Product Description The morning hours before the hustle and bustle of the day commences is the perfect time to pause and enjoy a sense of renewal and vitality. On the morning of December 7 2006 Maria Alexandra Vettese and Stephanie Congdon Barnes each took a digital photo of everyday objects randomly arranged on their kitchen tables and unbeknownst to one another uploaded them to the website Flickr. Noticing a remarkable similarity between their images they agreed to document their mornings by posting one photo to a shared blog every weekday for a year.
A Year of Mornings collects 236 images?always taken before 10 am without discussion between the two women?from this uniquely 21st-century artistic collaboration. The intimacy of these photographs?discarded clothing a view of a snowy day from the window a tablecloth?combined with their striking similarities in color and composition defies the reality of their long-distance collaboration. While clearly kindred spirits the two women have met in person only once. Their friendship is maintained solely online sustained by a shared love for moments of serenity solitude and peacefulness. The annotated photographs in A Year of Mornings radiate an aura of sweetness and light?the promise of a new day.
Enjoy the little Joys in Life January 7, 2009 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I not only have a copy of this book for myself, but I also gave out 2 copies for Christmas this year. There's a calming, peaceful feeling when looking through this book. The photos take a small detail of life and find the grandure within it. Life seems to move so quickly. Maria and Stephanie have created a reminder to me to slow down and find the beauty in everything. The similarities between the 2 daily photograhs are uncanny. The colors always seem to compliment each other. Knowing that these 2 women didn't discuss nor plan daily themes makes me believe that maybe there really are relationships that are connected much deeper than we often think.
Book not as solid as the idea behind it. December 3, 2008 3 out of 3 found this review helpful
A Year of Mornings: 3191 Miles Apart is a photographic collaboration between Maria Alexandra Vettese (Portland, Maine) and Stephanie Congdon Barnes (Portland, Oregon). The two met online and discovered that each had interests in crafts and a passion for simplicity in images. After a series of discussions, they embarked upon a year-long project in December 2006, in which each agreed to take a photo every morning for a year and then post that photo onto a shared blog. (http://3191.visualblogging.com) They uploaded photographs that are posted as diptychs, and time after time had uncanny resemblances. On certain days, I wondered if the two discussed what to photograph--such as subjects, angles, etc. For example, the first set of images were both of eggs. There were also diptychs in which comparisons of colors were made--like green grass with a white ladder compared to a pair of green socks with a white embroidered design. Not all of them have such obvious comparisons, but still make for interesting diptychs. I do have some complaints about the book. First, the paper that it is printed on dulls the colors, and I would've liked to see these images in their true colors, not a muted representation. Second, I wish that they would have showed all of the images from that year instead of just selections, and much larger than thumbnail sizes. Overall, I think that the idea of the collaboration, as well as the content displayed on the website, was a fantastic idea that was poorly represented in the form of a book. Perhaps it would have been better left as a digital project.
nice photos, poor layout December 2, 2008 5 out of 5 found this review helpful
I really loved gazing at these gorgeous photos in the "year of mornings" blog. Though it contains the same beautiful photos, I thought the layout of this book was a bit of a letdown. It could've been put together in a more aesthetically pleasing way, which was surprising, since it's a book of photos. All in all, it's still very nice.
Love it! November 19, 2008 2 out of 4 found this review helpful
Love this book!!! Have been visiting their blog for more then one year. Always love their photos and life style. Finally it's in print! Love it love it love it!
A picture is worth a thousand words November 8, 2008 6 out of 8 found this review helpful
In December 2006, Maria Alexandra Vettese and Stephanie Congdon Barnes each happened to take a photo in the morning and upload it to Flickr. Noticing the coincidence of the common theme, the two women agreed to an artistic partnership: for the full calendar year of 2007, each woman took a photo every day before 10 a.m. and posted it to a blog called 3191. Because they live respectively in Portland, Maine and Portland, Oregon, they have only met in person twice.
Now 236 of the pictures appear in A Year of Mornings: 3191 Miles Apart. The commonplace subjects, arranged in date-paired diptychs, weave a quiet spell of daily life. Jam on bread, braided hair, a cloud-filled sky, each beautifully composed in both senses of the word. Often there's a surprising correlation between the two pictures, either of subject or of layout. They capture the best aspects of morning: peace, renewal, the pleasure of small quiet things. They are little marvels of thoughtful observation.
Five stars for a book that expresses keen artistic vision and a true 21st century partnership. Vettese and Barnes are now collaborating on daily evening photos, which can be seen on their blog 3191 A Year of Evenings. Visit and enjoy.
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