Dart Photographie

B.Lanka / nashville, tn + portland, or

lauradart — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 20:04:09 +0000

Designer extraordinaire Becca Lanka, has landed in Portland, OR. Transplanted from Nashville, TN where she studied fashion design, the following images are from her Senior Collection. A depiction of romantic 1940’s infantry, the collection was composed of real white silk from parachutes, weathered tents constructed into pants and jackets, and other heavily textured fabrics to curate the mood of the anthology.

View more of Becca’s work HERE

Kinfolk / Cape Lookout, OR

lauradart — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 21:03:23 +0000

A particular joy takes root when friends gather and each is given the freedom to fall into their natural selves; this happens through required—and desired—participation, through presentness. The gifting of oneself and one’s talents is a most honest way of sharing with those around us, because it forbids pretense, and demands that we give others something real, something tangibly experienced. Far too rarely do we truly enact this kind of gift-giving—this sacrifice, even—but when we do, something holy and unexpected happens.

We convened on a chilled, wet Portland morning, and piled ourselves and our things into Wagner and Boles (an old Jeep Wagoneer and the 1953 Boles-Aero trailer it towed), along with a few blue Volvos. The trek to the coast is roughly two hours (if you don’t stop for firewood, prerequisite coffee, and lock your keys in the car along the way), but the drive is transformative, sloughing off the city’s busyness and replacing it with surprising calm. We punctuated the quiet with the nostalgia of football-game-static, Peruvian tunes and Louis Armstrong, joined by Frank Sinatra, and, of course, by all of us.

Arriving at the sea after a long bout away alerts you to an absence you suddenly discover is vast, and we filled ourselves by absorbing the damp sand, the salty mist, the drizzle in the air. We soon began our tasks, unloading food, chairs, glasses, pillows, guitars, accordion, lamps, tableware—we packed sufficiently for days. The real magic of this unfolding was that everyone so casually and carefully fell into themselves, whether this looked like salad-tossing, readying the cooking coals, table-making, foraging on the shore, creating music, or recording it all, with moving film and photograph.

Coming to the table, where we knelt before a spread of gifted efforts from each person present, was the crux of our gathering. The thought of breaking bread together had brought us to the coast, and we duly celebrated every bite of salad, salmon, sweet potato, pumpkin bread, swig of beer and sip of wine. The night darkened around us, but our evening peaked with the collaborative music-making of six talented friends, sharing tunes in groups of two, three, and four. With hands full of chocolate-hazelnut pie and tin mugs of coffee, we alternately shook with awed wonder and laughter, as the melodies of our friends overwhelmed. The day ended in cold, blustery gales, but carried by the collective warmth of making a momentary home together, set apart by the sea.

Photographs by: Laura Dart + Amos Lanka

Words by: Julie Pointer

katie + nathan williams / lincoln city, or

lauradart — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 17:53:16 +0000

A quick retreat to the coast on Saturday, where I spent the evening with the lovely Katie+Nathan Williams. I met them earlier this year when I contributed some photographs to their publication, Kinfolk. These two are inspiring souls and I am so happy they are now my neighbors and friends.

becca lanka / stapleton, NE

lauradart — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 17:01:16 +0000

early november / hood river, or

lauradart — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 23:01:43 +0000

En route to the mountains for a post birthday celebration for Amos this past weekend. Our shelter for the evening was a refurbished schoolbus complete with woodstove. The simplicity and setting were euphoric, enticing me with the idea of living like this for awhile.

amos lanka / happy birthday

lauradart — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 14:14:58 +0000

Another year has come and gone, spent with my best friend. I cannot imagine a better life than this, of shared experiences with the one who inspires me most. Today is a celebration of Amos Lanka, the man who drove 1,000 miles to bring me back my dream trailer studio. His generosity, intellect, work ethic, brilliance, aesthetic, humor and wit keep me consistently amazed. Happy Birthday to my dear Amos.

Isaaca + Peter / Franklin, TN

lauradart — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 00:39:26 +0000

On the first of October, 2011, Isaaca and Peter were married on a sprawling farm in Tennessee. The day could not have been more perfect. Peter has been a friend of mine for several years now, always an inspiration artistically. His wedding was nothing short of a masterpiece, carefully curated and begetting of two beautiful souls in love.

october / sauvie island, OR

lauradart — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 20:20:28 +0000

Oregon in the fall with friends. I can’t think of anywhere else I would rather be, than this place in time. A Sunday afternoon, pumpkin patch, a muddy path, laughter, leisure and love.

jessa anderson / nashville, TN

lauradart — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 20:19:19 +0000

jessa anderson / nashville, tn

lauradart — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 18:57:26 +0000

A few frames from the album cover shoot I did with the lovely Jessa Anderson this past May. I love the simplicity of this look, tying it together with a hint of color. This is really the way I prefer to shoot, focusing on the natural beauty of the subject.

Jessa’s new album, ‘Not Myself Anymore’ is available HERE