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Pixinote Picks for the Holidays

Maybe you’re done with your holiday gifting, or you’re scrambling for what to get your favorite Pixi beyond a little love in the mail. Whether you’ve got photographers, word lovers, makers, or just your little brother on your list, here’s the gifts those of us at Pixinote HQ gave and received and coveted and loved this year.

Sure Shots

For the photographers in your life, Sure Shot Andre Dos Santos (*Andredossantos) recommends the Fuji Instax cameras

“They are basically the modern equivalent of Polaroid and the cameras usually come with some of the "film.” Not sure it's classic emulsion based, probably more digital but really that doesn't matter. Taking a photo and having it ASAP is the norm these days but it's still cool to have it in hand immediately. Maybe it's the camera nerd in me but it's just always been a cool concept. Also Fuji has really souped their Instax cameras and they have some cool features now like super wide lenses and such. I think it's a good gift for an older kid, to get them into photography or a photo enthusiast, photographer, amateur photographer, whatever, as well.”

As for me, *Danielle, Pixinote’s social media manager, discovering all these awesome photographers and featuring them in Sure Shot profiles has been a gift itself. If you’re in the NYC area, consider booking a portrait session with Abbie White (*Abbie). More info here.

Or, you could go with some awesome photography books:

Francesca Woodman was the first young photographer’s work I loved. 

If dog is indeed your co-pilot, or your recipient’s, The Dogist puts 1,000 dogs on your coffee table.

Sometimes, the best gifts are free, and I won’t think of photography the same way after this amazing essay on the power of the Selfie by Rachel Syme.  “Thought of you while reading this” and a link is like sending a modern mixtape.

Short and Sweet

Co-Founder *Daniel is a fan of the Field Notes Shelter Wood notebook. “Write down those ideas. Sketch those views. Keep a list of Pixinote ideas!”

I’ll piggyback on Daniel’s rec here and say I’ve loved many pens, but the Pilot Hi-Tec Maica Gel is my current favorite. I’m partial to the blue black, but you could be a dear and get someone a whole set of them.

For the small or just playful people in your life, Oliver Jeffers writes and illustrates the kinds of children’s books that make you want to draw again. In his latest, Once Upon An Alphabet, he asks burning questions such as: How many elephants can you fit inside an envelope? (See the letter N for an answer).

We featured some of artist Lenka Clayton’s text-based art earlier this year. Some of those typewriter drawings are available for purchase here, or of course, the rare “Mysterious Letters Artist Book” created with Michael Crowe. Guys, it includes magical dice. 

Connection Matters

Co-Founder *Travis says “I’m going to go super on-personal-brand and recommend the Raspberry Pi 2 for the nerd in your life. It's a tiny but fully capable computer that can get mounted on a robot, wired into a home network for DIY home automation, or hacked into whatever wild project they can concoct.”

*Daniel had a whole list of playful ideas:

LittleBits – Gizmos and Gadgets. Super well-designed robot-creation kits to bring out the mechanical engineer in your kid (or yourself).

Buildopolis. Fort-building kits made from die cut cardboard and felt connector tabs. Think life-size legos that store back into a flat-pack box.

Dinosaur magnets. A fun way to hang those Pixinotes on the fridge. What could be better than powerful little dinosaur magnets? Plus, they're gold.

Teenage Engineering PO 10-Series pocket digital music devices. Link them up with friends for the ultimate Holiday beat-making hang.

Edit: Vinyl. Get daily vinyl offers via text, curated to help you build the ultimate collection.

Our developer Stephen *Sprinkle stays connected with his 1st Gen Android Moto 360 Smart Watch; the second generation one has just been released. 

Happy gifting and receiving and mailing and thanking, Pixies. From those of us at Pixinote HQ may you have some meaningful connections this year and next.

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Sureshots: Andre dos Santos

Photographer Andre dos Santos was born and raised in Nyack, New York and now lives in Manhattan, where he works for Columbia University Libraries. Dos Santos’s work, which recasts the buildings, sign posts, and shadows of the streets of New York as vibrant and arresting abstractions, has made it as far across the world as a solo show at the Bootstrap Gallery in London and has been featured in group shows in Beijing and Dubai Design Weeks.

What do you shoot?
 Mostly I do abstract photography but also urban landscape. Even when I'm doing landscape I try to introduce abstract elements into the photo. I go on treks around the city and take photos that I find interesting. The past couple of years I've concentrated on exploring the Bronx.

How do you shoot it?

I use a Rolleiflex medium format twin lens reflex for about 80% of my work. I prefer the square format and also like working via a waist level finder and the Rolleiflex provides both those elements in a small package. I also sometimes use a Pentax 6x7 SLR. And of course, an iPhone.

First camera? 
 My first camera was a Canon FT-b that my father gave me. We had a darkroom when I was growing up and it was a magical place for me.

Favorite recent shot? How did you get it? Why do you love it? 


I took this with my iPhone about a week ago. I love it because I think it epitomizes the kinds of images I love to find out on the street. Something you'd walk right by normally without a second thought. It was a scuff mark on a wall. Looked as if something large scraped up against it!

Tell us all your photography secrets. Okay, one will do. 
 What I always try to do is to look beyond what you see in front of you. Kind of like those magic 3-D posters where you slightly cross your eyes and images pop out. There are beautiful images everywhere if you look for them.

What do you love besides your work? 
 I am avid lover of strategy games: chess, poker, backgammon, etc. I also love the moving image: movies, television, etc. I also read a lot of fiction; I particularly love noir.

Who was the last person to take a photograph of you? 
 I am pretty shy when it comes to photos of myself—it's a bizarre family trait from my mother’s side. We are afraid of pictures being taken of us like something out of a vampire movie—but I was out shooting with some friends and one of them, John Gellings, snuck a shot of me when I was composing an image and not paying attention.

Best thing to come across your mailbox of late? About five rolls of Provia 100f color slide film. My favorite of what's available these days.

If you could send a Pixinote to anyone, dead or alive, who would it be, and what would be on it? 
 I'd send one to my father because he is the person who introduced me to photography. I'd try to find a photograph of something he would like and I'd tell him how much I'm grateful to him for introducing me to the art.

Follow Andre through the Bronx and beyond on Instagram, and check out more of his work at Cargo Collective or on Flickr. If you want to send him a Pixinote of something you’ve found by looking for beauty in the streets or elsewhere, Andre is *andredossantos.

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Mail is back. 

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Hey there Pixies. *Danielle here. I’m collecting stories about the magic of sending and receiving Pixinotes, about how you’ve taken ordinary and extraordinary moments and made someone’s mail a lot better. If you’ve had your day made by a #Pixinote, or made someone else’s by sending one, and are willing to share the story behind your Pixinote, please drop me a few lines at [email protected] or tell me how to get in touch in the comments. *Danielle

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Just landed at #pixinote HQ: these awesome t-shirts. Our first 100 users get one for free! Head over to www.pixinote.com and #sayhello to a friend with a Pixinote.

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Summer's better with friends, and so is #Pixinote. Won't you send some of yours over to say hello? www.facebook.com/Pixinote

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Happy #fathersday to all the dads who've helped us get where we're going, and for the rides along the way. However you're celebrating today, follow up with a #Pixinote so he'll always remember what a #noteworthy day it was. www.pixinote.com

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Sunday is #fathersday. Good children show their love with handmade cards and hugs; favorite children send a #pixinote follow up of Sunday's highlights. Be ready to be the favorite child. Charge up that camera. (And yes, it's okay if you don't share this idea with your siblings. We won't tattle on you.) #noteworthy