Sunset over Santa Monica

Of course it's raining cats and dogs outside as I look through these photos of my sisters and I in Santa Monica this past April. Luckily our hotel was only three blocks from the Santa Monica Pier. On this day we drove all over LA shopping. By the time we got back to the hotel we were so spent (literally, LOL) and hungry. Of course we couldn't resist checking out the pier and we made it just in time to catch the sunset before dinner... 

 All images taken on Kodak Porta 400 film. 

Looking Back on My Journey As a Photographer

Although it seems like so long ago it's only been about nine months since I first picked up my film camera. This led me to thinking a lot about my journey as a photographer. My first love was fashion and since I could remember I always wanted to be a fashion designer. During college I took on an internship that allowed me to attend fashion shows. In order for me to document my experiences I used my little point and shoot camera. Eventually I grew frustrated with the image quality and as a graduation gift to myself I purchased my first DSLR. From that point on my love for photography grew and I tried to learn as much as I could about it. Shortly after I was made the luckiest girl when I became a freelance photographer shooting along side the other photographers at these fashion events that I had been attending. That was four years ago. After years of completing shot lists, double triple checking my camera settings, clicking my shutter button four times just to make sure I got my shot, etc...  this past year I was feeling a little jaded. Somehow photography just didn't feel as fun as it used to and I forgot how excited it used to make me feel... so I took a little break from freelancing and picked up my film camera. As time passed, I wanted to touch my digital camera less and less and my simple SLR became my camera of choice. I love the simplicity of my SLR. It takes away all the noise and I can just focus on my vision.  

Lately I've been debating if I should get back into photographing freelance / commercial work or if I should deepen my love for photography and work on expressing my vision on film. After weeks of debating about this in my head I've decided to be very selective of the freelance work I take on so I can continue to photograph just for love...

to be continued... 

To the Market

Sometimes you get lucky and find someone who doesn't mind tagging along with you to the market (and waiting patiently for you to take photos of everything). For as long as I've lived in the city, going the market on Saturday mornings is one of my favorite things to do. I love having fresh flowers in the apartment... a new bottle of wine to try... or being able to enjoy in season fruits. 

These photos are from this past weekend's trip to the market with my beau. Knowing how much I loved and wanted peonies, he beat me to buying them because I was too busy taking photos (as you can tell I caught a perfect picture of him buying me flowers)! 

 

I was also excited to put to use my new bag my baby sister, Mailee gifted me. This Tiffany blue bag had the softest leather handles and was so perfect for the market. It fit my flowers, wine and fruits perfectly and it didn't feel heavy at all. Also, I almost forgot to mention I chopped off over a foot of hair! Thanks to Mailee. I love it and I have no regrets! 

All images taken on Kodak Gold 400 film.

Port Ludlow

Port Ludlow is our go to place when we want a quick and simple getaway. Over the years I've grown to love this beautiful home that my beau's parents have graciously opened to us.  

Usually we have an hour ferry wait and an hour drive which can get chaotic on a sunny Friday afternoon when everyone is in a rush to leave the city. However, once we make it to the house everything stops and its just us. Being here reminds me to slow down. I love waking up to the sound of silence... enjoying home cooked meals... going for a walk on the beach... kayaking in the ocean... and just being with my beau. 

Life can become so complicated and I often find that going back to the simple things is what really help keeps me centered... 

Images taken on Kodak Tri-X 400 & Fujifilm Superia x-tra 400 film.