Walk through the streets of Montmartre and you won’t be hard pressed to find a wonderful scene like that in the Photo of the Day, “The Bistro.” It’s filled with wonderful little cafes where you can sit outside, enjoy a glass of wine and just watch the passersby heading up to Sacre Coeur.
Wouldn’t it be nice to be sitting there right now?
Enjoy!
*tracey*
Alright, fair warning, today’s Photos of the Day aren’t going to be much to look at, at least not quality wise. They were taken hastily with my iPhone at a rather odd angle. That said, I am extremely excited to say that Tracey Capone Photography is officially up and running at the Andersonville Galleria here in Chicago.
"We're All Made of Stars" - Tracey Capone Photography
“People the come together, and people they fall apart. No one can stop us now ’cause we’re all made of stars.” – Moby
Every time I pass this sign, I’m reminded of the Moby song, “We Are All made of Stars.” I don’t know if it’s the name, or the video with it’s urban, retro inspired, motelly goodness. (Yes, I said “motelly goodness”) that makes this awesome song pop in my head whenever I find myself on Lincoln Ave but, regardless, here we are, today’s photo of the day, “We’re All Made of Stars.”
Standing tall next to the overgrown, fenced off empty lot that once held what I’m sure was a five star, AAA rated motel (it was demolished a few years back and, trust me when I tell you it was a good thing), this sign is one of my favorites of the vintage Chicago neon. Sure, it’s not super colorful like the one in, “The Guest House,” or iconic like the one in, “The Aragon” but there is something beautiful about this sign all the same: the truly authentic “retro” fonts used to create it, the awesome curves of the sign, it’s beautifully simple.
Enjoy!
*tracey*
"Paris Rooftops No. 1" - Tracey Capone Photography
I will be the first to admit, I hated anything math related when I was a kid. It wasn’t that I couldn’t understand it, I would have just rather had my nose in a book than trying to figure out the cosign of the perpendicular of the tangent or whatever we were supposed to be learning (I can add, subtract, multiply and divide to figure out my checkbook… I’m golden)
I do however love geometric patterns, especially those created by abstracts of everyday things you would least expect… like, say rooftops? Parisian rooftops, and Parisian architecture as a whole, is very unique and very identifiable. Many of the buildings have these amazing slate blue rooftops with, dare I say, the most adorable vibrant orange chimneys atop the beautiful pale creme of the building itself. They create the most amazing abstract patters when viewed from above.
The Photo of the Day, “Paris Rooftops No. 1″ is actually one fourth of a photo I took from the Eiffel Tower looking down. Looking out from the tower, you will see miles and miles of these beautiful rooftops, creating zig zagging patterns and an amazing mosaic that is simply breathtaking.
Enjoy!
*tracey*
"Love" - Tracey Capone Photography
On Thursday, I decided I needed a Mental Health Day and took the day off. No reason… no grand plans, I just decided I needed to take a day when most were at work and it wasn’t a weekend where I’m already off (and inevitably running all the errands I don’t have the time or energy for during the week) or a paid holiday when my company is closed for the day.
Originally, as has been the case for what seems to be the last month or so, it was supposed to rain. Taking that in to account, I fully expected my MHD to take place in a vegetative state on my sofa reading the latest of my book club books. Boy was I pleasantly surprised when the sun came out, the blue skies peeked through the storm clouds and it shaped up to be a beautiful day.
I immediately threw my bike rack on the back of my car (yes, I live in the city and have a car… how else am I supposed to get to far off places the CTA doesn’t go to get new photos? 
) and drove out to Caldwell Woods to bike the North Branch Trail up to the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe, IL.
I’m so glad I did. I had been there a few weeks back with my mom and my brother and, while a lot had already bloomed, it’s amazing how much had changed in just a few short weeks. Since I’m not as good at naming various plant species as my mother is (I can, however tell you the seven herbs I have growing on my deck) I won’t even attempt to tell you everything I saw but I can show you….
The Photo of the Day, also one of my newest pieces is, “Love,” a persimmon and creme toned, slightly textured, close-up of a beautiful orange dahlia. I loved how it was tipped on it’s side with some dropped petals laying neatly stacked next to it. It reminded me of the type of flower my friends and I would use to do the “Loves Me, Loves Me Not” game when we were children.
What’s your favorite Spring and Summer flower?
Enjoy!
*tracey*
"The Guest House" - Tracey Capone Photography
I must have passed this motel at least one hundred times because I decided to stop and take a photograph. Blink while you’re driving down Lincoln and you’ll miss The Guest House Motel but, once you see it, you can’t help but love the charm of this old sign. I adore the crazy, fountain-like lights spraying out of the top and the gorgeous blue of the sign itself.
