Sometimes photos say it all.
Sometimes the initial, wide-eyed looks of friends & family who come to visit us in Casco Viejo, say it all.
Casco Viejo is not perfect; it is a disheveled and gloriously flawed neighborhood in a developing country. When many first arrive, they are shocked by the dichotomy of old & new, clean & dirty, rich & poor.
This is the reason I love my neighborhood. I love that there is such a variety and that it is not polished or pristine. I feel entirely safe here, even walking alone at night, but by the looks of it, one might think otherwise.
This post is celebrating what many may see as ugly, distasteful and impoverished but what I see as beautiful, realistic, and rich with life.
Molly, I just started following your blog and I am so impressed by your writing, photography and design sense. You’re living the dream–and appreciating it! I know I would be homesick and lonely, so I’m not jealous :)…but I do SO admire your ability to enjoy this challenge and to share it with the rest of us in such a tasteful, artful way. I like your perspective.
Are you using your phone as your camera? Instagram filters or something else?
happy for you!
Julie
Hi Julie! Thank you for your message, I really appreciate your kind words, feedback, and also YOUR perspective. Living here in Casco Viejo is a treat to the senses, as long as you’re open to it:) Although I wish I could say that I used my Nikon D90 as much as I should, it really is just not very realistic. Almost 100% of my photos that you’ve seen on my blog so far were taken with my iPhone because most of photos are taken casually as I’m walking to and from work, running errands, or just strolling with my son & husband. Having my phone in my pocket helps me to snap away when I see a special moment or image and without it feeling overly intrusive. I do use Instagram filters (my profile is MOLLYSBERRY) and also photoshop to help enhance lighting and color saturation to bring out the best of what I see and to create variety. It’s definitely a fun creative outlet for me and a way to not only pass on what I see daily to my friends and family, but a way for me to stay engaged with my surroundings at all times. It means so much to hear that you like my “work” – I look forward to sharing more! Where are your writing from? Molly
Molly, you have a gift for street photography! Love your perspective!
Thank you Kristin! It’s fun to have so much creative diversity here to photograph…I feel like I could just take pictures all day long. I appreciate your comments!!
Such a colorful, vivid, and vibrant world surrounds you. So Latin, so tropical. Even their language has more descriptive, colorful words. All that humid heat makes everything, including emotions , more intense and these pictures, and others you have sent show it.
Thank you Lynda! I would love to think that one day you could come to visit us here and experience it all for yourself. You’re right that there is a certain something about the air here, about the sounds of music always spilling from windows in the neighborhood – all the energy does create more intensity than I am used to at home…in a good way. It makes me happy to know that you can get a sense of what I mean through my photos. I am so glad that you shared your thoughts here:)
Molly,
I LOVE all these photos and I really love how you captured everything visually that you were writing about. VERY cool. And I love following you on instagram because I get to see all these beautiful moments. LOVE YOU. I haven’t had a change to read much because of my headaches but I’m back online and catching up. So cute! LOVE YOU!
Juli
Hi Juls, I am so happy you wrote. It means so much to me that you are giving the blog a look, despite headaches and boys and work and projects of your own. You really should know that, as it’s been since we met in 1997, you are a constant source of creative inspiration and commitment to what you’re interested in! Hope you’re feeling better. LOVE you too and miss you tons. xx