Showing posts with label personal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label personal. Show all posts
October 7, 2009
September 10, 2009
the bag and the beach
i've heard of photographers using baby diaper bags and even lunch boxes to carry their cameras discreetly. i'm not really into that, and after searching endlessly for a cute bag big enough to hold my camera and a lens or two, i found one at urban outfitters. i really wanted a leather bag, but i realized that would be much too heavy when i have all my stuff in there... so this one won:
yes, i realize it's gigantic (though not quite as gigantic as this photo makes it seem. the model is super tiny!) and because of its size it's not exactly incognito, but... it doesn't look like a camera bag, does it? :)
anyway, this means that i can now bring my camera everywhere, like i want to, and not feel like a dorky tourist with a gigantic, manly camera bag. it's a gigantic, CUTE camera bag! i still have to figure out how to pad it properly so the camera is totally safe, but i've got a couple ideas up my sleeve. :)
anyway, i took my "stealth" camera bag to the beach for an early morning picnic with chet over the weekend, and got a couple fun pics.
anyway, this means that i can now bring my camera everywhere, like i want to, and not feel like a dorky tourist with a gigantic, manly camera bag. it's a gigantic, CUTE camera bag! i still have to figure out how to pad it properly so the camera is totally safe, but i've got a couple ideas up my sleeve. :)
anyway, i took my "stealth" camera bag to the beach for an early morning picnic with chet over the weekend, and got a couple fun pics.
grandma
i drove up to san luis obispo over labor day to visit my aunt and 91 year old grandma. it was a great time-- we went to an apple orchard, watched lots of fun old movies (i think it was the first time i've seen "the wizard of oz" since I was a kid...what a trip!), and took a beautiful drive through the canyons of wine country.
here are a couple shots of g-ma looking through some old photos and getting her hair done.
(on a side note, i finally figured out how to post bigger pictures. hooray!!)
here are a couple shots of g-ma looking through some old photos and getting her hair done.
(on a side note, i finally figured out how to post bigger pictures. hooray!!)
June 18, 2009
vacation!
well, a mini-vacation, anyway. last weekend's getaway to the montage laguna beach was AMAZING. i was so busy relaxing by the pool that i almost forgot to snap some pictures. almost. :)
here's my new favorite spot in southern california-- the montage's fire pit where you can order marshmallow and s'more kits. yum!
here's my new favorite spot in southern california-- the montage's fire pit where you can order marshmallow and s'more kits. yum!
March 18, 2009
class act
hello, friendly blogland!
just wanted to give a short intro to the next couple posts i'll be adding. on a whim, i decided to take a documentary photography class. i love taking these kinds of classes because they challenge me both technically and creatively, and i feel like you can never, ever do too much learning. plus, i like that i can write everything off as 'education' come tax time! :)
this class is one of the best i've ever taken. our teacher, anthony friedkin is an incredible photographer who's done the kind of work i would love to do someday. honestly, the guy is an artist and journalist rolled into one, very enthusiastic fountain of knowledge. he grew up in california and is a peer of stacy peralta (writer/director of the amazing film dogtown and z boys) and does really stunning ocean photography. as a hawaii girl, seeing those pictures makes me feel like i'm a little closer to home. in addition, he's worked for magnum photos. if i could accomplish just one thing in my lifetime, i would love to work for magnum. not easy to do... but boy, wouldn't that be amazing!
anyway, i'm learning tons and will be posting the results from each assignment here so that they don't get lost in my ever-growing archives, never to see the light of day...
enjoy looking and i hope to hear what you think!
just wanted to give a short intro to the next couple posts i'll be adding. on a whim, i decided to take a documentary photography class. i love taking these kinds of classes because they challenge me both technically and creatively, and i feel like you can never, ever do too much learning. plus, i like that i can write everything off as 'education' come tax time! :)
this class is one of the best i've ever taken. our teacher, anthony friedkin is an incredible photographer who's done the kind of work i would love to do someday. honestly, the guy is an artist and journalist rolled into one, very enthusiastic fountain of knowledge. he grew up in california and is a peer of stacy peralta (writer/director of the amazing film dogtown and z boys) and does really stunning ocean photography. as a hawaii girl, seeing those pictures makes me feel like i'm a little closer to home. in addition, he's worked for magnum photos. if i could accomplish just one thing in my lifetime, i would love to work for magnum. not easy to do... but boy, wouldn't that be amazing!
anyway, i'm learning tons and will be posting the results from each assignment here so that they don't get lost in my ever-growing archives, never to see the light of day...
enjoy looking and i hope to hear what you think!