One of the fantastic things about Chicago is all of the amazing, old signs all over the city. One of the sad things about Chicago is that these signs are a dying breed. I certainly hope this one stays around for years to come.
Enjoy!
*tracey*
"Ride"- Tracey Capone Photography
I’ve listened to the song of the same name at least a thousand times. Cary Brothers voice, the lyrics, the melody; just the overall dreamlike quality of all of those together make me stop whatever I’m doing and daydream about riding down a long open road on the back of a motorcycle. What? I don’t have a license to operate one so someone else would have to drive it; even in my dreams there is a semblance of practicality. (perhaps Jon Hamm has a license to operate a motorcycle??)
Mind you, it doesn’t have to be a motorcycle, riding around the streets of Paris or Venice on a Vespa will do just fine. When I came across this one on the streets of Paris near The Sorbonne, with the cafe in the background, the wonderful cobblestone street, the song immediately popped in to my head. (only with a handsome Parisian driving it… I think Jon Hamm was on location somewhere)
I loved the pop of crimson red against the backdrop of the white stucco wall and the greys and greens of the cobblestone. I was equally pleased when I realized just how much I love how this photo coordinates with “Chez Marie” and some of the other Parisian reds in my collection.
Check out this photo and more in my online gallery here.
Enjoy!
*tracey*
"Ride," "Chez Marie," and "Rouge" - Tracey Capone Photography
"Chez Marie" - Tracey Capone Photography
Walking around Montmartre reminds me of walking around the back canals of Venice; you never know what you’re going to come across but you know, whatever it is, it’s going to be beautiful.
In stark contrast to the nearby run down, dirty buildings of the Red Light District surrounding the Moulin Rouge, Montmartre is filled with beautiful old homes with colorful facades (check one out here), cobblestone streets and amazing cafes such as this one, Chez Marie.
I’ll just quote directly from my description of the photograph on my site, “Monmartre is known for it’s rich history of artists, writers and philosophers. I can just picture them, sitting at this adorable cafe, discussing the world’s issues, writing the next great novel or sketching passersby.”
If you find yourself in Paris, you can’t pass up the opportunity to take the Metro out to Montmartre. Not only will you get a beautiful view of the city from high atop the hill but you’ll be amazed at the beauty right there in front of you.
Enjoy!
*tracey*
"No. 31" - Tracey Capone Photography
Well, before I get in to the photograph itself, I have to thank my mother and aunt for being so patient while I photographed just about every door in Paris, especially when we walked around Montmartre. The joke throughout the week was that I would be able to publish a coffee table book just of doors from Paris and, truthfully, I probably could (although it would have to be edited down from about 400 photographs to a more reasonable number).
There is something about a beautiful, old, colorful door that fascinates me. How long has it been there? Was it always that color? Who lives or has lived behind that door? If you have been following my blog long enough, you’ve seen a past photo of the day, “The Guardian” and know that, if I don’t know the history, I certainly have no trouble imagining one.
I loved the pop of bright, teal blue of door surrounded by the patina of the crackling stucco wall and the gorgeous wrought iron scroll window.How fun is the slight angle to the top? That wasn’t just the frame that was angled either… the entire door was angled!
Admittedly, I gave thought to “sprucing” the door up in post production, taking out that little wooden piece that appears to be covering some damage, maybe cleaning up some of the nicks, but that’s what I love about these doors. The people who own them seem to respect the history behind them so much that, rather than take them down and replace them with a newer, unblemished door, they’ll patch it up and move on.
To me, photography is about taking something ordinary, like a door, and turning it in to something extraordinary, perhaps with the intention of telling a story. What do imagine the story behind this door to be?
Enjoy!
*tracey*
Vintage Red Rotary Wheel- GlassnMore at Etsy
As a photographer, I have always felt that beauty can be found in the most unexpected places: the patina on an old door, the lines and colors of a dried, fall leaf, or the textured patterns of a lovely sea urchin.
My latest treasury at Etsy, “Beauty Comes in All Shapes and Sizes” is an homage to the beauty that is all around us. I love this vintage, red rotary wheel from GlassnMore, isn’t the red and rust patina amazing? I can totally see this up on a wall as a beautiful piece of art. How about this gorgeous handcrafted headboard from MSTRF? I do want!
Take a peek at these and the other great finds in this treasury as well as the other amazing items each of these shops have to offer.
enjoy!
*tracey*
