A hazy shade of Winter

“It is sometimes so bitterly cold in the winter that one says, ‘The cold is too awful for me to care whether summer is coming or not; the harm outdoes the good.’ But with or without our approval, the severe weather does come to an end eventually and one fine morning the wind changes and there is the thaw. When I compare the state of the weather to our state of mind and our circumstances, subject to change and fluctuation like the weather, then I still have some hope that things may get better.”

— Vincent van Gogh, from a letter to Theo van Gogh in August 1879.

It's being one of the coldest winters I can remember. I was used to really cold winters when I lived in the north of my country, years ago, but in this coast these low temperatures are pretty uncommon. Besides that, loads of things happened during holidays... not all of them good. Add to that the exams' stress and other unpleasant stuff. But lately I've been lucky to find some new projects, ideas, do some traveling plans with my friends, and all these things are helping me to find the hope that van Gogh talked about. To find warm feelings in the middle of the cold days. The images above reflect my mood during this time of the year, and "Won't you come home" is the perfect reflection of that new hope and warm feelings I was telling you about. A friend told me that I should listen to it at the end of the day, and he was damn right. Devendra's voice makes you feel like your path in life is gonna be completely smooth from now on. Also, Mazzy Star is always on repeat during my winters. Hope Sandoval's voice and the soft guitars can cure any heartache:

And I found this little short film by Gustav Johansson, and next winter holidays I just want to have an "Everyday" experience. It looks like the perfect way to spend winter days: 

EVERYDAY a film by Gustav Johansson

Hope your winter is going great.

— Mara. 

Ph.: Alexa Chung by Zackery Michael, Antonio Liverani, adieu-tristesse, softredinteriors, Mieke Verbijlen (photos 3, 11, 17), L'Amour l'après-midi (1972), style attitude, Beginners (2010), museedesbeaux-arts, Françoise Hardy, Helene hille Rydén, twistytwirls, death-by-elocution, Jared Leto, disorder-of-nothing, thestorycanresume, Léa Seydoux, the girl who rattled the stars, Iciar J Carrasco, Ana Kraš, Margaret Durow (photos 25, 27), Ana Kraš and Devendra Banhart, youphoric, Melanieherself, Like Crazy (2011). 

Margaret Durow photography

Margaret Durow is a 24-year-old Wisconsin based photographer. I discovered her work years ago and I got mesmerized by it. Her pictures are full of emotions. You can feel you're part of the isolation, the bright lights and the shadows. The way she captures the landscapes, the animals and nature feels like you're watching a Tarkovsky or Malick film. You can go through all four seasons just by looking at her work. As we're big fans of her we decided to make a little interview with her, and this is what she kindly answered: 

♦ When did you start taking photos? // ¿Cuándo empezaste a hacer fotos? 

I really got into photography around 2006/2007. It was a really great time filled with young love and carefree friends, our small town and lovely lake. // Empecé con la fotografía alrededor del 2006/2007. Fue realmente un gran momento lleno de amor adolescente, amigos despreocupados, nuestro pequeño pueblo y el encantador lago.

♦ What do you want to manifest with your pictures? Tell us a little bit about your photograhy. // ¿Qué quieres expresar con tus fotografías? Háblanos un poco sobre tu trabajo. 

I started taking photos so I could look at them later and feel exactly what I felt at the time. I still try to do this and looking through old photos is an important part of the process for me. I am always filled with such nostalgia, and so many feelings that seem to contradict, but they fill me up, and I want to fill my photos with them - This heaviness / lightness, inspiration and dread, dreamy light, love, pain, vulnerability and strength. // Comencé a sacar fotos para poder verlas más tarde y sentir lo que sentí en ese momento. Todavía trato de hacer eso y mirar mis fotos antiguas es una parte importante del proceso para mí. Siempre estoy llena de esa nostalgia, y de muchos sentimientos que parecen contradecirse, pero que me llenan, y quiero llenar mis fotos con ellos - esta sensación de pesadez y ligereza, inspiración y temor, luz de ensueño, amor, dolor, fuerza y vulnerabilidad.

 ♦ What inspires you? Which photographers have influenced you? // ¿Qué cosas te inspiran? ¿Qué fotógrafos te han influenciado?

I am inspired by what I feel, how I see and remember things. The way I try to express this has been inspired by all artists and people I know - photographers, painters, musicians, scientists, etc. I've found the most inspiring photographers over the years by way of flickr. The ones that inspire me the most are those share the way they see and experience the world, the feelings they have about it. A few names that come to mind are Lina Scheynius, Maren Celest, Brigette Bloom, and Tina Sosna. // Estoy inspirada por lo que siento, cómo veo y recuerdo las cosas. La manera en la que intento expresar esto ha sido inspirada por todos los artistas y gente que conozco - fotógrafos, pintores, músicos, científicos, etc. He encontrado los fotógrafos más inspiradores a través de flickr. Los que más me inspiran son quienes comparten su forma de ver y experimentar el mundo, los sentimientos que tienen al respecto. Algunos nombres que me vienen a la mente son Lina Scheynius, Maren Celest, Brigette Bloom y Tina Sosna.

♦ What camera are you using? // ¿Qué cámara utilizas?

Canon rebel xti and Canon ae 1 // Una Canon rebel xti y Canon ae 1.

♦ What projects do you have? // ¿Qué proyectos tienes?

I just self published a zine, Ephemeral Springs. I've been putting a lot of time into printing and shipping my prints, it makes me so happy that people want to hold them in their hands. I've also been trying to find a job. I graduated from UW Madison in Environmental Studies and Biological Conservation, and now am working in the Herbarium (mounting and photographing plant specimens) until the end of November. I'm hoping I can find a reliable job after this but I'm also working on my application for grad school and am thinking about going into Museum / Library Studies. But it's also time to get back to my photos. I have so many to go through and add to my portfolio! // Acabo de publicar un zine, Ephemeral Springs. He estado empleando un montón de tiempo en la impresión y el envío de las copias, me hace muy feliz que la gente quiera tenerlos en sus manos. También he intentado encontrar un trabajo. Me gradué de la Universidad de Wisconsin Madison en estudios ambientales y conservación biológica y ahora he estado trabajando en el herbario (fotografiando a especímenes de plantas) hasta finales de noviembre. Espero encontrar un trabajo estable después de esto, pero también estoy trabajando en mi solicitud para la escuela de posgrado y estoy pensando en ir a un Museo / Biblioteca. Pero también es hora de volver a mis fotos. ¡Tengo tantas que revisar y añadir a mi portfolio!

You can find all Margaret Durow's work in here: 

Flickr//Portfolio//Facebook

 + Ephemeral Springs