March 12, 2009
Simone
I'll be the first to say that I've had my fair share of weird roommate situations (including renting a room from a "massage therapist" in San Jose, though that's a whole blog entry unto itself.) However, I've also been lucky enough to meet some really amazing people like Simone Shin. Simone and I both rented a room in this funny little yellow house with a red door in South Pasadena. We bonded over the weirdness of our other roommate, who kept squirreled away in her room during the day and was a smelly food-eating, crazy club-going party animal at night. One of the first times I talked with Simone, we were discussing getting internet for the house. I was tired, so I looked around her room and found a chair to plop down in. And plop I did. See, Simone is an artist. And the chair was not really a chair, but a sculpture of a chair made out of cardboard and fabric. When I sat down, I crushed her sculpture. I felt TERRIBLE. I ruined ART! But Simone was gracious and made a joke and I knew then that I liked her more than any other roommate I'd had in recent history.
Even though I moved out of that house soon after Simone moved in, we've tried to keep in touch as much as our busy schedules will allow. I was so, so thrilled when, out of the blue, she contacted me last week because she'd been nominated for a prestigious illustration award and needed a photo to submit in case she was selected. I was like, OF COURSE! I mean, if anything else, it was a way to work off some of my destroyed-chair-sculpture karma. And, more importantly, it meant we'd finally meet up like we'd talking about for ages. Anyway, long story longer, we did the shoot, she won the award and we finally got to hang out. What more could I ask for?
If you have time, stop by Simone's website and blog. She's amazing!
Even though I moved out of that house soon after Simone moved in, we've tried to keep in touch as much as our busy schedules will allow. I was so, so thrilled when, out of the blue, she contacted me last week because she'd been nominated for a prestigious illustration award and needed a photo to submit in case she was selected. I was like, OF COURSE! I mean, if anything else, it was a way to work off some of my destroyed-chair-sculpture karma. And, more importantly, it meant we'd finally meet up like we'd talking about for ages. Anyway, long story longer, we did the shoot, she won the award and we finally got to hang out. What more could I ask for?
If you have time, stop by Simone's website and blog. She's amazing!
February 26, 2009
left my heart (and luggage) in san francisco, pt. 2
I've had a few days to relax after my quick NorCal trip and am anxious to go back. Mostly because I'm hungry for Saha, but also because I am already tired of LA driving... again. Here's a sad thing: not only am I not-so-great at driving (more because of a lack of patience rather than lack of coordination), but I'm not-so-great at public transit, too. Even though I used to live in the Bay Area, I never really took BART and I failed royally at it last weekend.
To get from Palo Alto to Berkeley without a car, you either have to be super in-shape to walk and swim the 40 miles across the bay, or you need to take the CalTrain and BART. I, being the ever-so-savvy Hawaii girl-turned Angeleno, felt the latter was the easier, hipper, and certainly more metropolitan choice. After a nice lunch with a friend in Palo Alto, I hopped on the CalTrain towards Millbrae. Not so tough, right? Wrong. Imagine me, wrangling a gigantic backpack (turtle girl!!) a gigantic purse, and a gigantic carry-on through the teeny upper-level aisles of the train. As I finally made it to a chair and squished in with my three large bags, I wondered if anyone could see me hiding beneath them. At the Millbrae stop, I hopped off and bought my BART ticket. But, there were no signs directing me which train to take to get to Berkeley. I hopped on the sole train there, figuring it would eventually take me where I needed to go. Map says Dublin/Pleasanton train to Richmond train which stops at Ashby... Cool. I'm on the right track, I've got it figured out. As the train started pulling out of the stop, a voice crackled over the loudspeaker. "This train going to San Francisco. Next stop is your transfer to the Richmond Train to East Bay." Wait, what? I thought that was at least four stops from here! No sooner had I decided the conductor was probably right, the train pulled into the next stop. Ok! Grab your backpack, catch the next train, let's go! As I sprinted up the stairs looking for the other platform (wait! there's no other platform??) I realized that my bags weren't nearly as heavy. I only had one of them. QUICK! I ran back down to the platform, right in time to see the train-- and my luggage-- disappear into the tunnel towards San Francisco.
