{personal} safari inn

I love photographing this sign...

1. Holga, 120mm film
2. Holga, 120mm film
3. Instax Mini 90
4. Instax Mini 90
5. iPhone
6. iPhone

{personal} vasquez rocks

Last summer we visited Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park, known for its dramatic rock formations and popular filming locations (Star Trek, Blazing Saddles, The Flintsones and Westworld to name a few). These sedimentary rocks layers were first formed around 8-15 million years ago and the most impressive peak points at a sharp 45-degree angle. No, we were not one of the brave few to climb to the very top... Such a cool place to visit and photograph!

PS. This is one of the places we visited as part of our Toys in Hollywoodland collaboration. 

{personal} the getty center

I recently sent my medium format film to be developed from last year and am now sharing the results. These image are from a visit to The Getty Center (sister museum to The Getty Villa which I photographed a few years ago) when my mom and sister came to visit last May (that's my sister in the first image looking out over the city of Los Angeles). It was a really nice day full of art and walking - we spent five hours on our feet! This wasn't the first time I've been and it won't be the last. It's such a wonderful place to visit (and the admission is free)!

{personal} santa monica pier

It's been many years since I last used color film in my Holga camera. Black and white film has always produced such wonderful results that I couldn't bear to shoot with anything else. However, almost exactly a year ago I was planning on a little excursion to the Santa Monica Pier. The bright and colorful Ferris wheel and Pacific Park were begging to be shot in color. So I ordered some film, set out to the pier, took a roll of pictures, recently sent my film to be developed, and now I'm finally sharing them on here. I love the vintage-looking results and how they evoke nostalgic memories of long summers, arcade machines, cotton candy, corn dogs and warm California days (even though it was cold and windy at the time). Enjoy!

{looking back} the huntington gardens

Looking back to two years ago when I visited the The Huntington Gardens for the first time with my sister-in-law, niece and nephew. I've been another time since with my husband who could spend all day sitting in the Japanese Gardens. They are so peaceful.

{looking back} world photo day

Happy World Photo Day! One hundred and seventy-seven years ago today (in 1839), the French Academy of Sciences first announced to the world the photographic technique known as the daguerreotype. In honor of this day, I thought I'd share these two photographs from the first roll of film that I processed and printed myself in the darkroom.

Southern Virginia. Circa 2004/2005.

{personal} holga goodness

Some more Holga goodness:

1. At the Corner of Oak Glen Road and Wilshire Shed Road while apple picking in 2015
2. My nephew's "mud spot" in his backyard (note all the toys)

{personal} life is a highway

In the spirit of posting pictures from our old apartment, these are the same view just a little lower and to the right. The beautiful, loud, building-shaking, twelve-lane freeway. Amazing what cropping can do! It was still a good view though.

{personal} griffith observatory

This should really be more of a "looking back" post because these images are from almost two years ago and were taken the same time as these. It always take me a long time to get my Holga film processed, so I'm just now getting around to posting them.

Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles, California.

{for sale} 2016 photo calendar

It's almost that time of year again! Time to start thinking of a 2016 calendar! I've been offering these photo calendars in my shop for the past six years and I introduce a new collection of my favorite photographs each year, themed around the magic of darkness and light, textures and sub-textures, nature and architecture, landscapes and dreamscapes. I hope you like this one!

Each calendar set features 12 unbound sheets measuring 5x7 inches with images measuring 5x5 inches. They are perfect for sticking in a mirror or picture frame, tacking onto a bulletin board, or sliding into a book or day planner. The possibilities are endless! At the end of each month, if you wish, you can trim off the calendar section, leaving you with 12 ready-to-frame prints. The newest version is now available in my shop. Or you can view the Calendars section for the whole series!

{for sale} 2015 calendar sets

It's that time of year again! 2015 calendar sets are now available in my shop! Above is the newest set, but there are four other options for sale.

These 5x7 unbound calendar pages are perfect for sticking in a mirror or picture frame, tacking onto a bulletin board, or sliding into a book or day planner. The possibilities are endless! Best of all, at the end of each month you can trim off the calendar section, leaving you with 12 ready-to-frame 5x5 prints. Click here to purchase!

{looking back} quad cam

When I was in college and still living in Florida, my boyfriend (now soon-to-be husband) bought me a little plastic camera called a "quad cam" that takes a sequence of four images on one negative. I took these the week of my college graduation when my family came to visit. The top four are from the airport and the bottom two are from the hotel.

The bottom one gets to me. It wasn't taken at the same moment, but it brings back the memory of saying an extremely tearful goodbye to Sean. We'd only been dating nine months and I'd decided to move back home to Virginia after college to live rent-free and job search. We were so in love and had no idea when we would be together again. I remember saying goodbye to him, both of us crying as I drove away as he stood in his front yard. I drove the fifteen or twenty minutes to the hotel my family was staying at. I'd calmed down a little by then. I was walking into the hotel as they were walking out and I burst into tears as soon as I saw them. Turns out it would be four years until we lived together again. But we made it!

June 2007.

{looking back} winter walk

When I lived back home in Virginia, I used to go on morning walks with my dad and our dog. These are some film shots I took during one icy morning in early 2005; six months before heading off to college to get my degree in photography! Circa January 2005.

PS. You can see our dog, Cynthia, in the fourth picture down. She was such a good dog...

{personal} pasadena city hall

City Hall, Pasadena, California.