and travel in a vibrant place like Marrakech was a dream come true. But there was a part of me that was unsure of what to expect, and I wasn’t even sure it would be somewhere I would even like.

My first few days in Marrakech were an explosion. I had never set foot in a place so loud, so chaotic and so very, very vibrant. I was on sensory overload and at first glance, I wasn’t sure Marrakech and I would get along. My first morning, I awoke to the sounds of distant chanting- a sound to which my jetlagged mind wasn’t able to decipher. It wasn’t until a chance moment on a rooftop terrace overlooking the medina, that my heart was captured. The sun was blanketing the pink brick of Djemaa el Fna when voices called out from speakers across the entire square. It felt as though the calls were coming from every corner of the city all echoing in on top of one another. The girls and I stood there sinking it all in as the sun went down across the Atlas Mountains knowing that we were experiencing something special. It was a moment I will never forget for the rest of my life.

Marrakech hits you hard at first and then slowly draws you in…the people, the light, the architecture, the call and the absolute contrast of it all. There has never been a place that has existed like it in my life. Morocco has crept into my soul and I’m happy for it to stay there for the rest of my days.

There are lots more Polaroids, instant and film photos to come!

Morning in Morocco

Posted on Friday, February 10, 2012 by Amanda

I awoke to the sounds of strange birds chirping in the terrace of my riad this morning, as the sun streamed through the shutter style windows. There is an orange tree that stands in the middle of the terrace that can be seen from every room.

Arriving in Marrakech last night was crazy and I don’t even have the words to describe what that experience was like. Chaos is one word that comes to mind.

We are going out adventuring today with cameras at the ready. Sunshine here we come.

Morocco Beckons

Posted on Monday, February 6, 2012 by Amanda

This week I will be taking off for one of my biggest adventures of 2012. Come Sunday morning, I will hopefully be sitting somewhere delightful with the Instant Love team ready to take on Marrakech and our instant photography workshop. It seems hard to imagine that I will be in Africa in just a few short days. I have no idea what is ahead of me and I cannot contain the glee I feel about the amazing things I am going to get to shoot. Not to mention that I am going to get to meet some wonderful people.

This workshop is only the beginning of our Instant Love adventure as we have got lots of things planned already for the year ahead- one being a book launch hopefully somewhere in North America in Spring.

Mocking Bird may be a little quiet in the next few weeks while I take this show on the road however you know I will be back with plenty of photos to share- film, digital and of course, Polaroids! I’m sure you will see plenty of updates from all three of us from the road on twitter and facebook!

Speaking of facebook, Instant Love now has a facebook page. Come ‘like’ us over there! We’d love the support.

Have you been to Morocco? Photographer’s paradise, yes?

Letters to Lovers: Paris

Posted on Wednesday, January 18, 2012 by Amanda

Dearest Paris,

For the longest time I have loved you from afar. You with your style and poise, never once knowing the longing in my glances, never once feeling the depth of my passion, you and I have been absent lovers for the longest of times.

In vain have I struggled. Struggled to recreate your seductions with charlatan croissants and lesser baguettes. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.

I cannot wait any longer. With every fiber of my being, I will cross ocean and sea to be with you. I shall come in late winter when I will have you all to myself. We shall dance under the light of La Tour Eiffel and wander the hills of Montmartre as we have long dreamed.

With love and undying affection, I will see you very soon.

Love Amanda xx

Check out my Letters to Italy, France and Japan.

*Some lines of this letter may have been “borrowed” from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.

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Yes, friends, can you believe it, I’m going to Paris! Finally! On my way to Marrakesh (where I am teaching our Instant Love retreat with Susannah and Jen), I am flying through Paris, so I am having a few days of awesomeness in the city I’ve been dreaming about for the longest time.

I am totally paranoid about speaking the language and looking like a hobo, so if you have any tips, I would greatly appreciate them. Cute areas to visit, cafes to eat at, museums to wander, outfits to wear, views to see and shops in which to spend Euro – I would love to hear all of your suggestions, so hit me!