Needless to say, I was freaking out. I searched frantically for a BART employee, but no one was to be found. No one, that is, until I found Maria. I could barely see her behind the large swivel chair and pulled-low-over-her-eyes hat in the info booth. As she turned around to acknowledge me, I could tell I was in good hands. "Bags…on train…my luggage…everything!" The words came tumbling out as I motioned with my arm towards San Francisco. "My bags are on the train that just left!" She calmed me down, checked the schedule, and phoned to the next stop. After a couple minutes, we got the call back that when the train arrived at the next station they would go down and have someone search it to see if they could find my bag. After what seemed like hours, the phone rang again. They had it! All I had to do was get on the next train to Daly City and pick it up. Maria walked me down to the platform, and when the next train arrived, the conductor, Mike, leaned out of the window. Maria explained everything to Mike, and together they promised I’d finally get to where I was going—with all my bags, too.
At Daly City, I got off the train and met up with Andrea, who searched the train and saved my bag from its unaccompanied trip to San Francisco. Maria, Mike and Andrea, if you are reading this— a big hug and THANK YOU!! Your kindness truly made my trip memorable.
My heroes:
So, after all of that, you’d think I’d have a smooth trip to Berkeley, right? Almost. I texted my friend Adrianne to let her know why I was delayed, and she said just to get off the BART, she’d meet me at Civic Center in SF. That sounded good to me—I was a bit overwhelmed by BART at that point. But then—of course—I didn’t realize Civic Center was the next stop. As I rushed to exit the train (with all my bags, thank goodness,) it dawned on me that Civic Center was probably not where I wanted to wait. Strip clubs and liquor stores lined Market Street, and there didn’t seem to be any place for me to sit that wasn’t intruding on someone’s “home.” I could feel eyes following me and my three gigantic bags as I walked through the open courtyard and decided, very quickly, that I’d just get take the train to Berkeley—it would be safer than waiting. Back on the train, I was relieved but also incredulous that it could take me almost four hours to get forty miles. I might have done better walking!
The rest of the trip went by much too quickly. Burgers and beer at Raleigh's, thrift-store shopping, and drinks and a game of Pictionary at Albatross. A fun night, and I wish I could have stayed longer. Next time I’m in the area, I’m going to go to a show at 924 Gilman Street, the legendary East Bay punk rock venue. Green Day played there before they “sold out,” and so have my favorites Fugazi, Rancid, Bad Religion, The Dead Kennedys… *sigh*. I heart punk rock!
Here’s Adrianne outside Rasputin Music:
And some pretty cherry blossoms in Palo Alto:
To get from Palo Alto to Berkeley without a car, you either have to be super in-shape to walk and swim the 40 miles across the bay, or you need to take the CalTrain and BART. I, being the ever-so-savvy Hawaii girl-turned Angeleno, felt the latter was the easier, hipper, and certainly more metropolitan choice. After a nice lunch with a friend in Palo Alto, I hopped on the CalTrain towards Millbrae. Not so tough, right? Wrong. Imagine me, wrangling a gigantic backpack (turtle girl!!) a gigantic purse, and a gigantic carry-on through the teeny upper-level aisles of the train. As I finally made it to a chair and squished in with my three large bags, I wondered if anyone could see me hiding beneath them. At the Millbrae stop, I hopped off and bought my BART ticket. But, there were no signs directing me which train to take to get to Berkeley. I hopped on the sole train there, figuring it would eventually take me where I needed to go. Map says Dublin/Pleasanton train to Richmond train which stops at Ashby... Cool. I'm on the right track, I've got it figured out. As the train started pulling out of the stop, a voice crackled over the loudspeaker. "This train going to San Francisco. Next stop is your transfer to the Richmond Train to East Bay." Wait, what? I thought that was at least four stops from here! No sooner had I decided the conductor was probably right, the train pulled into the next stop. Ok! Grab your backpack, catch the next train, let's go! As I sprinted up the stairs looking for the other platform (wait! there's no other platform??) I realized that my bags weren't nearly as heavy. I only had one of them. QUICK! I ran back down to the platform, right in time to see the train-- and my luggage-- disappear into the tunnel towards San Francisco.
