Yesterday while cleaning out my home office and going through binders full of negatives and photos, I realized that it’s been exactly 3 years since I moved into my own little “studio” space in Midtown Manhattan. It’s nothing extravagant and I often find myself explaining to others that it’s small but mighty. I’m beyond grateful to have this as my HQ.
Life’s messages lately have been finding me through the number 3 so this makes sense. It’s been a heavy 3 weeks but as always when my heart needs healing, I find myself in familiar territories of art and photography, safe spaces that hold me and replenish my soul.
I took a moment to celebrate how far I’ve come. It hasn’t been easy especially when my mind & body weren’t always working with me. During this reflection, I made sure to look towards the future and allow myself to feel excitement for all the good that has yet to come. If you’ve been apart of the chaos at #605, I appreciate you so much. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for making it possible for this analog obsessed girl.
I haven’t used a pack of FP100c in years but my polaroid 600 camera had glitched out and Kylie and I were having too much fun chatting about energies and the universe that it felt important. I’m so happy we did. Here are a few shots on peel apart + some VHS stills from our day together 🤍
Large format hand prints of Mariia. First time ever processing my own C-41 negatives and the first time in 4 years enlarging with RA-4 🤍 also my first portrait shoot with the Big T aka the reimagined Big Shot designed by @maxsprkplg and built by @jojo_riv
This silly little “photobooth” project has brought me a lot of happiness and I’m grateful to every soul that has “stepped into the booth” to help bring it to life. Portraiture is an extremely special and powerful gift that brings genuine connection especially in a world that doesn’t see much humanity or empathy. I said this in my latest Substack and wanted to share it again.. the ability to express ourselves, in whatever forms available, has always been my beacon of hope, hope that speaks to the love humans have and their fascination with the world around them. Photos of @lucylucylucy7 🤍
Spent hours hand scanning film last summer after our belated honey moon. As much as I love my Epson photo scanner, my scanning process has changed and has now become a lot more efficient and produces better quality photos. I do, however, miss the sound of the scanner at work, the image popping up on the screen when complete and the physical process of loading the film onto the glass.
Anyway the point of this all was to say that these photos mean more to me than any trinket or item purchased. Time spent with the people we love, eating and drinking in the sun, sharing with one another is the greatest gift and medicine for the soul. Life really could be so simple and beautiful 🕊️ with so much awfulness going on, I needed to share some joy. May this resonate in some way with your heart ❤️
final note - I want to start sharing cost efficient ways for people to maximize their film with the rising costs of film stock and lab prices. Everyone should experience photography and film and the world misses out on stories and different POVs when it’s not accessible. Currently figuring out the best way to share this info (budget friendly films and cameras, hand scanning vs overpriced lab scans, etc) but it’s coming 🎞️
Really wanted to post the VHS footage from this shoot but my phone keeps compressing the quality and color so for now, here are some stills of SAMARÍA at the studio 💕 along with some iPhone of the fishTV that I am currently obsessing over 😝
