Raw Thoughts

So here's a bit of a personal post. I took this photo with my Nikon FM10 last year around this time. It's not the greatest photo, I haven't edited it in any way, and it's still saved onto my hard drive in the most raw form it could exist.

There are a lot of times I'd go through archives after archives of photos I've taken in the past, whether they'd be digital or on film, and I would find one that would resonate with the current state of my being. A year ago, I discovered that flowers brighten my mood without fail every time. Upon that discovery, I began to spend lavishly on buying myself a stem or two when I really needed it -- I find this phenomenon parallel to the whole hype with puppy therapy or taking a vacation into the woods. Any form of rawness, or the nature, comforts me in mysterious ways.

We live in a hyper digitized world. I can't say I'm not guilty of being glued to my apple products or having the fear of missing out when I'm not surfing on the web. But the digital presence, I've found, is not exactly qualitative nor all that significant. I often stop and find myself craving something raw, something natural, and finding emotions within myself that I haven't found a way to express.

Scraps and Pieces Leftover

So I am moving to Washington, D.C. for at least 6 months for a new job/internship/fellowship/whatever you want to call it. I'm flying out in two days. I think I may still be in some kind of denial because I haven't even started packing at all. I still haven't figured out exactly where I'm going to live. This whole thing is slightly more intimidating than I had originally thought. I'm currently occupied with saying goodbyes, throwing away some stuff I don't need, and busily wrapping up my life in Texas. So in that clean-up spirit, I decided to post all the film photos I didn't get a chance to upload before (mostly taken with the FM10 + Portra). With that said, these photos are at least 2-3 months old, so excuse this later post!

Peels, NYC

Elizabeth Street Cafe, Austin TX

Alice and backyard planting on S. 1st St in Austin TX

Random horses, Carrollton TX

My favorite pit stop from Austin-Dallas - Common Grounds, Waco TX (Lomo film)

Sarah pt. 2: Lomography Lady Grey

I am back after a pretty long break from this blog, with some more photos from the photo shoot with Sarah last month. I really should shoot more, but film photography indeed is such an expensive hobby. I really enjoy shooting with the Lomo lady grey though - the subtlety of everything is beautiful.

UT Grad 2013: Sarah Pt. 1

When Sarah came to me asking for a senior photoshoot, I told her it would have to be done completely on film. She agreed without a hesitation - so I applaud her bravery and the amount of trust she put in this. Here are a few shots of my dear friend Sarah. Congratulations, and welcome to the real world. ;)

Downtown Austin: SXSW

It took me forever to develop this roll of film simply because it's always difficult to find labs that process B&W film for a decent price. I would say I'm a pretty big fan of black and white film, since that's how I started out in college, but I rarely shoot them now due to the high cost. This time around though, I happened to find a pack of Lomography B&W 400 film on sale at Urban Outfitters, so I said why not. So I apologize for going back in time, can't believe it's already been a month since SXSW.

 

 

Summer in Austin

Summers in Austin are always the best. Bats, kayaking, townlake, walk around downtown, festivals - you can do all sorts of things. I miss it. But anyway, I've been pulling out some old photos so I can practice editing.

 

Um. So this would be considered... #laterpost Heh. :)

Calling all sweets

You know those days when your body incessantly throws a tantrum for sweets and other sugar-infested foods, probably to satiate some kind of emptiness or hole you feel like you have in your life, and your stomach knows just what you need to cheer up your brain? I guarantee you I wasn't feeling like that the day we made a trip to Gourdough's during my last Austin weekend, but I sure hell did all day today. So I thought it would be appropriate to relive the great memories of pleasuring myself with the strawberry nutella powder sugar + whatever else donut at Gourdough's new Public House - apparently they've made a transition from being a food truck to a nice pub/restaurant. Only if I could've had that today. Heh.

Nutella = my ultimate kryptonite.

Sunday Brunch at épicerie

épicerie is a beautiful cafe with some awesome window lighting, low ceiling, beautiful outdoors patio, good wine & cheese selection, the infamous Blue Bottle Coffee, and a decent brunch menu. It's tucked right under 2222 & Mopac inside a neighborhood that seems to be quickly growing into a new, hip extension of Hyde Park area. I knew I was going to love this place when I was researching it after a friend told me to go, and of course - I fell in love the moment I walked in. From its simple, elegant interior to the perfect pairing of americano and a salted chocolate chip cookie - I'd say it was worth making the trip. Everyone I took with me loved the place, too (even though William claims he hates "hipster" places...whatever, I know he secretly digs it).

 

 

 

If you ever go to Austin, or live in Austin, you should definitely check it out! Take your dates on V-day, take your girlfriends, boyfriends, dogs, grandparents, whoever.