Needless to say, I was freaking out. I searched frantically for a BART employee, but no one was to be found. No one, that is, until I found Maria. I could barely see her behind the large swivel chair and pulled-low-over-her-eyes hat in the info booth. As she turned around to acknowledge me, I could tell I was in good hands. "Bags…on train…my luggage…everything!" The words came tumbling out as I motioned with my arm towards San Francisco. "My bags are on the train that just left!" She calmed me down, checked the schedule, and phoned to the next stop. After a couple minutes, we got the call back that when the train arrived at the next station they would go down and have someone search it to see if they could find my bag. After what seemed like hours, the phone rang again. They had it! All I had to do was get on the next train to Daly City and pick it up. Maria walked me down to the platform, and when the next train arrived, the conductor, Mike, leaned out of the window. Maria explained everything to Mike, and together they promised I’d finally get to where I was going—with all my bags, too.
At Daly City, I got off the train and met up with Andrea, who searched the train and saved my bag from its unaccompanied trip to San Francisco. Maria, Mike and Andrea, if you are reading this— a big hug and THANK YOU!! Your kindness truly made my trip memorable.
My heroes:
So, after all of that, you’d think I’d have a smooth trip to Berkeley, right? Almost. I texted my friend Adrianne to let her know why I was delayed, and she said just to get off the BART, she’d meet me at Civic Center in SF. That sounded good to me—I was a bit overwhelmed by BART at that point. But then—of course—I didn’t realize Civic Center was the next stop. As I rushed to exit the train (with all my bags, thank goodness,) it dawned on me that Civic Center was probably not where I wanted to wait. Strip clubs and liquor stores lined Market Street, and there didn’t seem to be any place for me to sit that wasn’t intruding on someone’s “home.” I could feel eyes following me and my three gigantic bags as I walked through the open courtyard and decided, very quickly, that I’d just get take the train to Berkeley—it would be safer than waiting. Back on the train, I was relieved but also incredulous that it could take me almost four hours to get forty miles. I might have done better walking!
The rest of the trip went by much too quickly. Burgers and beer at Raleigh's, thrift-store shopping, and drinks and a game of Pictionary at Albatross. A fun night, and I wish I could have stayed longer. Next time I’m in the area, I’m going to go to a show at 924 Gilman Street, the legendary East Bay punk rock venue. Green Day played there before they “sold out,” and so have my favorites Fugazi, Rancid, Bad Religion, The Dead Kennedys… *sigh*. I heart punk rock!
Here’s Adrianne outside Rasputin Music:
And some pretty cherry blossoms in Palo Alto:
February 23, 2009
left my heart (and luggage) in san francisco, pt. 1
Oh, what a month it's been! My normally homebody self has been up and down the state this past month and I find that I'm again playing catch up.
My dad was in town for a conference two weeks ago, and when that was over we drove four hours north to San Luis Obispo to visit my aunt and 90-year-old grandmother. This is technically a photography blog so I'll spare you the essay I could write on what I observed to be a surprisingly warm and rewarding experience of caring for a parent as they age. But, I'll say this: while it's difficult to see someone you love change and need more and more care, I was so touched by the relationship I witnessed between my aunt and grandma. She has little to no memory, but she is happy. She laughs, she jokes, she doesn't take herself too seriously (in fact, one of the funniest things to her is that she is, indeed, 90 years old.) Though she sleeps most of the day, she is never alone and whenever she wakes there is someone who loves her there waiting. It's scary, to think of our parents aging; our role models we know to be strong and steady becoming weak and frail. But what a gift, to be able to care for them as they've cared for us... I've always wondered how I could ever express to my parents how grateful I am for the love, life and opportunities they've given me. I hope one day (a very, very long time from now) I'll be able to show them the same love and care as they did for me when I was just a messy, screaming, rugrat of a child.
Anyway, enough of the serious stuff! Here is a photo of my parents, who are so obviously still in love. How cute!
