a few film favorites

It's pretty clear I've been slacking with both the photography and this blog. Being in school doesn't really allow room for working on this blog, at least not for me. Great news is that I have officially graduated from college! Bad news is that I am currently unemployed, but that's quite alright since that leaves me all the time in the world to start up this project again.

No new photos for the past few months, so here are some old film favorites taken on my Canon AE-1.

1. Staten Island Snug Harbor.
2. An abandoned building around Fort Tilden Park.
3. View from Brooklyn Bridge Park.
4. Somewhere around Cape Cod/Martha's Vineyard, taken on a trip back in 2011.
5. Uncle's apartment window; maybe around 2010.

I moved back to New York from Massachusetts, so expect some good old neighborhood exploring shots. But you'll have to forgive me, my photography skills are a bit rusty.

5am thoughts

I've been thinking a lot about my photography work in the past and the reason why I stopped making it a priority in my life. Time constraint was definitely an important factor, but the reason why I didn't find a way to make time for it or push past the lack of motivation was simply because I no longer felt the need to capture moments in a frame and share them with the rest of the world. And I no longer felt that need because my viewfinder, my lens, my focus...changed.

The more I dived into my education, the more I learned about systems of oppression and social injustices, I became less amazed by the world I live in. The things I was used to photographing, small moments and pretty places, suddenly did not seem worthy of freezing in a still frame. I felt fake, almost, pressing the camera shutter at the sight of something aesthetically pleasing, because what was the point of spitting that image back out into the world? Yes, it grants the viewer some sort of visual pleasure, but beyond that, do my photographs serve any other purpose? Besides saying 'hey, this looks kinda pretty,' what other messages do these photographs even have? They just sort of sit there. They are a one-sided conversation.

I want to avoid sounding critical about photography as an artform because I do see the medium as an important one. I want to stress that photography was my first love because it allowed me to speak my thoughts with my eyes and not my mouth, and because of that it healed me in ways that I will always be grateful for. But moving forward, I think we have to be self reflective about how we use the artform and decide if we are okay with how we choose to use it.

So with that in mind, I'm trying to steer the artist part of me in another direction. I want to use this blog and document fun, mindless, aesthetically pleasing things like fashion, travel, and food, but at the same time I also want to make meaningful photographic art. In other words, I want to capture 'pretty things' but also 'ugly things', if you will--things that problematize an aspect of our world. I'm trying to figure out if I, as a single person, can use photography in two different ways and still place them on a single platform.

I apologize if these words don't make any sense to you--it's 5am and I'm not sure if I'm even making any sense to myself. Just food for thought...

Much love (and slumber),
Em

walden pond

This past Saturday I made an impromptu trip to Walden Pond with Iris and Erica. The only other time I've been was almost two years ago, at the beginning of fall semester junior year when things in my life were much warmer. The pond was frozen this time and from how the weather has been this past week, it might still be. There's something extremely invigorating about walking on top of a frozen pond knowing that there is a chance the ice will crack, but that you choose to keep walking anyway.

I took some snapshots with the new lens I just purchased, the Sigma f/2.8 17-50mm. I got it off eBay from Japan for just a bit above $300 (way below the retail price) and for an inexpensive lens, its quality exceeded my expectations.





I'm hoping to slowly get back into photography with this new lens. Given the rough patch I've been going through, I think it will be therapeutic for me. I'm also taking a studio art class this semester called Intermediate Digital Media and Installation, which focuses on creating interactive and immersive spaces using a mix of photography, painting, video, and sculpture. Truthfully, I am a bit burnt out by academia and I miss being able to express myself through art. We'll see how this goes.

"I learned this, at least, by my experiment; that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours." - Henry David Thoreau, Walden

stockholm, sweden

After our class study tour, a group of us decided to continue our own journey by taking an overnight ferry from Helsinki to Stockholm. After rocking back and forth for 18 hours in our cabins, I could not have been happier to see Swedish land under sunny blue skies.




Stockholm reminds me a lot of Copenhagen (København), my study abroad home base, but a bit quieter and more soft-spoken. After leaving the ferry, we walked for about half an hour to reach our hostel (Old Town Hostel Gamla Stan), which was located right in the outskirts of Stockholm's Old Town. For less than $30 for a Saturday night stay, it was comfortable and more than decent.





Before heading to the airport, we did drop by Chokladkoppen to try their hot chocolate (as our class instructor suggested). Mmmm, perfect cup of heaven. I think it was around 35 Swedish kroner, which is slightly expensive, but definitely well worth it.

tallinn, estonia

About 8 months ago when I was abroad in Denmark, my public health core class went on a faculty-led study tour to Tallinn, Estonia and Helsinki, Finland. Even though we visited both cities in the same week, I barely whipped out my camera for Helsinki (anteeksi! Finnish for 'sorry,' according to Google Translate). Here are a few shots of this low-key city.




Tallinn's Old Town
Narrow streets and colorful buildings = my favorite part of the city. A few of us got lost wandering around here and ended up eating at a super touristy place, but I suppose that was bound to happen.



On the left is the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, which we lost American students stumbled upon by accident. At first glance, the Russian architectural elements are quite clear--this cathedral was built when Estonia was ruled by the Russian empire. St. Petersburg is still on my list of places to visit, but I guess this will do for now.


View from the Kiek in de Kök tower, part of the Bastion Tunnels Museum. Our class went on an underground tour of the bastion tunnels and learned about the city's fortification history.


Tallinn trams!

the beginning of another project

Thinking back, I don’t ever remember a time where I didn’t write down my thoughts or document the everyday happenings in my life. While I am still continuing my One Second A Day video project and still write in my journal consistently, I miss photography. I miss actively seeking places, spaces, and happenings that make me pause. With all the transitioning I've been doing this past year, this blog is my attempt to rediscover the fascination and love I used to have for the world around me.

I am not entirely sure of this blog’s contents yet, but for now I intend to post a bit about my life (perhaps centered around self-growth, style, food, and places/travel) with a heavy photo emphasis. Since I never got the chance to edit and play around with my photos from abroad, they will be the first few sets to appear on the site. Cheers!

Much love,
Em