Current downtown vibes: Downtown Claremont.
If you're a coffee vixen, make sure to check out Augie's Coffee House in the Packing House for some rich dripped coffee and if you're looking for some vegan goodness, visit Loving Hut and order their quinoa rolls! Did I mention my second occupation is a professional eater?
It was such a pleasure to be able to photograph my husband's sister Lauren and her husband Phil. I already know what great parents they will be and being able to capture these moments is a big blessing.
Here are a few of my favorites via Elan 7 film camera, Kodak Portra 400 film.
Although the price of film and processing can be hefty, so can the cost of digital be! In the beginning, photographing often is necessary to learning but once you feel comfortable with the process, photographing less trains your eye to thinking thoroughly of the photo you want to capture. That is one reason I'm continuing to stick to film in the future :) here are a few more reasons (if I haven't changed your mind already)...
It takes less time to edit photos because they are natural "filters" (easiest way to describe) naturally created by the type of film you use. You can get any type of film depending on the style you like best. All the filters you see on Lightroom, Aperture, phone apps and others are meant to emulate what film does.
Like I mentioned prior, being cautious about the type of photo you want to take makes you a better photographer! It makes us think a little harder of the composition, lighting and structure of your photo due to your limit of photographs.
Film doesn't need to get any better. I use an older camera that my husband gave me I can use it right now instead of waiting around for years until digital works out the bugs. Film has incredible color richness and depth you can't deny. After photographing with digital for many years, I can see a huge difference between the two.
At this time, no digital image is going to last longer than human civilization, especially not when they can't even make CD's that are guaranteed to last decades. Hardware tends to break down easier. If you preserve your film, it was last a lifetime and you can blow up your images to any size you want without distorting the pixels.
Once we get into 120 and 220 film, digital can not claim the resolution advantage the same. The larger the format, the even better the quality is. If you can afford (and want to buy me one) a TLR, a Kiev, and/or Hasselblad is worth the price and quality.
Both images photographed in Oregon, 2014 with Kodak Portra 400 film and Canon Elan 7, 35mm camera. More on why you should shoot film - 120 Studio
You know those moments when you want to get away but don't want to pay the hotel fees? Well friends, that's why we created the infamous Teardrop Trailer! We've realized how close we are to some of the best destinations like Lake Arrowhead (where we wed), Big Bear, Joshua Tree, Palm Springs and many others! This is our home away from home (on wheels)! Shows you just how creative we can really get ;)
Our first trip out with the Teardrop Trailer was infamous! We camped, hiked, spent the night under the stars and met a group of actual "cowboys" in Pioneertown. We still have work left on the teardrop (yet to be named) but it was fun seeing it in the wild...
Planting has been a great deal of therapeutic inspiration to me (many say I have an old soul). It has helped me deal with anxiety and frustration that life sometimes brings. Not only that, but it's fun to watch a live plant grow! So naturally, for my birthday we headed to Palm Springs to visit the Moorten Botanical Garden where you can see the world's first cactarium. We bought two little gems and can't wait to see them bloom!
Photos taken with a Canon Elan 7 film camera and Fuji film.
I celebrated another year almost a month ago and haven't had a chance to share a few words in my journal! 2014 was a tough year. I just wanted to share something I read that stuck with me. I think social media and expectations around us makes us feel inferior to our goals and where we think we need to be in life. Today I was reading a scripture that says,
"To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven," Ecclesiastes 3:1
When we feel lost without any understanding of where life is taking us it's important to acknowledge Him in all our ways. That way he will guide us in the way we should be going. It's so easy to get caught up in someone else's life...what we don't have and what we think we need to be happy. Our God takes us on the right path which might look different than what we envisioned. May we consider the simplicity of what life entails and how we want to live it--remembering there is a season for everything.
We took a much needed trip for the 2015 New Year. We pack our bags and headed towards Northern California, Oregon and Seattle. It was a long drive but worth the memories and all the picturesque scenery!
Photos taken with a Canon Elan 7 film camera and Fuji & Kodak Portra film
At the tail end (like my pun?) of our travels for the New Year we ended up at a wild animal park called Wildlife Safari in Winston, Oregon. It was amazing to see these animals so close as we drove around. We didn't get to see any bears (due to hibernation) but totally worth the trip.