Not a week after my dad left, I got on a plane to San Francisco to visit my sister Melissa for her 23rd birthday and see several of my closest friends. Melissa and her boyfriend Nate picked me up at SFO and we went straight into the city for a late dinner. Let me just say that I have a new favorite restaurant, and it deserves it's own line:
Saha, SF
It's the most amazing food EVER, and I love food. I was a bit skeptical based on my preliminary research, but know this-- the website does not do it justice. It's so good, in fact, that I couldn't even share more than a bite (one bite!) with my sister...ON HER BIRTHDAY. That's saying something. (I hopefully made up for my gluttonous ways with the birthday candle-topped choco-pear, but still the guilt persists...) The Yemenese/Arabic-fusion was subtle and delightful, the decor was rich and inviting and vibrantly exotic. I have only two complaints-- one, that my stomach was not large enough for another three courses, and two, that my favorite restaurant is 300 miles away. Dear Chef Aboghanem, can you please open a Los Angeles location? I promise I'll visit every night until my piggy bank falls empty to the floor!
I took a couple pictures of Saha, but they were on my new (and already beloved) chunk-of-plastic Holga camera, which uses only film (ah, the good old days...) I should have the proofs back in a day or two, so I'll scan them and post them then. In the meantime, here are some shots I did a few weeks ago of Aman Alem, an actor and very talented young musician. LA folks-- extra points if you can spot the locations!
Stay tuned for more on my trip to SF, including the heart-wrenching story of how I almost lost my luggage! (Well, maybe not heart-wrenching to you, but for me... it was a doozy!)
My dad was in town for a conference two weeks ago, and when that was over we drove four hours north to San Luis Obispo to visit my aunt and 90-year-old grandmother. This is technically a photography blog so I'll spare you the essay I could write on what I observed to be a surprisingly warm and rewarding experience of caring for a parent as they age. But, I'll say this: while it's difficult to see someone you love change and need more and more care, I was so touched by the relationship I witnessed between my aunt and grandma. She has little to no memory, but she is happy. She laughs, she jokes, she doesn't take herself too seriously (in fact, one of the funniest things to her is that she is, indeed, 90 years old.) Though she sleeps most of the day, she is never alone and whenever she wakes there is someone who loves her there waiting. It's scary, to think of our parents aging; our role models we know to be strong and steady becoming weak and frail. But what a gift, to be able to care for them as they've cared for us... I've always wondered how I could ever express to my parents how grateful I am for the love, life and opportunities they've given me. I hope one day (a very, very long time from now) I'll be able to show them the same love and care as they did for me when I was just a messy, screaming, rugrat of a child.
Anyway, enough of the serious stuff! Here is a photo of my parents, who are so obviously still in love. How cute!
Not a week after my dad left, I got on a plane to San Francisco to visit my sister Melissa for her 23rd birthday and see several of my closest friends. Melissa and her boyfriend Nate picked me up at SFO and we went straight into the city for a late dinner. Let me just say that I have a new favorite restaurant, and it deserves it's own line:
Saha, SF
It's the most amazing food EVER, and I love food. I was a bit skeptical based on my preliminary research, but know this-- the website does not do it justice. It's so good, in fact, that I couldn't even share more than a bite (one bite!) with my sister...ON HER BIRTHDAY. That's saying something. (I hopefully made up for my gluttonous ways with the birthday candle-topped choco-pear, but still the guilt persists...) The Yemenese/Arabic-fusion was subtle and delightful, the decor was rich and inviting and vibrantly exotic. I have only two complaints-- one, that my stomach was not large enough for another three courses, and two, that my favorite restaurant is 300 miles away. Dear Chef Aboghanem, can you please open a Los Angeles location? I promise I'll visit every night until my piggy bank falls empty to the floor!
I took a couple pictures of Saha, but they were on my new (and already beloved) chunk-of-plastic Holga camera, which uses only film (ah, the good old days...) I should have the proofs back in a day or two, so I'll scan them and post them then. In the meantime, here are some shots I did a few weeks ago of Aman Alem, an actor and very talented young musician. LA folks-- extra points if you can spot the locations!
Stay tuned for more on my trip to SF, including the heart-wrenching story of how I almost lost my luggage! (Well, maybe not heart-wrenching to you, but for me... it was a doozy!)
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