Regardless of what happens, I’ll always have love for Kodak. Their films and iconic colors and contrasts elicit nostalgia and inspiration, plus they have captured so many wonderful memories for me and millions of others. There’s no way I could express myself about the gratitude I feel for Kodak better than David Gonzalez did today on the NYT Lens Blog. Be sure to check out his tribute to “Life – and Kodak – Remembered.”

While I try and resist the urge to stockpile Portra and Ektar, Ektachrome and Tri-X, please admire the wonderful Kodak-created images from our Flickr pool below. Please feel free to argue about what you think is the best Kodak film in the comments — even Kodachrome (may it rest in peace)!

“Land Mark, Williamsburg” by Ravi Jolly:

“Coney Island Lights” by Barry Yanowitz:

“Fifth Avenue Diner” by Jill Harrison:

“I C E” by 12th St David:

“No Parking, Williamsburg” by Shawn Hoke:

“Waiting for Summer, Coney Island” by Larry Beckhardt:

“Tower” by Peter Kruger:

“Red Hook Cranes 6″ by Alex Rabb:

Untitled by John J. Genna:

Anyway — who’s in? Let’s meet at the N Train at 8th Avenue at the south end of Chinatown. We’ll walk up 8th Avenue and hopefully sample a few of the local delicacies like hand-pulled noodles, banh mi, and dumplings to ward off the cold. Please feel free to invite friends!

Date: Saturday, January 21st
Time: 3:00pm – 6:00pm (or later!)
Location: Meet outside the N train at 8th Avenue!

Bring a tripod if you want to continue shooting after dark! And if you just want to come along for the food — I don’t blame you.

He’s been really inspiring me lately. Go see more at urban dreamscapes.

The two blocks in question at the hearing were Albemarle Terrace and Kenmore Terrace. Anchored on the north side by the gorgeous Flatbush Dutch Reformed Church and Parsonage, these two quaint dead-end streets are among the most charming and beautiful I’ve had the pleasure of visiting in Brooklyn.

I first learned about this tiny neighborhood when oogling real estate maven Mary Kay Gallagher’s neighborhood guide a couple of summers ago. I have kind of a thing for Brooklyn mews – I find their equestrian history totally romantic and fascinating. So one afternoon, I hopped on my bike and headed off to explore the Terraces.

Once I arrived (a long story involving a very flat bike tire and a bike that has not yet recovered), I found the neo-Federal rowhouses more reminiscent of Philadelphia than Brooklyn. Their original construction dates back to 1916-1917 at the hands of renown Brooklyn architecture firm Slee & Bryson, and Albemarle Terrace is the older of the two streets. The houses that line Kenmore Terrace are slightly more modern than those on Albemarle, and they boast some of the first examples of attached garages which allowed the well-to-do middle class families who resided on the Terrace to easily park their new-fangled cars.

There is a lot more fascinating history about these two picturesque blocks over at NYC.gov, and you can check out the full historic district report here. Also check out more photos over on Forgotten NY – or just head down to Flatbush and see them for yourself!

UPDATE: Ed just tipped me off that there’s an open house this weekend. I mean, if you’re in the market…

Last night in Red Hook, as the sun set one final time in 2011, I made a silent commitment as I looked out over the bay. I’m not yet sure what my resolutions will be this year, but they definitely include far more *me* time. Bring on the selfishness! Today I celebrated by taking a decadent walk through Prospect Park. The sunshine was wonderful. Out with the old and in with the new, indeed.

Here’s to a great year ahead, and may your 2012 be filled with lots of *you* time!

In mid-October, I had the chance to visit Chicago for a weekend with my college roommates. I swear that Chicago had a special effects team overhaul the city for our trip, because the 80-degree temperatures and golden weather were perfect. For most of the years I lived in the city of big shoulders, there had already been snow on the ground and a nice -15 degree windchill off the lake by mid-October. SO MISLEADING, CHICAGO.

Because the weather was gorgeous, we headed south to Hyde Park one afternoon to kick around for a few hours. I ended up taking a lot of photographs while we traipsed around campus to visit our old coffeeshop and the crazy new glass dome of a library, among other things. After I developed my rolls of film once back in Brooklyn, I realized that many of these photographs make me nostalgic for super weird reasons. Envisioning the classroom in which I grew to hate calculus proofs? Apparently nostalgic for me. Fondly thinking back to the times I spent making minimum wage working in a neurology lab? Yeah, that too. The human brain is so capable of recalling totally useless information.

I had almost forgotten how unbelievably gorgeous the University of Chicago really is.

What is a Vertorama? As Photojojo joked, they’re “just like panoramas, only more vertical.” Basically, a vertorama is comprised of two or more horizontal images stitched together vertically with image editing software. There are several advantages of creating vertoramas, but the two most compelling to me are 1) far greater detail in both the foreground and the background and 2) the (simulated) huuuuuge viewing angle.

I’ve included some of my favorite NYC vertoramas below, featuring work from two of my favorite NYC photographers, Peter Kruger and Vitaliy Piltser.

If you’d like to see loads more, check out this great Flickr group. And if you’re interested in trying out the technique for yourself, here’s a quick tutorial! Any vertorama veterans, please feel free to leave tips in the comments!

“9/11 Tribute Lights,” [a four-photograph composite image] by Vitaliy Piltser:

“A Brooklyn Sunset,” [a 31-photograph composite image] by Vitaliy Piltser:

“Manhattan Bridge Vertoramas,” [two three-image composite images] by Peter Kruger:

“Universally Applied,” by Peter Kruger:

Anthony’s candid street portraits really capture the collective imagination of life on the streets of NYC. His shots have been inspiring me to keep my head up and take more photos of all the people around me: on my commute, on my lunch breaks, on the subway and more. Be sure to check out his work and just for fun, I’ve included a few of my recent snaps inspired by his work. If you’re on Instagram and I’m not already following you, message me @loveofbrooklyn. (I’m addicted.)

For awhile there, my garden was a downright riot of color: the zinnias were blooming well into their tenth week, the buddleia weren’t showing any signs of stopping, and the enormous came-with-the-house chrysanthemums had exploded into bright shades of yellow and pink. Heck, even the coleus that I planted from seed were cropping up everywhere in brilliant bursts of maroon. Life was good.

And then this happened:

The early snow made for some awesome photographs, but it didn’t do any favors for the flowers. Looking at that sight this weekend made my heart sink — all that effort for this unceremonious death?!

Thankfully the herbs and sedum are doing just fine, but I have SO MUCH WORK to do this weekend to get the garden back in shape. Maybe it’s time to plant all my spring bulbs? Anyone have tips on bulb planting?

Untitled, by Lucy Aboytes: (Lots more over on her blog!)

“October Snow,” by Nelson Ryland:

“Brooklyn’s First Snow,” by Matt Heidelberger:

“NYC Nor’easter, October 2011: The backyards of Brooklyn,” by Scott Lynch:

Untitled, by Michael Pearce:

Untitled, by Michael Pearce:

“The Silent City / October Snow,” by Josh Derr: