Saturday, February 28, 2015

City Daily Photo Theme Day: Ageing

Veterans Day Parade 2014-11-08 16

It's the first of the month and City Daily Photo's theme day topic is ageing. I met this tough old guy while shooting a parade. He stopped me and asked about my big camera. I was happy to demonstrate, which allowed me to get this tight shot.

I don't think I'd want to play poker with him.

View the effects of entropy interpreted by CDP members around the world here.

ALIVE Q&A: ‘MasterChef Junior’ Semifinalist Ayla Davis

"What is one word that describes your cooking?" "Fantastic." Twelve-year-old Ayla is back from kids' cooking competition "Masterchef Junior" and ready to heat STL up with her creations once again.

Friday, February 27, 2015

Local Love: 5 Of Our Favorite STL Shopping Destinations

At ALIVE, supporting local makers, entrepreneurs and businesses is a growing mission for us.

Peppy Video for @MXSTL Showcases Some Nice City Shots of St. Louis - @Tree9Films

Local

While this type or style of video is not necessarily our cup of tea, anyone can tell that there are some really nice shots of the city that took more than a minute to setup and film. Lots of fancy tracking and jib work that no doubt thrilled the client. It reminds us of that ""Here is St. Louis" film from a couple years ago but with a Rusted Root x Drumline cranked up audio track.

6 locations, 25 actors, 1 block of STL! We were so excited when The Laurel Apartments asked us to showcase life in the new MX District on Washington Avenue. With so many things to do, places to eat, and sights to see, it was a challenge fitting it all into just one film!

ALIVE Q&A: Local Film Director Alvaro Aro On His New Kickstarter-Backed Movie, ‘Sophie’

ALIVE gets the dish on the latest addition to our local film scene.

Butterfly House Morpho Mania!

Spring just can’t get here fast enough! Thank goodness for March Morpho Mania at the St. Louis Butterfly House where you can get a jump on spring no matter what the weather is doing!  What is March Morpho Mania? March Morpho Mania is the Butterfly House’s annual blue butterfly festival–they will release THOUSANDS of big […]

The post Butterfly House Morpho Mania! appeared first on StLMotherhood.

St. Augustine, in the Snow

Our Lady of the Snows takes its name from the miraculous snow that fell on the Esquiline Hill in Rome around the church of Santa Maria Maggiore. Make sure to catch my lecture on my photography...

Thursday, February 26, 2015

St. Louis Named the ‘Fourth Most Creative City In America’

Our February Innovations Issue gave locals a little insight about St. Louis' potential, but now the city's creativity is turning heads nationally.

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Hebert and Jefferson, in the Snow

I return to this intersection often because it affords good views of St. Augustine a block away, but I still find the condition and life of the residential buildings on the other corners interesting to...

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Design Award

Forest Park 2015-02-21 4

A creative approach. Keep off the chill but be careful. If you give this snowman its arms too early in the party it will look like it is hemorrhaging.

Monday, February 23, 2015

Poster & Teasers for Final Season of 'Mad Men'

National

Grab your drinks and cigs, Mad Men returns for a final season April 5th.

Looks We Loved At The 2015 Academy Awards

The Oscars red carpet is Hollywood's biggest of the year, and although it was a bit of a damper to see so much of the same thing, the true fashion stars still stood their ground.

Bellefontaine Cemetery in the Snow, February 2015

Try and make it out to Bellefontaine Cemetery before the snow melts; it’s worth doing.

Sunday, February 22, 2015

Vue 2

Forest Park 2015-02-21 5

There is more of a difference between yesterday's picture and today's than landscape and portrait. Both are HDRs, shot in color and converted to black and white. I've been going back and forth about whether I prefer Photoshop Merge To HDR Pro or Photomatix for HDR processing. Yesterday's was Photoshop. It keeps the final image pretty simple while bring in a wide range of tonal values. This one is Photomatix. Color photos made with this application can be lurid and overblown, IMHO. The B&Ws still don't look natural but can have a lot of dramatic pop.

Any other HDR technicians out there? What do you prefer?

Friday, February 20, 2015

Our Favorite Fall 2015 Trends From NYFW

Another New York Fashion Week season has come and gone leaving us plotting our wardrobes a full two seasons ahead in preparation for fall 2015.

Celebrating Another Year of Progress & Preparing for More Revitalization in 2015: a full recap of ONSLRG’s Annual Meeting & Pot-Luck Supper

Despite the snowy conditions and the frigid temperatures, a good crowd of dedicated Old North St. Louis residents and friends braved the elements this past Monday evening to attend Old North St. Louis Restoration Group’s 2015 Annual meeting & Pot-Luck Supper. Since some of those who had planned to join us couldn’t do so because [...]

Thursday, February 19, 2015

Paperdolls Boutique Hosts Warehouse Sale In Kirkwood

Paperdolls has announced that they will be hosting their first warehouse sale Feb. 28 and Mar. 1 in Kirkwood, offering customers discounted merchandise at up to 90 percent off.

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Beauty Files: Top Beauty Trends from NYFW

Sure, we're here for the fashion, but the beauty looks from the New York Fashion Week runways are not to be ignored.

Jesus... in a Marketing Meeting

National

Never-before-seen original footage of the historic meeting leading to the biggest advertising stunt of all time. Created by Montreal-based creative production company 1one in partnership with integrated advertising agency lg2.

Via

Storefront, St. Louis Place

This building has changed little since I photographed it above several years ago. It looked like it received new windows recently, but then the owner seems to have given up. Last weekend, I discovered above...

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

#ALIVEatNYFW: On The Scene At Lacoste AW15

The Lacoste show rang like a love song to tennis and athletic style, as designer Felipe Oliveira Baptista quite rightly emblazoned “Rene [Lacoste] did it first” across many of the looks in his late 70’s inspired collection.

5 Arts And Culture Activities To Cure Your Cabin Fever

Feeling isolated and cooped up this winter? Temperatures might be dipping into the teens, but St. Louis' arts and culture calendar is heating up. Cure your winter blues by filling your agenda with these five arts and culture events.

#ALIVEatNYFW: On The Scene At Tibi AW15

There’s a reason why we overheard comments like, “I want all the coats” and “Dreamy!” while observing Amy Smilovic’s AW15 show for Tibi, which took place in trendy Chelsea proper, against a red brick façade, narrow halls and high ceilings with exposed piping.

Soccer Player Ibrahimovic Tattoos 50 Names on Himself for @WFP

National

We're not sure if these are permanent or temporary tattoos, but it's definitely one way to make a statement and to get a humanitarian organization some press and coverage. It's also one way to get your team a yellow card.

On 14 February 2015, Paris Saint-German played against Caen at Parc des Princes. For most players this game was just another day on the job. For Zlatan Ibrahimović this was his most important game to date.
Underneath his sweater he had 50 new names tattooed. Names of people he’d never met, but still wanted to keep close. Names of some of the 805 million people suffering from hunger today.

These people don’t often make the front page, yet hunger and malnutrition are the number one risk to health worldwide — greater than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined.

Check out the 805 Million Names website.

Now Hiring: Writer / Content Creator Internship - @BrandAlmanac

Local

Almanac is hiring: Writer / Content Creator Intern.
Please Note: You must become a member to see jobs posted within the last three days.

Chalk Riot: Sweet Hearts

Chalk Riot: Sweet Hearts

Chalk art by Chalk Riot. For info on chalk art events and services by Chalk Riot and Art Saint Louis, visit http://GetChalked.org

Lone House, Western St. Louis Place

  Going…   Going…   Going… Gone.

Monday, February 16, 2015

#ShitToHit TONIGHT: Student Night @AddyWeekSTL

Local

Young guns, tonight's event is still on at Joe Buck's downtown. Throw some chains on your tires and journey on down to get your learn on. 6:30-9:45 tonight.

Cut to the chase, you've majored in advertising and it's almost time to adorn in cap and gown. But questions still linger...will I get hired straight out of school? How do I get noticed from other applicants? Is my skill set attractive to employers? Do I have enough digital experience? What do I say and do during the interview (or not say or do)? The key to branding is differentiation, oh, how do I differentiate myself from others who have experience? And better yet, how do I keep myself relevant?

Get your *free* ticket here.

We are ON for this evening’s Annual Meeting & Pot-Luck Supper!

Yes, Old North St. Louis Restoration Group’s Annual Meeting & Pot-Luck Supper is still going to take place this evening (Monday, Feb. ) from 6-8 p.m. at  N.14th Street.  The rest of the city may have shut down, but we won’t let a little bit of snow get in the way of good, old-fashioned community [...]

This Week In Fashion: Neiman Marcus Beauty Buzz And Scarlett Garnet Hosts A Super Clearance Party

St. Louis' most fab fashion news and events.

How to Hockey: The Transplant’s Guide to Embracing St. Louis’ Chilliest Sport

If you're born here or come from a similarly hockey-obsessed city, you're in luck, but if you're new to the arena...well, read on for a guide on how to embrace St. Louis’ chilliest sport...

Art Hill Sledding

Think this snow will last long enough to go sledding on Art Hill? Bundle up and give it a try! For those new to St. Louis, Art Hill is THE place to take your kids sledding when the city has snow. It’s a nice long hill in Forest Park between the front of the Art […]

The post Art Hill Sledding appeared first on StLMotherhood.

Friday, February 13, 2015

St. Louis is The City of Makers - Short by @IHeartBuffets for @ArtEdSTL

Local

The first time we watched this, we didn't really devote enough attention to the experience or the message. The second time thru, we watched in full screen HD with stereo speakers. It's truly quite stunning and even rapturous in a way that a normal soundtrack can't achieve. And when you realize that it's focusing on all local artists, performers and makers... well, then a swell of pride begins to bloom.

Beautiful work by Ben Kaplan.

Magic Exists - Valentine's Day Card from @Y_B_Creative

Local

Can't remember the last V-day card we've seen from a studio. But uh, here's one.
More pretty time lapse footage for your friday.

10k Timelapse of Rio De Janeiro

National

Move over 4k. Hell, move over 8k.

I put together showcasing the extreme resolution of the PhaseOne IQ180 camera of which it was shot. This footage comes from some shots I did while shooting 4K and 8K timelapses in Rio De Janeiro for a major electronics manufacturer. Each shot is comprised of hundreds individual still images, each weighing in at a whopping 80 megapixels. Each individual raw frame measures 10328x7760 pixels.

Each shot was very minimally processed and included curves, input sharpening, saturation adjustments. The h264 compression really kills alot of the fine detail. No noise reduction was done on any of the shots. I tried to keep the shots as close to raw as possible so you may see some dust spots, noise, and manual exposure changes I made while shooting. For a final video edit these adjustments would be smoothed out and fixed. Normally I run shots where I manually change exposure during the shot through LRTimelapse, but unfortunately the program can't seem to handle such huge raw files. I also had to loop some shots in order to have enough runtime to do some zooms, so you may see a jump in the footage here and there.

Each shot sequence starts off with the full resolution footage scaled down to fit within a 1920x1080 resolution (14% scale). The next shot in each shot sequence is the full resolution shot scaled to 50%, so basically zooming in quite a bit. From there we go into the full resolution shot scaled to 100%, which is an extreme zoom/crop. As you can see, the quality and detail holds up extremely well, it’s pretty amazing.

Eugene Nims House, Bee Tree County Park

Bee Tree Park is the former estate of Eugene Nims, the founder of Southwestern Bell. The house served as a summer residence, and the design features large entertainment rooms and less private space than would...

Thursday, February 12, 2015

Oregon Avenue Wall, Revisited

I finally made it up to the other end of the mysterious block of Oregon that’s blocked by a historic retaining wall. There’s a beautiful church up there, but no real strong evidence that would...

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

5 Must-Have Wardrobe Items To Stay Stylish (And Warm) At Mardi Gras

To beat the chill and still look stylish, here are five of our must-have wardrobe items for looking fashionable and functional at Soulard Mardi Gras.

In The Rain Forest

Tenorio Rain Forest 2015-02-10 1

Long day trip yesterday with the superb 3 Monkies tour company, the best in Guanacaste Province. We have used them on all of our trips to Tamarindo. This time the itinerary was the rain forest on the Pacific side of the Tenorio volcano (lots of those here) and the Llanas de Cortez waterfall.

We drove from the provincial capital of Liberia down the Panamerican Highway, up a secondary road to the town of Rio Naranjo (Orange River), then up five miles - at least - of really bad road to the Heliconias Lodge in the rain forest. It's dry season here but the woodland is still lush. Our guide took us on a strenuous walk up and down the mountainside, through the canopy and over four suspension foot bridges.

Along the trail our guide spotted this brilliant millipede. These are after-and-before pictures. It was wandering down the trail, happy as can be, but quite vulnerable to predatory birds. Our guide explained that some birds can suck them down like a piece of spaghetti. The sound of our feet made it curl up into a pinwheel, too wide for a bird's throat.

Mrs. C wonders if millipedes were the inspiration for the Slinky.

Tenorio Rain Forest 2015-02-10 2

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Pura Vida

Not Yet Noon

Pura vida is the quintessential Costa Rican phrase. It means so much more than pure life. A server could greet you at a restaurant with it. A friend might say it to express best wishes. Its many meanings sum up the Costa Rican view of life. These photos try to give a few examples.

First, 11:15 AM, brunch at the popular beachfront restaurant in Tamarindo, Nogui. 11:15 AM. The man with his back to the camera has a shirt with the logo of the Budweiser of Costa Rica, cerveza Imperial. Can you read the words above it? I suppose the fluid level in the wine glasses could be lower. Pura vida.

Next, early afternoon at Witch's Rock Surf Camp and restaurant (motto: Nachos As Big As Your Ass). What wouldn't you give for the sun, Pacific ocean, a hammock and your iPhone? Pura vida.

Last, a hazy sunset on Playa Langosta just outside our condo. The couple's body language seems awfully closed up. Pura vida to them.

Pura Vida

Playa Langosta 2015-02-08 6

Monday, February 9, 2015

This Year's Super Bowl Ads Recreated with Legos

National

A+C Studios started working on "The Brick Bowl" as the ads were airing during the game, finishing it in just 36 hours. No word on what substance fueled their voracious energy.

Via

Stained Glass, Old St. Elizabeth’s, Now International Institute

What To Wear: Mayor’s Mardi Gras Ball

One of St. Louis' hottest parties of the year, the Mayor's Mardi Gras Ball kicks off Friday in the rotunda of the beautiful St. Louis City Hall.

Sunday, February 8, 2015

Anonymous House, St. Louis Place, Revisited

I saw this house last year, and the yard was full of garbage. It’s been cleaned up and boarded up quite nicely.

Saturday, February 7, 2015

Mark Your Calendars: Saturday, May 9 is the day for the 2015 Old North House & Community Tour… & We’re Teaming Up with the Spring Fling Vintage Market

This year’s Old North House & Community Tour, scheduled for Saturday, May 9, will be bigger and better than ever! No, that’s not just a lot of unsubstantiated hype. We can guarantee it because this year we’re joining forces with the Spring Fling vintage street market so that attendees of our tour will have even more to see [...]

Now Hiring: Art Director / Designer Internship - @Fusion_Mktg

Local

Fusion Marketing is hiring: Art Director / Designer Internship.
Please Note: You must become a member to see jobs posted within the last three days.

*Network* Now Hiring: Strategist - @HLKAgency

Local

Description:
HLK, a full-service digital agency with offices in St. Louis and Denver, handling digital/advertising, media, brand planning, content development, and social and public relations is seeking a Strategist with a minimum of two years of experience in a strategic role with an emphasis on digital strategy. This is an excellent opportunity for a strategic thinker with strong attention to detail. This position offers an excellent work environment that will allow the right individual to get involved in all aspects of marketing and communication.

The Strategist works directly with the client and is responsible for translating business objectives into strategic communications solutions from idea through execution and improvement. This person must be able to confidently make decisions and back those decisions with strategic reasoning at the development of the plan and throughout the implementation process.

See the full details

Please Note: You must become a member to see jobs posted within the last three days.
*Note to Agencies: The 'find a job' link is the most clicked-on area of our site by readers.*

Friday, February 6, 2015

2015 GO! St. Louis Marathon Medal Revealed!

Take a look at the GO! St. Louis 15-Year Anniversary marathon finisher medal. It’s a top quality medal, with unique design features that celebrate the organization’s milestone anniversary. A colorful ribbon that disappears inside the medal and special engraving make this medal one-of-a-kind, and something you will want to add to your collection. Only one way to secure one, register today.  

The post 2015 GO! St. Louis Marathon Medal Revealed! appeared first on Go! St. Louis.

On Tap: Urban Chestnut Expanding Distribution to Chicago

Urban Chestnut Brewing Co.'s sharing its beers with Chicago, 4 Hands Brewing Co. brings the Lupulin Carnival and more in this week's drinking news.

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

10 Mardi Gras Events You Can’t Miss this February

Mardi Gras is officially in full swing in St. Louis with numerous events for all ages taking place around the city.

Martin Luther King Dr, Between Burd and Hodiamont Avenues

Here is the Wellston Loop, which stretched from the actual town of Wellston into St. Louis. It is in transition, and only the future will show what its fate will hold.

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Come on Down! Beggin Pet Parade in St. Louis

There really are parts of Mardi Gras that are totally family friendly–and even dog friendly. Yes, it’s time again for the Beggin Pet Parade in Soulard! (Woof! Woof!) Yes, Mousse, it’s time to dress up–you’re going to be in a parade!  The St. Louis Beggin Pet Parade is Sunday, February 8 and runs from 10am […]

The post Come on Down! Beggin Pet Parade in St. Louis appeared first on StLMotherhood.

I Scream

Iscream Cakes 2

One of those new businesses on Cherokee Street. If you are Anglo rather than Latino, the scene is definitely hipster. This store wouldn't draw me in, though, with the horror movie logo. Does the staff wear hockey goalie masks? Is there something crawling inside the cakes?

Iscream Cakes

Ropa Vaquera

Boot Store

I'm brushing up my Spanish for reasons that will become apparent on Sunday. These days, when I try to think of a word in Spanish, French comes into my head. When we were in France last summer, I would often remember the Spanish term for something. It's fortunate that I'm not planning a trip to Italy.

We have a small Latino population by US standards but what we have is centered around Cherokee Street. There are a few Mexican clothing and beauty supply shops. You can buy outrageously ornate cowboy boots. (Ropa vaquera means cowboy clothing.) At one shop they have on offer, in descending order, exotic boots (as above); Texanas, which is just the feminine form of Texan, so go figure; cowboy clothing; work shoes; and exotic jewelry from New York. Use your imagination.

You can also review upcoming Mexican musical events. Here's a video from the band headlining the show, which, for reasons that completely escape me, is set in Brooklyn.

Latinos Beauty

Los Huricanes del Norte

Monday, February 2, 2015

Super Bowl Heroin Ad Stirs up St. Louis

Last night’s Super Bowl commercials contained a lot of tear jerkers–especially in the St. Louis TV market where football fans were treated with a jarring local ad, “That’s How I Got Addicted to Heroin.” Here it is again, just in case you haven’t been humming the snappy tune all morning… A lot of my Facebook friends […]

The post Super Bowl Heroin Ad Stirs up St. Louis appeared first on StLMotherhood.

Sunday, February 1, 2015

Drive Through Pay Phones, Hodiamont and Ridge Avenues

I have never seen a parking lot with actual drive-through lanes for pay phones. At first, we thought the circular brackets served as mounts for the phones, until we realized they were originally there to...

CDP Theme Day: If you had to leave forever the city from which you usually post, what would you miss most?

2011-10-28 World Series Game 7 - 13

You thought I was going to say the Arch. Nope, the Cardinals.

The Arch is my totem, my colossus, my interplanetary monolith. I get to see it almost every day but most people in the region, away from downtown, do not. They may be more likely to find it as a logo on a delivery truck.

But the Cardinals, that's different. I've often referred to the team in these posts as the state religion. It's more than that, though. They are absolutely the unifying element of metro St. Louis. Everybody loves the Cardinals. There are 30 major baseball teams. We are the 18th largest market and we consistently rank in the top two or three in annual attendance. The team wins more than its share of championships - only the Yankees have won the World Series more often. In the 21st Century, the Cardinals are the Spirit of St. Louis.

These shots were taken over the last several years, mostly in and around the stadium, including one month old Madeleine attending a game. The cult is carried world-wide as in the last picture, with me and Mrs. C wearing our Cards shirts at Mt. Everest base camp in Tibet.

And it doesn't hurt that they have the best looking uniforms in baseball.

Cards-Dodgers 2013-10-11 2

2011-10-28 World Series Game 7 - 10

NLCS Game 5, 2011-10-12

Musial Memorials 2

Cards-Dodgers 2013-10-11 1

NLCS Game 6 - Cardinals Win - 2

NLDS Game 5 2013-10-09 13

Madeleine at Busch 2013-09-23 5

Cardinals Fans At Everest Base Camp