Green Witch

Happy Autumn Equinox today. Officially, the first day of fall. The word “equinox” in Latin means “equal night”. Today, the day and the night will be equal time. Everyday after, until the next equinox in spring, will have longer nights than daytime in the Northern Hemisphere. Yes, that means earlier sunsets (sadly).

These photos I shot on a very fun, experimental film stock called psychedelic blues. The edges of this hand fogged batch #5 by Dustin Adams have blown out edges and colorful galaxy-looking speckles. The 35mm film stock is Kodak Ultra Max.

My images give off all the Green Witch and fall equinox vibes. I painted her face and another girl designed a flower crown from what she could forge in the woods during our camping trip.

Enjoy this new season in our lives! Happy Fall to everyone reading.

Double Exposures on 35mm Film

I have taken a dive into the magic that is double exposures and am utterly in love with the results. Double exposure in film photography is when you exposure a single frame of film more than once in order to create multiple images superimposed over one another. This hundred year old technique is special because it is a true artistic visual effect all done in camera, no photoshop to create the image.

These images below are from my first double exposed roll of film. I shot on Fuji Superia Xtra 400 35mm with 36 exposures. I believe it took me a few months to shoot out this roll of film but, within that time, I was fortunate to have come across some very unique locations. I did not plan the superimpositions; I opted for the surprise. I simply photographed my portraits first, then loaded the film again and shot my landscapes. In the below series, I effectively turned my friend into a Joshua tree, a dinosaur, and into the sparkly bokeh of the Hollywood Boulevard lights.

35mm Film Experiment

It's an incredible feeling when you get your film back from the lab and see that you've created magic. I shot this roll of 35mm Fuji pro 400H film and then damaged it by doing a technique commonly known as "souping". I mixed a solution together and then soaked my film canister in the liquid. After waiting a couple weeks for it to dry, I took the roll to the lab to be developed and scanned. This was my second film soup experiment and I am quite pleased with this series. Scroll through to see a few of my favorites from the roll.  

Thai Smile

The Thai smile is a legendary one. In my life changing visit last year, I had the opportunity to see it for myself. The Thai smile is a genuine one in a culture that is so friendly.

The portraits I photographed below were taken from a few different unique locations. I visited a poverty stricken village (due to the 2004 Tsunami) where we were greeted with smiles and hospitality. I also had the rare experience of visiting a Karen Hill Tribe Village where I fell in love with their colorful handmade textiles and was even gifted with some items which I now treasure. The other location is a hidden University in Burma we traveled a few long hours through the jungle and then on a long-tail boat to get to. Each of these experiences I could easily write more about but for now, smile and enjoy these photographs below.

Retro Arcade / Fair Photoshoot on 35mm film

This retro Arcade/Fair photography series I shot on 35mm Kodak Portra 800 film with model Dru Presta on the Santa Monica Pier.  She was a delight to photograph and looks killer in every shot. I'm very happy with how these images developed. This was my first time using this film stock, Kodak Portra 800. I am so in love with it! The film was the perfect speed and aesthetic, colors are vibrant and vivid, and the grain is silky smooth making for such pretty golden skin tones. You can find Dru on Instagram @g0lden.bebe or myself @femme_natal. Take a look below at some of my favorite shots from this series.

Visiting Back Home in Colorado

I spontaneously booked a flight back home for six days because I missed my family and it was closing in on almost a year since I'd seen them last. In my hurried travels around Denver to visit everyone, I managed to get a few photographs. Colorado is so deeply beautiful. The Rocky Mountains will always have my heart. 

Athena Floral Crowns

It's official! I am so very excited to share that I started a sole proprietorship business in Los Angeles. As you can see from the image above that I designed, my company's name is "Athena Floral Crowns". I hand make and design floral crowns for the Goddess in you! My one-of-a-kind floral crowns are made with silk flowers or, if you're a Los Angeles local, with fresh in-season flowers purchased locally. I have the most beautiful time hand selecting my fresh flowers from the LA Flower District downtown. 

Custom orders are available just email athenafloralcrowns@gmail.com. Please visit my business page on Instagram @athenafloralcrowns and my Etsy page www.athenafloralcrowns.com where my lovely floral crowns are sold. 

Art Movements Project with body paint

I started an art photography project that will continue over the next several months; I will be photographing and directing. The project will be comprised of a series of portrait photographs depicting different art movements throughout the centuries in art culture through the mediums of body paint, makeup, lighting, production design, and photography. I plan to be inspired along the way and let the idea evolve. 

The project kicked off beautifully. I worked with the very talented body artist Luci at her studio in the Fashion District downtown Los Angeles. Luci spends her time between Los Angeles and Florida where she owns and operates her own studio. She does amazing work. I suggest checking out her instagram: @luci_face2face. We look forward to working together again.

Among the dozens of Art Movements, I wanted to start off with my favorite: the highly stylized and symbolic, German Expressionism. In college a few years ago, I fell in love with this style as it pertains to German film history in the early 1900's with some of my absolute favorite silent films coming from this movement. Hollywood cinema was highly influenced soon after. Contemporary artist such as Tim Burton and Alfred Hitchcock, for example, take after this particular style. 

I hope you enjoy our collaboration on "Art Movement series: German Expressionism" with body paint artist Luci and fantastic model Nicole G. I'm already looking forward to the next series to share with you!