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When we design websites, it's all about the imagery. Big, beautiful imagery can do WONDERS to transfer the look and feel of a brand to an online e-commerce website. The goal is not just to get customers to buy; we also want to make them feel and experience the brand, and essentially fall in love with the site so they will want to visit over and over again. The challenge we face this week is designing a site that communicates sexual, sensuous femininity in a classy, sophisticated way. High-fashion photography can easily skew overly provocative, so finding inspirational photography with the right balance of sex appeal and high-class, modern taste was somewhat of a challenge. Of course, Trunk Archive came to the rescue, delivering up the images below from various photographers in the fashion world. Many of these might not make the cut to the final website, but in this stage it's mostly creating an atmosphere and nailing down the look and feel of the brand that we're after. Stay tuned for the website to launch a few months down the road...

All photos via Trunk Archive

1. TRU704122 by Patrick Shaw  2. TRU438817 by Walter Chin  3. TRI823753 by Kai Z Feng  4. TRU665953 by Yelena Yemchuk  5. TRU671164 by Theo Wenner  6. TRU665954 by Yelena Yemchuk  7. TRU477403 by David Burton  8. TRU887366 by David Roemer  9. TRU888709 by Ellen Von Unwerth

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Mimi Thorisson of the blog Manger (French for "to eat") is someone all the women of DFM secretly aspire to be someday. One part What Katie Ate and one part Julie Blackmon, Mimi's blog is full of delicious looking recipes (many with a French or Chinese influence, reflecting her heritage) and candid shots of her large family, all photographed beautifully by her husband, Oddur Thorisson. With a rustic, vintage feel and enough recipes to make your mouth water for days, Manger is one blog we'll definitely add to our RSS feeds. Click here to visit Manger.

All images via Mimi Thorrison at her blog, Manger

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Matthew Brandt is a Los Angeles photographer that's really caught our eye with his unique "Lakes and Reservoirs" photo series. A California native, Brandt specializes in startlingly beautiful interpretations of traditional landscapes. He shoots landscapes (all of them involving water), then soaks the prints in his darkroom with water that he has collected from the same body of water captured in each photograph, anywhere from a few days to a few months. Brandt usually has no idea how a photo will turn out before he starts - it often depends on the amount of sediment found in the water, which can create really interesting and beautiful effects on the final piece. In some of Brandt's other work, he has used a variety of unconventional materials like candy, dead insects, and tree branches to achieve the strange effects in his pieces. Whatever the method, we're loving it. See a few of our favorite photos by Matthew Brandt, below.

All photos via Matthew Brandt Photography

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This week's design blog of the week goes to This is Paper. This is Paper curates a well rounded collection of architecture, product design, fashion design, interior design, fine art, graphic design, and photography. The blog features works that reflects an elegant and delicate design aesthetic full of soft pastels and neutrals complemented by clean lines and a touch of wood here and there. Aside from This is Paper's impeccable taste, we want to highlight that the blog often showcases student work. It is nice to see young artists and designers with fresh new ideas and even nicer to see well-known blogs recognizing the importance of supporting the up and coming not just the established. 

All Images via This is Paper

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We've been busy worker bees these past few weeks, and our poor blog has been feeling a little neglected! Nobody puts baby in the corner (or, more accurately: we can't put our blog in the corner for long before we begin to miss it and feel terrible for not attending to its needs!).The DFM calendar is packed with a ton of fun in the next few months. First up is a launch / holiday photo shoot for our client that is the retailer of vintage / vintage inspired engagement rings later this week. Before any photo shoot, we always make a mood board to capture the feeling and aesthetic we're aiming for (which also helps us buy awesome props, I might add). Here's our mood board for the upcoming shoot: vintage meets modern paired with love, stunning jewelry, and just a little quirkiness. Can't wait!

All images via Trunk Archive

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Inspired by our very own downtown Los Angeles, we created these double-exposure style photos after taking a trip around our neighborhood (the fashion district) and snapping a few pictures of the beautiful, vintage architecture surrounding us. We'll admit that downtown LA can feel a little dirty and rundown at times, but the city is hard at work to clean it up and show what the area has to offer. Put in the right context (like photoshopped with beautiful fashion photography),  downtown Los Angeles has a hidden inner beauty that's not to be missed.

Images of Downtown Los Angeles by Drawing From Memory

Fashion photos from top: 1. Frankly Esoteric  2. Mario Testino for Vogue via Suicide Blonde  3. Pinterest  4. Fashion Gone Rogue  5. Once Wed  6. Pinterest  7. Pinterest

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What happens when you put together all of these beautiful things below and grab a camera? Find out by following us on Instagram, @drawingfrommemory or #dfmla (or just click here to see the results, or here to see our Instagram page).

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A few fresh cut dahlias from the garden make the living room instantly happy. If you're on Instagram, follow us @drawingfrommemory!

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This Fourth of July, we're traveling back to 1975 to pay tribute to one of the most famous movies of all time - JAWS. This past weekend, Jen dug up a few vintage photographs taken by her late grandfather while he was working on the film (last three images below); this post is a tribute to him and the beauty of Martha's Vineyard circa 1975. Wishing everyone a fantastic Fourth of July!

Top images via Dick Whitney

Bottom three images from Jen's grandfather, 1975

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