Saturday, November 12, 2011

The people you meet









Portraits are something I really need to work on. I find them challenging. How to convey the essence and attitude of a person through a photo?

These are some of my friends here in London. They're all talented, creative and unique people--not to mention fun to hang out with!

Locations: Alexandra Palace, Starbucks, The Roxy

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Damn fine coffee




Dark tones for a dark and rainy afternoon. Nothing like a visit to the British Museum followed by a chai tea latte at Starbucks with a good friend. The last photo brought to mind Special Agent Dale Cooper from Twin Peaks:

"You know, this is - excuse me - a damn fine cup of coffee. I've had I can't tell you how many cups of coffee in my life and this, this is one of the best." 


Subject: Yours, truly
Snapped by: Rohit Talwar

Monday, October 3, 2011

By the Sea, By the Sea, By the Beautiful Sea









The weather has been so warm here for the past few days! On Saturday, my friends Riikka, Katie, Sergio and I went down to Brighton, one of my favorite towns, made even more awesome by the fact that Laurence Olivier basically ruled the place as Baron Olivier of Brighton! The beach was very crowded, so we went over to Seaford, and came back just in time to catch the sunset from Brighton Pier. Ah, England, I love you so. I only wish the weather stayed like this forever. It reminds me of home.

Another thing I wanted to post about is that I've opened my own Etsy store! It's called Days in Mayfair (after this blog), and I'm currently selling fine art prints of some of my photographs, as well as vintage film magazines! Please check it out! These things would make great gifts!

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

New Digs




I recently moved to Crouch End, a lovely little hamlet in north London. My flat is located on a hill from which you can see Alexandra Palace, a beautiful victorian convention centre with the original BBC radio tower, in the distance. I took these photos last weekend. The plan had been to go to Hampstead Heath with my friend Riikka to snap photos of the Keats House, but it started raining so our plans were thwarted. When I got home, however, the rain had stopped and the sky began to clear, leaving gorgeous clouds  and a vibrant blue sky which led to a gorgeous sunset.

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Notley Abbey






These pics were taken back in May when a group of friends and I took the train out to Buckinghamshire to visit the country estate of Sir Laurence and Lady Olivier (better known to film fans as Scarlett O'Hara herself, Miss Vivien Leigh). Notley Abbey, near Aylesbury, is a 15th century converted Abbey (endowed by Henry V) that was purchased by the Oliviers as a country retreat shortly after WWII. It had been in a long-standing state of disrepair but Larry was determined to fix it up into something livable.

Shortly after moving in, Vivien fell ill with tuberculosis and spent months resting and recuperating here. She grew to love its idyllic secluded setting, surrounded by green pastures and a lazy river that runs out front. Over the years Larry and Vivien created a romantic haven, a place that was steeped in history, and one where some of the most famous parties in England were held. It was sold shortly before the Oliviers divorced in 1960. Larry later wrote, "Of all the houses I’ve lived in over the years, Notley is my favourite. It was absolutely enchanting, and it enchanted me. At Notley I had an affair with the past. For me it had mesmeric power; I could easily drown in its atmosphere." Vivien's letter to her step-son Tarquin touchingly conveys how much the house meant to her:
On top of all this it seems as if Notley is sold. I can hardly write the words. A Canadian couple saw it some weeks ago, made an immediate and perfectly good offer and want to move in at the end of April. It doesn’t seem possible, does it? Of course it is looking particularly beautiful. We have had the most glorious crisp and dazzling winter days…I walk from place to precious place and gaze at the beloved views with tears pouring down my face. What memories for all one’s life—such unbelievable rare happiness, sweetness and quietude there has been here. I don’t forget the other times too, but they seem to me outweighed by blissful togetherness. Dear God it is a heartache…the fact that we have known for some time now that it would have to go doesn’t seem to help in the least. It is fifteen years—a great part of one’s life…Oh the hundreds of times my beloved Larry and I have wandered here in wonder and grateful amazement at the beauty all around us—the feeling that we were a little responsible for creating it too made it all so doubly dear. It is hard to imgine life without such an oasis.

Today, Notley is a wedding venue. While the inside is cold and informal--rather like a hotel than a home--the outside retains its air of romanticism.