Here it is September and I just scanned a roll of black and white film I shot in July. I snapped some Polaroids of the house as well, some of which you may have seen. The film shots have overlapping exposures in places I didn’t want them. My Hasselblad needs to go back to the repair shop since it kept jamming when I wind it to the next frame. Or I might order a new magazine back since it will cost less.

cape house bw 1

Kind of like run on sentences that go on for eight or ten frames. Not what I wanted. Imagine my disappointment. Somehow the roll of Ilford 3200 I shot at the Cape House came out in proper succession.

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The family who still owns it and rents it out built the house in the 1920s. The back of the house faces the ocean. Beyond the deck where we gather for meals and the green lawn where the kids play soccer and tag is a concrete path down to a rocky section of the beach inlet. A short walk along the shell covered inlet to the right leads to the sandy section of the beach where we go to collect sand, shells, and beach glass and where I often snap many frames in one film camera or another.

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During our last visit, I wanted to capture more than the seaside views and salt air. I wanted to capture the character of the house. It’s filled with stories of the past. Old family photos, museum posters, and collections populate each room. The house has such a definite sense of character and place I felt compelled to capture it with film.

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My favorite room is the library where we bunk for the week. Filled with classic books ranging from college texts to notable novels, the library is a book lover’s paradise. Each summer, I wish for a rainy day to spend holed up in the room reading books and sipping lemonade. Who knows, maybe next summer?

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Where do you find inspiration for your photo stories and portraits?

Nikki | Art & Lemons