May was exciting – I finished my freshman year of college & moved home for the summer, and a week later, I flew out to Portland, Oregon for a week.

Two of my best friends from school, Andrew and Gillian, live in Portland, and Gillian’s family was generous enough to house and feed me for a whole week while I spent my first time on the West Coast. (I am a thousand times grateful for their hospitality – they were the sweetest!) Gillian & Andrew took me around Portland and showed me all of the touristy things; we went to Powell’s, I ate in a double-decker bus, I had my first cup of Stumptown coffee (which also happened to be my first cup of coffee ever), I set foot in the Pacific for the very first time. I even saw California for the first time, very briefly, during my four hour layover in San Francisco & my four hour layover in LA. I only saw the inside of the airports and some foggy hills, but it’s better than nothing.

I had such a wonderful time and it was just so exciting to be somewhere other than New Jersey/New York/driving distance of my home, to be somewhere that I had absolutely never discovered and that I was free to roam, all by myself. Getting on a plane alone was terrifying but also satisfactory, somehow, that I paid for my plane ticket and did this for myself. There is so little of the world I have seen; my worldview is so limited. It has expanded a tiny bit, but it is still so limited, and that’s not what I want for myself. I want to see other things. I want to do other things. Think of how little of this country I have seen! I’ve been up and down the East Coast, now I have briefly glimpsed Portland (since a week is hardly enough to know a place well), and there is an entire span of humans & places in between that I have yet to see, or meet, or photograph. And I will.

I shot with my 6D and my Yashica, and my 6D performed so admirably. It was the first big adventure I took it on, and I’m so pleased! I did hardly any editing other than minor adjustments in Lightroom, which makes me happy. I only shot slide film while there, as well, and the slides look so wonderful! (One roll that has yet to be scanned is missing from this post & will be uploaded eventually.)

Sorry for the giant blog post and all of these words, I just can’t contain my excitement with these images and with everything.

Medium format photographs spanning the end of March to the very beginning of May, my last month in the city until August.

Back in April, I had the chance to shoot a few portraits of my friend Nick Andreadis, who was such a wonderful subject. We worked really well together, which I appreciated – it’s nice when someone knows instinctively what you’re looking for in an image.

shot on my Yashica Mat EM + expired Kodak Tri-X and Mamiya RB67 + Fuji Acros 100

If you recognize these AWESOME faces, it’s because I shot their wedding a year ago in Somerset! Brent and Gaellissa were the first couple to hire me to shoot a wedding, and I’m so excited that they contacted me to shoot anniversary portraits for them! We picnicked in the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens until the rain began, and then headed over to Coney Island to throw confetti around and frolic on the beach. Brent and Gael, congratulations on one year of marriage :)

The rain had cleared up by the time we arrived on Coney Island! :D

Brent and Gael, you rock. So much.

This semester, I focused in my darkroom class mainly on shooting portraits (both others and myself). I feel drawn to portraiture and would like to continue shooting them, particularly on medium format.

All hand-developed and printed. Shot on my Yashica Mat EM and a mixture of Fuji Acros 100 and Kodak Tri-X 400 (expired).

(As usual, I am so behind on blogging – I finished finals, moved back to Monmouth County, and then flew to Portland, Oregon for a week! Images upon images to come.)

I went out shopping in Manhattan after work one Friday night and ended up taking the F back toward school but decided to go all the way out to Coney Island instead. I missed the ocean – I just wanted to be next to it again, for a little while.

Shot on my Canon EOS 650 + Agfa Vista 100.

shot on my Canon Demi EE17 with expired Kodak Portra 160 NC.

I had the lovely opportunity of shooting Madeline and David’s engagement photos at Fort Tryon Park a few weeks back! Fort Tryon Park is beautiful, and Madeline went to high school right down the street from the park :) It was a gorgeous spring day – I can’t wait to shoot their wedding in June!

On Friday, I visited DUMBO for the first time to check out Pratt’s senior thesis show at the Powerhouse Arena! That area of Brooklyn is so wonderful; I couldn’t help but take a few photos. (The 28mm on my 6D is a dream come true!)

me, all touristy ‘n stuff

Late last summer, a few days before I left for college, I had the opportunity to second shoot Melissa and Tyler’s wedding with my awesome mentor, Andrei Jackamets! He’s graciously letting me share my portion of the shots here on my blog. :)