#35MM VIGNETTES - AUG, SEPT, OCT

I’m back with another round of film scans! These are bits and pieces of the last few months and going through them reassured me of two things: 1. time does indeed fly by way too freakin’ fast 2. never again will I go to a film lab because of how cheap it is because they will screw up your film and the colors will not come out very well. Case-in-point: LESSON LEARNED.

Still, these photos encapsulate very special memories of my life. Let’s take a walk down memory lane together shall we?

visited the whitney museum because apparently I get in for free thanks to my company (??!!)

ophelia visits and I get to explore more around brooklyn

friends, friends, and more friends <3

(in order of event: picnic @ central park, housewarming, #SweetenerSpotify, 88Rising concert, halloween party, bye bye rish T_T)

collection of random snapshots: walking uptown, cute ol’ couple @ the frick, rish captures me crossing the street, me after a full day of fangirling ariana grande @ her pop-up

ciao for now,

#35MM VIGNETTES

Finally got around to using my film camera again after taking a hiatus because, well, let's be real: that stuff is expensive. I had two rolls of film recently developed/scanned at Bleeker Studios down in Nolita and was very eager to sift through the photos since I had about 2 months worth of random events in there. 

From solo days to my 23rd birthday party, here are some photos or vignettes as I'll call them of my life in May and June. A new series perhaps? We'll let my wallet decide (lol). 

became a member of the met

sunbathed at central park

birthday shenanigans

became a member of moma/moma ps1

shoot with my dear maria

see  ya soon,

NEW YORK ON FILM

This post is dedicated to all the hard work my camera put into capturing special moments in New York. I was quite nervous about the film developing weirdly because of the colder temperature in the east coast but thank the Lord baby Jesus nothing went wrong!

Something about the grain and deeper tones in these photos makes the memories of my trip all the more nostalgic. Can't wait to go back and do it all over again.

Hope you enjoyed~

Best fishes,

Don't forget to check out my vlogs from this trip HERE

THE START OF SOMETHING NEW

*Cue High School Musical's Start of Something New*

After countless months of deliberating, researching, and questioning,  I have finally finally purchased my first film camera. Meet my PENTAX ME SUPER--the perfect lil number with just the right amount of functions and practicality.

Instead of listing out all the mechanics of my camera, I'll link this very informative manual that I found on the Internet: http://www.cameramanuals.org/pentax_pdf/pentax_me_super.pdf

Growing up, I was always exposed to film photography since my dad had worked at one of those 1-HR film developing Kodak stores in Manhattan Beach. I'd often visit his work place and play around with the devices used to create such interesting photos and if I was ever lucky enough, he'd let me sneak a peek into the dark room. I think the nostalgia from that particular memory combined with my overall interest in photography sparked this massive desire to purchase my own film camera.

I recently got my first roll of film developed (hurrah!) and I was blown away by the results. Something about the green undertones and subtle noise made such an impact on the photos that I really hadn't expected. 

I hope you enjoy these photos as much as I do--scroll through to see some (unedited) from my very first roll.

All the best,

GRIFFITH OBSERVATORY

One of my favorite places in L.A. + one of my favorite films of all time (ahem, La La Land duh) = one very, very happy Rachel. 

Despite a very fashionably late appearance from a certain friend (name starts with a G ends with an E), we arrived to Griffith Observatory just in time to catch another beautiful West Coast sunset. I may or may not have hummed/sang the entire La La Land soundtrack while waltzing around the area taking photos of the scenery. The trip to Griffith upon watching the film (twice now) gave this particular visit a more special feeling and I couldn't have asked for better company than these two. 

Here's a couple shots from our time on that magical hill overlooking downtown. If you ever get to visit Los Angeles, I 10/10 recommend a stop here! If it's on a weekend, park near the middle/bottom of the hill and either hike (we did it in these outfits, totally do-able) or bus to the top. Sunset is my personal favorite time to visit, but any time of the day is honestly picture-perfect. 

Shine on, 

*I listen to the soundtrack literally every morning...ask my roommate, she'll concur.                          

*I am listening to "City of Stars" as I write this post, crazy, I know.

LOS ANGELES CITY HALL

Last month, I went on a much needed (and long overdue) #photoadventure with a couple of my friends back home. We drove over to downtown Los Angeles to capture some shots at City Hall. Believe it or not, this was actually my first time at here despite being born and raised in this city. Parking was a beezy, as per usual, but the time spent shooting with my homies made it all worth it!

The following photos were taken mostly by me--the ones with me actually in it were taken by my friends My and Peter (thanks guys!). I also experimented with some editing styles so bear with me if this is too much of an "aesthetic" change from what your normally used to. I just thought I could have some fun since photography is all about growing and learning!

See ya in the next #photoadventure (or perhaps you'd like to go on with me?)

Cheers, 

NOGUCHI GARDEN

It's my last year at university (whaaaat??) and I am determined to make the most of it. One of the goals I've set for myself is to plan more photoadventures. This entails getting more creative and have some sort of artistic direction when shooting on my camera. I realized that this last phase of my life in college will be a time in which I have the most opportunities to plan these kind of outings with friends--it also helps that I have a car (lol). After we all graduate, who knows when we'll be able to meet each other so easily (*goes to cry in a corner*). 

To mark the first step of achieving this goal, my friends and I drove up north to visit the famed Noguchi Garden. I had seen this place on a couple Instagram accounts and my friend Ashley thought it'd be a perfect place for us to practice our skills. 

Inspired by minimalist design and some of my favorite creatives like @junebugkim and @mkmicho I thought I'd try out a different feel from my usual photography and embrace a more cinematic(?) style. Ashley and Christian also helped me execute some of the portraits I wanted to capture (thanks ya'll!). Also, shoutout to Melody who always claims she can't pose then rocks it when I put the lens in front of her~

Hope you enjoy these photos! Let me know what your thoughts are, I'd love some constructive feedback.

Yours, 

Rachel

YOU, ME, AND THE BEACH

I've been blessed these past several years living in La Jolla and being minutes away from the beautiful Pacific. I've never been much of a beach person (despite having grown up next to one practically my entire life). But something about San Diego makes for a perfect beach day almost every day of the year. Perhaps its the amazing weather or the laid-back surfer mentality that makes me want to exchange my stress and overwhelmed mind for a cute bikini and some sun tan lotion...

Whatever it is, it sure makes for a great opportunity to grab my good ol' camera, Charlie, and a couple of friends for a photoadventure. It doesn't even matter what time of day it is: the photos always come out so awesome and truly reflect the beauty of the coast. The pics in this blog post were taken at possibly the worst time of day, around 3PM, and it still turned out just the way I wanted (with a little help post-production as well heh). 

If you're ever in the San Diego area, feel free to hit me up! I'd love to collaborate, take photos of you, or simply go on another photoadventure together. I will occasionally go back home to L.A. so keep updated via my Instagram or contact me for my schedule. 

Love always, 

Rachel